Dubai-based Pakistani Asma Jan Muhammad has won Chartered Accountant Woman of the Year Award held by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) in Islamabad. President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi presented the award to her. Asma has been living in Dubai for the last 12 years. CA Women Awards are constituted to recognize and honour outstanding female professionals in the field. For this prestigious award, winners are selected by an independent jury based on pre-defined criteria from names nominated by the CA members. Asma is a Chartered Accountant, with professional experience of 14 years in diverse industry sectors. She has been living and working in Dubai since 2007. Asma is currently working with Jamal Al Ghurair group as Manager Financial Planning & Strategy, and is also the Chairperson of the Managing Committee of UAE Chapter of ICAP members. This was established under the aegis of Pakistan Association Dubai to represent the largest community of ICAP overseas members. Other organizations she has served include Porcellan & Gypsemna LLC, McDermott Middle East Inc., Caribou Coffee UAE, Clover Pakistan Lakson Group, GlaxoSmithKline Pakistan Limited and A. F. Ferguson & Co. Karachi. “The aim of the award is to encourage women to work in this field which is heavily dominated by men as only eight per cent of the more than 8000 Pakistani chartered accountant are women,” said Asma after receiving her award. “I joined the UAE CA Chapter community a few years ago and then became the first woman to be elected as the Chairperson of this prestigious group in the UAE last year,” she told. Explaining the UAE Chapter of ICAP members, Asma Jan Muhammad told it is aimed at branding CA Pakistan in the local market and increasing members’ engagement by regularly organising events relating to continuing professional development (CPD), networking, conferences and social engagements for the benefit of UAE-based finance professionals. Asma is also the winner of this year’s Most Professional Accountancy by Women Entrepreneurship Forum Dubai. She has earned two gold medals in the CA Foundation exams by ICAP in 2000. She has also launched an initiative titled “Femme-Passion” aimed at a stronger and more rewarding role for professionally qualified female CAs in the UAE having over 30 members. Asma is raising two kids, endeavoring to have a work-life balance alongside her career.