Robert Mednick, René Ricol, and Dr. Wang Jun Honored
The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organization for the accountancy profession with members and associates in 125 countries, yesterday presented the IFAC Sempier Award to Robert Mednick. In addition, René Ricol and Dr. Wang Jun were presented with special awards from IFAC to recognize their outstanding contributions to the international accounting profession. All three awards were presented at the Opening Ceremony of the World Congress of Accountants (WCOA) in Kuala Lumpur, by Robert Bunting, president of IFAC.
The IFAC Sempier Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the accountancy profession by an individual over a period of many years, and is presented at the quadrennial World Congress of Accountants. Robert Mednick was selected for his achievements in the development of the accountancy profession internationally, including his two consecutive terms as chair of IFAC’s Compliance Advisory Panel, his participation on IFAC’s Accountants Legal Liability Task Force, and his service as a consultant to the World Bank in the establishment of its ROSC Program and as a peer reviewer. In these roles, Mr. Mednick has advanced convergence of global accounting and auditing standards, development of professional accountancy bodies in emerging economies, public oversight/regulation of the accountancy profession, reform of accountants’ legal liability, and expansion of the audit function to broader assurance services.
“I am honored to present the Sempier Award to Robert Mednick,” said Mr. Bunting. “His dedication and achievements in strengthening the profession internationally have raised the bar for all of us and exemplified Sempier’s vision for IFAC and for the international accounting profession.”
IFAC presented a special award to RenéRicol in recognition of his professional contributions and his achievements in the development of the accountancy profession internationally, including his roles as an IFAC Officer and as a member of its Board. In particular, the award acknowledges Mr. Ricol’s role aspresident of IFAC during the “IFAC Reforms,” and his key role in developing and implementing those reforms and promoting IFAC’s mission internationally.
“I’m delighted to present this award to René Ricol. In addition to his accomplishments and contributions through the French accounting profession and IFAC, we also wish to recognize his work with the French government on various initiatives in response to the global economic and financial crisis,” said Mr. Bunting.
IFAC presented a special award to Dr. Wang Jun in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the accountancy profession and to the finance and business world. This includes his leadership in the reform of the Chinese accountancy profession as Vice Minister of Finance in the People’s Republic of China, his promotion of the development, adoption, and implementation of new Chinese Accounting and Auditing Standards, and his advocacy for the convergence of Chinese and international accounting and auditing standards.
“I’m pleased to see the important contributions of Dr. Wang Jun recognized by the global profession. In addition to his leadership in financial reforms and accounting standards, the award recognizes his leadership in the adoption of corporate governance good practice for the largest Chinese enterprises,” said Mr. Bunting.
“I am extremely gratified that IFAC has been able to recognize Robert Mednick’s, René Ricol’s, and Wang Jun’s exceptional contributions to the international accountancy profession,” said Ian Ball, CEO of IFAC. “These three recognitions remind us of the very diverse ways in which these three leaders have served the public interest through their work in, or related to, the accounting profession.
About the IFAC Robert Sempier Award
The IFAC Robert Sempier Award was created by the IFAC Council in 1991 to honor the contributions of Robert Sempier, IFAC’s first executive director. It is intended to recognize outstanding contributions to the accountancy profession by an individual over a period of many years, and is presented at the World Congress of Accountants every four years. Previous award recipients have been Bob Sempier (1992), Gordon H. Cowperthwaite (1997), Sir Bryan Carsberg (2002), and Marilyn Pendergast (2006).
About IFAC
IFAC (www.ifac.org) is the global organization for the accountancy profession dedicated to serving the public interest by strengthening the profession and contributing to the development of strong international economies. It is comprised of 164 members and associates in 125 countries and jurisdictions, representing approximately 2.5 million accountants in public practice, education, government service, industry, and commerce.