Deloitte marks 75 years of quality service
Accounting and auditing firm, Deloitte Ghana has marked its 75 years of quality service with an anniversary dinner which brought together clients, partners, alumni and regulators.
The ceremony also for the first time brought together the Africa and West Africa executives of Deloitte.
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Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Partner of Deloitte Ghana, Daniel Kwadwo Owusu, said 75 years in the life of any organisation was significant and worth celebrating.
“Data and history suggests that a lot of companies are not able to operate beyond five years so when an organisation like ours has done 75 years, that deserves commendation.
“We cannot downplay this achievement and we wanted to be able to tell our own story in our own way,” he stated.
Highlighting some achievements for the year, he noted that for the first time, two partners from Deloitte Ghana received global recognition from the Deloitte global chief executive officer.
He said for the first time, a partner had also been appointed to serve on the global International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Advisory Council.
How the story began
The Deloitte story began in 1947 by a Scottish by name James Donald Barnes. He operated under the name of J. D. Barnes & Co. Chartered Accountants
Mr Owusu described J.B Barnes as a Chartered Accountant with an incentive to build something that would last.
“What started as one person with an idea has grown to the firm it is today. This was the start of a thriving firm that has grown to employ than 300 people,” he stated.
He said the Ghana firm had been in business for 75 years because of the trust gained from the public.
“We will ,therefore, continue to make an impact that matters for another 75 years to come,” he said.
Appreciation
Mr Owusu said while the firm counts its successes and milestones, it acknowledges it could not have done it without its clients, founders, alumni, partners and staff.
“I stand on the shoulders of our founding fathers who toiled for what we see today. I want us to recognise our founding father who had the vision and started the story that is unfolding before us today.
“We wouldn’t have been here without our clients. They are the ones who have trusted us throughout the years and brought us this far. We also thank all our partners and staff for the hard work they have put in. But as we say in Deloitte, the reward for hard work is more work so get ready,” he noted.
Gender balance
Mr Owusu also pointed out that gender balance was very important to the firm, with 48 per cent of its staff being females.
He said the firm also had 30 per cent of its partners being females, with 50 per cent of its leadership also females.
He pointed out that the firm was also the first among the top four accounting firms in the country to appoint a female partner in 1992.
Training young professionals
As part of it contributions to the industry, he said the firm had trained a number of young professionals in the country.
“We have a school of accountancy where we train young professionals and we unleash them. Some of the people we have trained are working for our competitors, some are working for firms outside the country and some work with us,” he explained.
Awards
The anniversary dinner was climaxed with awards to long serving staff of the company who have worked for between 10 to 36 years.