Key Takeaways & Insights from the 2025 Asia Pacific Regional Conference
August 20 - 22, 2025 | The Asia Pacific Regional Conference brought together members, speakers, and industry experts for two days of collaboration, learning, and connection. The sessions explored timely topics—from doing business in South Korea and client expectations, to building alliances, firm growth strategies, and leadership insights.
Summary & Highlights
The conference opened with remarks from Allan McKeown (CEO of Prosperity Advisers, Chair of the Asia Pacific Regional Council) and the chairman of our gracious host firm, Yale Accounting, Yoon Cheul Yoon.
Our key conference sessions included:
- Doing Business in South Korea - Yoon Chong Hyun (Yale Accounting Corporation) provided valuable market and regulatory insights.
- Inside the Client Mindset: What Global Companies Value in their Accounting Partners – William Hutchinson (Director of Finance, IT & Legal at Sainsbury's Argos Asia) shared the client perspective on what truly sets accounting partners apart.
- How to Build Successful Alliances & Elevate Firm Growth – a keynote by Philip Sack (Managing Director of CollaborRare), moderated by Jacken He (Marcum Asia CPAs), on collaboration as a growth strategy.
- Collaborate to Create: The Power of Strategic Alliances – a panel conversation featuring LEA Global members - Andrew Bethune (Principal at Daniel Allison & Associates), Alberto Vettoretti (Managing Partner of Dezan Shira & Associates), Xerxes Medora (Director at JK Medora PAC), and Wilfred Schultz (Managing Partner of The Practice) - who have successfully worked together to solve complex challenges and expand service offerings.
- Firm spotlights and thought leadership sessions with James Black (CEO of Perks), Jacken He, Adnan Islam (Managing Director at CBIZ), Hosuk Lee (CISO of AWS Korea), James Parks (Partner at Bennett Thrasher), Jennifer Lu (Partner at Dezan Shira & Associates), Rodell Molina (International Tax and Transfer Pricing Counsel at ASAHI Tax Group), and Jennifer Han (Managing Partner at Han Group).
- Women Leading Change - a panel led by members of our Women in Leadership group: Melissa Rowe (COO of Prosperity Advisers), Lauren Mackrell (Associate Principal at Daniel Allison & Associates), DiAndria Green (Partner at Bennett Thrasher), and Sharon Matthews (VJA & Co).
The event offered opportunities for our members to network and create lasting connections — especially at the dinner generously sponsored by Yale Accounting. The program closed with remarks from Tony Szczepaniak (CEO of LEA Global) and the announcement of our 2026 conference location.
Key Takeaways
The AP Regional Conference marked the final event to address our 2026 theme - Collaborate to Create: The Power of Strategic Alliances. As such, the agenda and presenters delivered messages relevant to this theme in their respective areas of expertise:
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Building trust and lasting relationships are the heart of strong client and member partnerships.
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Collaboration across borders and firms creates new opportunities and strengthens our network.
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Engagement—through open dialogue, shared experiences, and client perspectives—drives meaningful outcomes.
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Consistency not only builds credibility but brings stable growth.
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Being present in conversations, alliances, and client relationships leads to lasting impact.
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Thank you!
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all attendees, speakers, and panelists for making this a truly engaging and inspiring program. We look forward to building on these conversations and to seeing you all at our next Asia Pacific gathering!
Presentations & Materials
If you want to review or download any of the presentations featured at the conference, please visit the event page.
2026 Conference Announcement
Mark your calendars! Our 2026 Asia Pacific Regional Conference will be August 20-22 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
