Deloitte Myanmar held a Gala Dinner at the Grand Ballroom of Pan Pacific Yangon Hotel on April 9 to thank its clients for their strong support over the years, and reaffirmed its commitment to helping businesses flourish in Myanmar so that they can contribute to the country’s growth.

Deloitte Myanmar, officially launched on 18 May 2016 through a merger with Myanmar Vigour – a leading local professional services organisation which was set up in 2003 – has grown in size and scale. Today, the practice has over 140 professionals from 15 different nationalities. They specialise in a range of key industries and sectors which include the consumer and financial services industries, and the oil & gas and infrastructure sectors. Over the years, Deloitte Myanmar has served and will continue to serve clients that range from large Multinational Corporations and prominent local conglomerates to Small-Medium Enterprises and startups. Deloitte Myanmar is an affiliate of Deloitte Southeast Asia which is a member of the Deloitte Asia Pacific network.

The event was attended by about 400 guests including clients, representatives from the Government and professional bodies as well as Deloitte leaders and employees. Deputy Minister, Set Aung said “as our economy continues to develop and with the influx of companies setting up business here, the professional services that Deloitte provide will play an increasingly important role. We have seen the progress that Deloitte Myanmar has made working with the Myanmar Institute of Certified Public Accountant (MICPA) to develop accounting professionals. We encourage greater collaboration with such accounting bodies to advance the accounting and auditing practices in Myanmar and bring the accountancy sector to a more advanced level,” In his speech, Deloitte Southeast Asia Chief Executive Officer, Philip Yuen said, “Deloitte is proud to be in Myanmar and is committed to building strong relationships and doing our part to contribute to the growth and development in Myanmar.”

Deloitte Myanmar Chief Executive Officer, Aye Cho emphasised, “Deloitte Myanmar’s success has been largely due to the business relationships built and developed with each client, regardless of whether it is a family enterprise or a major conglomerate. At Deloitte, we listen to our clients so that we can provide solutions that work, taking into consideration the current environment and the circumstances that our clients are facing.” 

EuroCham Myanmar, together with MRCCI, organised an event on Business climate in Upper Myanmar at the MRCCI conference room in Mandalay on 21st May 2019. The event was a focus on the challenges and opportunities in the upper Myanmar region. The keynote speeches and panels featured government officials, leading private sector representatives, and key experts from international organizations and local associations. The combination of an extensive variety of European private sector professionals like Agro-business, B2B trade and pharmaceutical sectors, and several European and local chambers representatives facilitated multi-perspective views involving local and international participants

The purpose of the event was to picture the current business climate in upper Myanmar, focusing especially on Mandalay. While the European businesses alongside European chambers of commerce could give some insights on doing business in Mandalay, the regional government and MRCCI gave an update on the current and future plans for the regions. 

During the discussions, there was a clear consensus on acknowledging Mandalay already being an effective platform to do business; Many participants recognised that a lot of progress has been achieved over the last few years, and that the regional government was showing willingness to collaborate and go further. All keynote speeches highlighted the region was making strong efforts to provide a stable, peaceful and business-friendly environment. During the 2nd panel, panelists highlighted the fact that they are facing bottlenecks on a daily basis, on practical elements like licensing and non-transparent legal frameworks. All panelists agree that land issue is still a major challenge not only in Mandalay but in the whole country. Panelists also discussed over the importance of the role of government in controlling illicit trade, developing consumer protection regulations and enforcing them.  As a conclusion, the significance of the coordination between the government and the private sector to pursue Mandalay achievements has been highly outlined.  

The panelists were all very positive on what they could have experienced so far in upper Myanmar, mentioning a good organisation, clear procedures, good supplies of utilities where electricity is more reliable than in Yangon and good support from the regional government. They also mentioned the Mandalay area has accomplished a huge transition especially in digitalisation, telecommunications and new technologies. “In the business confidence survey which is sent each year by EuroCham to all its members, Mandalay ranks as the number one priority for European companies to extend their current footprint” mentioned Frederik Meerhoff, Vice-Chair, EuroCham Myanmar.