Inauguration of San Francisco Chapter of the ICAI

The President of The Institute Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Mr. Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey inaugurated the “San Francisco Chapter of ICAI” in a splendid ceremony held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 in Milpitas, California. The San Francisco Chapter is the 29th Chapter of ICAI abroad and the second in the US.

Before commencement of the inauguration ceremonies, the members of the ICAI resident in California, led by the Chairman of the San Francisco Chapter, Mr. Viswanathan Arunachalam, accorded a warm welcome to the Hon. Mayor of City of Fremont, Ms. Lily Mei, the Hon. Mayor of Cupertino, Ms. Savitha Vaidhyanathan, Mr. Easan Katir (Board member International House Davis), Mr. Venkata Ramana, Consul-Consulate General of India in San Francisco, and Mr. Sharad Dabdhawala (Former CFO, India Community Center), the well-wishers and executives from other organizations.

In his welcome address, Mr. Viswanathan underlined that the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, is powerful and an integral part of Indian Government’s policy making. The San Francisco chapter aims to generate goodwill between the accounting fraternities of India and the US and build an immaculate network to pave paths for its members to work with the local institutions and contribute to the well being of its economic citizens.  With the establishment of the ICAI Chapter in San Francisco, we hope to provide the Chartered Accountants in California a platform that will deliver the much deserved visibility and recognition for the Chartered Accountant professionals in this part of the world.

President of ICAI, Mr.Nilesh Vikamsey in his address to the gathering described the importance of networking between accountants and how this chapter could facilitate the growth of professionals in this field in the US as well as in India. He also emphasized the importance of how this chapter could be a vehicle to create an amicable platform for collaboration between India & US. He emphasized the need and the importance of establishing brand ‘ICAI’ here in the US. He spoke in detail about the Companies Act 2013 and the amendments to the act which would have a wide impact on the corporate world in India. He stressed the need for members of the chapter to reach out to other members which would in turn facilitate the growth of the chapter. With the kind of expertise chartered accountants posses, he said it would be definitely possible to make India the ‘Accounting hub of the world’. He conveyed his best wishes to all the members of the chapter and also wished the other dignitaries on the dais, the very best.

Board Member International House Davis, Mr. Easan Katir who has worked with many Indian American groups in California on several occasions in the past, struck a chord with the audience when he narrated how he helped return “Mahatma Gandhi’s last letters”, to the Indian Government. Mr. Easan wished the San Francisco Chapter to flourish in the years to come.

Hon. Mayor of City of Fremont, Ms. Lily Mei congratulated the San Francisco Chapter on its inauguration and spoke briefly about the City of Fremont and how rich and diverse the city is in its culture. She spoke about how the members of the chapter could work with the community and stressed the importance of opening up new horizons which is vital to the growth of the community. Mayor Mei was generous in presenting a certificate to the chapter on its inauguration.

Hon. Mayor of City of Cupertino, Ms.Savitha Vaidyanathan, the first lady Mayor of Asian- Indian origin in the USA, extended a warm welcome to the other dignitaries on the dais and she said she looked forward to working with the chapter. The Mayor also presented the chapter with a certificate in recognition for promoting educational excellence in the field of auditing & accounting.

Mr.Venkata Ramana, Consul – Consulate General of India in San Francisco greeted the other dignitaries on the dais and conveyed his heartfelt thanks to Mr.Easan for returning ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s last letters’ to India. He spoke about how chartered accountants are the backbone of many top Silicon Valley corporations and how the companies are guided towards the right growth path by the CAs.

Fremont City Council Member, Mr.Raj Salwan joined as the evening was in progress and he addressed the crowd briefly. He congratulated the team on the inauguration of the SF Chapter. He was kind enough to express his support and help to the chapter going forward.

Mr.Sharad Dadbhawala of ICC, spoke about how Indian community is an integral part of California and with this chapter, the community would benefit immensely.

Ms. Geetha Ramakrishnan, Vice Chair, San Francisco Chapter, re-emphasized the need for chartered accountants here to connect with their ‘Alma mater’ ICAI in India, and how the community here and back in India could benefit from the inauguration of the chapter. This was followed by a vote of thanks for the evening.

The MC for the evening was Ms. Meena Viswanathan, Treasurer, San Francisco Chapter of the ICAI.

Office bearers:

Viswanathan Arunachalam- Chairman, Geetha Ramakrishnan- Vice Chairman, Hiren Modi- Secretary,  Meena Viswanathan- Treasurer, Brijen Joshi- Joint Secretary, Rama Moorthi K. C & Partha Sarathy – Director & Advisor.

Accomplished individuals as dignitaries at the Inauguration of the San Francisco Chapter of the ICAI on March 4, 2017:

• Mr. Easan Katir – Board Member, International House Davis
• Hon. Mayor of Fremont – Ms. Lily Mei
• CA Mr. Nilesh Vikamsey – President of the ICAI
• Hon. Mayor of Cupertino – Ms. Savita Vaidhyanathan
• Consul at Consulate General of San Francisco- Mr. Venkata Ramana
• Mr. Sharad Dadbhawala of India Community Center – Milpitas

About the San Francisco Chapter of the ICAI

The Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India at its 361st Meeting (February 2017) approved the formation of 29th Chapter of ICAI in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India was inaugurated on March 4, 2017 at Milpitas, California. ICAI San Francisco Chapter was established to serve the members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India from the US West Coast. To learn more visit www.icaisfo.org  or call us at 510.557.2693 @icaisfo