| | AUGUST 20208By Md. Sajid Khan, Head of International Development, ACCAWith 14+ years of experience as the Head of International Development at ACCA, Md. Sajid Khan has extravaganza of skills in business development, financial analysis, business planning, risk management, corporate finance, and auditing. Every skill of his is implemented for the development of ACCA's invaluable growth.'Going digital' means inte-grating digital technol-ogy into all spaces of a business. Basically, it pertains to changing how seamlessly a busi-ness operates and delivers value to its consumers. It is also a cultur-al shift that entails organisations to recurrently contest their status quo, experiment, and be prepared to handle risks and opportuni-ties. As rightly put in the words of George Westerman - "When digital transformation is done right, it's like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, but when done wrong, all you have is a really fast caterpillar."Today, a digital makeover is mandatory for all business-es - from a small company to an enterprise. This is evident from any latest literature, discussion, or research related to how busi-nesses can remain competitive and relevant as the world be-comes increasingly digital. So is the case with accountants and finance professionals.As COVID- 19 coerces organi-sations to impose mandatory work from home policies, the trend of working online from afar is ex-periencing a decisive boost. We have entered the age for the dig-ital metamorphosis of the work-place where it is not merely the physical space. The COVID- 19 has changed the way we com-municate and collaborate with employees; our workplaces have rapidly changed and evolving ev-ery day. After all, it is a matter of survival. In the time of big data, digital technologies, such as ro-botic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics, it means that the finance function can progres-sively add business value through better accuracy, proficiency and calculated insights. To hold on to these prospects, accountants need the precise mix of digital acumen and business intelligence. These advanced work models will hasten the move towards digitisation and endorse careers that are cerebral-ly broadening and propelled by an improved sense of purpose.Scanning the Digital LandscapeIt is now a fact that technology has changed the role of accoun-tants and finance professionals. Being pre-emptive about refining one's skill set and mindset can pre-pare accountants to create a new THOUGHT LEADERSHIPEMBRACING DIGITAL IS KEY TO TRANSFORMING WORK EXPERIENCE FOR ACCOUNTANTS
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