CA. Subodh Kumar Agrawal, President, ICAI 2013-2014
A combination of erudition, foresight and professional excellence, CA.
Subodh Kumar Agrawal has become the supreme torch-bearer of Indian
accountancy profession as the President of Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India (ICAI) for the year 2013-14. A fellow member of the
ICAI with 24 years of standing, he was elected as the President by the
22nd Council of the Institute on February 12, 2013. He was the Vice
President of the ICAI for the Council Year 2012-13. An altruistic
hard-worker bestowed with exceptional organisational, networking,
administrative and leadership skills, he has been serving as Central
Council member for two terms since 2007. An illustrious and versatile
accountancy professional since 1988, who is known for his passion for
professional uplift, CA. Agrawal was elected to the ICAI Council for
third term with unparalleled success and support of the membership,
claiming 56% of the votes polled that is a record in itself.
CA.
Subodh Kumar Agrawal has shown his professional skills and acumen in
all tasks and responsibilities assigned to him both at the Council,
national and international levels. Hailing from Kolkata, he has
specialisation in the area of Internal and Statutory Audit of Private
and Public Sector Entities viz. Banks and Insurance Companies. He has
also been providing Consultancy Services in the fields of Accounting
& Auditing, particularly matters relating to Indian and
International Auditing and Accounting Standards, Corporate Laws,
Corporate Governance, Restructuring of Business, Mergers, Amalgamations,
Demergers, Securities and Exchange Board of India and Non Banking
Financial Companies Matters, etc.
An ardent proponent of ‘brand
Indian CA’ and accountancy profession globally, he has passionately
represented Indian accountancy profession on the international front. He
has recently been appointed as member of SMP (Small and Medium
Practices) Committee of IFAC for the year 2013–15, and he has also been
appointed as Vice President of SAFA of IFAC for the year 2013. Earlier,
he had also served on the ‘Committee on Professional Ethics and
Independence’ of South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA). Besides,
he has also been an ICAI nominee on various Committees of SAFA,
including Committee for Improvement in Transparency, Accountability and
Governance, Committee on Professional Accountants in Business and
Committee on Quality Control Review. He has also put forward Indian
accountancy profession’s views in various meetings and programmes of
International Federation of Accountants, SAFA, Confederation of Asian
and Pacific Accountants (CAPA) and many other international bodies.
An
outstanding facilitator of ICAI and accountancy profession as a leading
partner in nation building at national level, he represents the ICAI in
the ‘Insurance Advisory Committee’ constituted by the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), and in ‘High Level Steering
Committee for Implementation of XBRL-based Data Submission by Banks’
besides being the Chairman of XBRL India. He was also nominated on the
‘Working Group’ constituted by the Competition Commission of India and
on ‘Committee of Experts’ constituted by the Ministry of Corporate
Affairs to prepare a fresh Inspection Manual. He has also served as a
member in Working Group to review the existing prudential guidelines on
restructuring of advances by banks/financial institutions constituted by
RBI. He also represents ICAI in the ‘Standing Committee on Accounting
Issues’ constituted by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority
and in the ‘Committee to review SIDBI’s lending to MSME Sector.’ He has
also served a member of the ‘Task Force of Department of Public
Enterprises (DPE)’ to provide professional and technical support to the
DPE in the process of finalisation of MoU. In 2008, he was appointed as
Task force Member by Department of Public Enterprises for MoU in Mining
and Metal Sector and in the year 2009, he was appointed as Task Force
Member by Department of Public Enterprises for Petroleum – II. He has
also commendably performed as member of Banking and Financial Services
Sectional Committee - MSD 7 constituted by Bureau of Indian Standards,
Regional Advisory Committee of Central Excise Commissionerate, Technical
Group on Institution & Market Structure of the Committee on
Financial Sector Assessment constituted by RBI, and member of SEBI
Primary Market Advisory Committee. He is also an Independent Director in
‘M/s Gujarat NRE Coke Ltd’ and ‘Accounting and Research Foundation’
(ARF) of the ICAI.
A seasoned professional with a futuristic
vision, CA. Agrawal, in his illustrious inning in the Council, has
served on important positions in both Standing and Non Standing
Committees of the ICAI. He has been actively involved with the
functioning of the Central Council of the Institute in various
capacities, viz. as Vice President and Chairmen, Vice-Chairmen and
member of its various Committees. As President, he is the chairmen of
all the standing committees of the ICAI viz. Examination Committee,
Finance Committee and Executive Committee besides being Presiding
Officer of the Board of Discipline (Under Section 21-A), Disciplinary
Committee (Under Section 21-B), Disciplinary Committee-Satyam Bench (u/s
21-B) and chairman Disciplinary Committee (under section 21D). He is
the ex-officio Member in all the Non-Standing Committees of ICAI and
Editor of The Chartered Accountant journal. As the Vice President of the
ICAI, he was the Vice-Chairman of all the Standing Committees and also
the Member ex-officio in all Non-Standing Committees of ICAI and Joint
Editor of The Chartered Accountant journal.
He has made
noteworthy contributions as Chairman ‘Committee for Members in Industry
(2010-11), Audit Committee (2008-09), Public Finance Committee (2008 and
2009) and as a member of Executive Committee of ICAI (2007). He has
also distinctly served as Convener of the group for Satyam Report - High
Powered Committee (2010-12). During the period in ICAI Council, he has
also remarkably contributed as Chairman Ethical Standards Board, Vice
Chairman of Indirect Taxes Committee and Member in various Non-Standing
Committees such as Accounting Standards Board, Auditing and Assurance
Standards Board, Direct Taxes, Indirect Taxes, International Taxation,
etc.
Before his election to the Central Council of the ICAI, CA.
Agrawal had also made wide contributions in Eastern India Regional
Council as he became the Secretary of the EIRC of ICAI in 2004, Vice
Chairman in 2005 and Chairman in 2006. Under his dynamic Chairmanship,
the Eastern India Regional Council was honoured with ‘Best Regional
Council Award’ in the year 2006.
Known for his hard work and
selfless services to the accountancy profession, CA. Agrawal is also a
prolific speaker and has addressed various seminars, symposia and
conferences at national, regional councils, branches and ICAI Study
Circles level across the country on various issues of professional
interest. He has also addressed other organisations of national and
international repute on topics like Bank Audit, Corporate Governance,
Micro Finance, NGO, Derivatives, Right to Information Act, CAAT, CARO,
Accounting & Auditing Standards and LLP, etc.
Having been a
brilliant student, CA. Agrawal secured 10th rank in Final Examination of
Chartered Accountancy in the year 1988. He did B.Com from Kanpur
University.
His other areas of interest include sports and reading management and professional books.