Sterling show: The triumphant TAR UMT winners posing for a photo with their lecturers, along with representatives from Deloitte Malaysia.
Students at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) will represent Malaysia at the upcoming Deloitte Southeast Asia Tax Challenge 2024 following their recent triumph at the Deloitte Tax Challenge (DTC) 2023.
Bachelor of Business (Hons) Accounting and Finance graduate Selena Lee Si Yun emerged the champion in the individual category while Team YOLO, comprising Tan Kuan Min, Tan Kai Wei, Ong Khai Sin and Su Jia Yee, topped the team category at the DTC finals on Nov 21.
Kuan Min, who was named “Best Presenter”, will move on to compete in the team category at the regional challenge, along with Selena in the individual category, a TAR UMT press release read.
The 15th edition of the DTC attracted more than 1,900 students from 43 institutions.
Selena, who was unsuccessful in her first outing in 2020, was determined to perform better in her second attempt.
“I was not deterred by the previous defeat when I participated in the team category.
“This time, I joined the individual category to challenge myself. I saw it as an opportunity to test and enhance my skills, learn from the experience, and emerge stronger and more capable than before,” she said.
Describing the competition as intimidating as the other teams were “all very good”, Kuan Min said she and her team members constantly reminded each other to stay focused on approaching each challenge to the best of their abilities while motivating one another throughout the competition.
“The invaluable support from our lecturers played a pivotal role. Their unwavering assistance boosted our confidence,” she said.
Team member Su emphasised the importance of teamwork.
“In working together as a team, each of us were able to use our specific strengths and perspectives collectively to tackle the challenges effectively.
“On top of this, our lecturers were a great source of knowledge and guidance. Our strong bond with them gave us the motivation and assurance that we have what it takes to excel in this competition.”
The other notable DTC winners were Ng Mei Qian and Tan Hui Theng.
The duo from the Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) programme secured the first runner-up and merit prize in the individual category, respectively.
In the team category, Team Tax Tarcitian, comprising Gabrielle Lee Yun Jie, Lim Jian Hoong, Lim Li Yuin and Ooi Chun Yuan, won the merit prize.
All the team category winners are from the Bachelor of Business (Hons) Accounting and Finance programme.
Separately, TAR UMT also competed in the Deloitte Audit Business Challenge (DABC) 2023 held from Nov 6 to 21.
Team “Oh My Audit”, comprising Mei Qian, Hui Theng and Cha Yi Teng, won the first runner-up spot and the “Best Presentation Team” award.
The competition, designed to assess participants’ knowledge of audit and accounting, drew some 1,100 participants from 37 universities.
The students competed in three stages of the competition, featuring multiple-choice questions, video presentation, a game centred around audit processes, and live presentations before a judging panel.
Crediting her teammate Hui Theng for encouraging her to join both the DTC and the DABC, Mei Qian said they wanted to “try something new”.
“We took a chance in these competitions without knowing what would happen.
“We just wanted to do our best. To our surprise, we not only reached the semifinals, but also made it to the finals in both competitions,” she said, adding that the Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) programme was instrumental in equipping her with a solid foundation, especially in taxation and audit.
“This foundational knowledge proved invaluable during the competition, allowing me to recall and apply concepts acquired throughout my diploma and degree studies.
“On top of that, the experiences I gained during my three-month industrial training was very helpful,” she said.
The collective cash prizes amassed from both competitions amounted to RM20,900 – the biggest amount TAR UMT has won since it started participating in the DTC and the DABC.
