Dezan Shira & Associates Wins the 2014 LEA “On The Edge Innovation Award”

Dezan Shira & Associates won the 2014 On The Edge Innovation Award at the annual Leading Edge Alliance (LEA) Global Conference held recently in Montreal, Canada. Dezan Shira & Associates was granted the award in recognition of its operations in the ASEAN region, including the establishment of the Dezan Shira Asian Alliance – through which the firm has partnered with local practices in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand – as well as ASEAN Briefing, featuring business news, regulatory updates and extensive data on ASEAN trade integration, double tax agreements and foreign direct investment in the region.

The On the Edge Innovation award has historically been awarded to an individual, yet this year marks the first time it has been awarded to an organization. According to LEA, the scope and accomplishments of Dezan Shira & Associates were found to be so innovative and nontraditional, and the opportunities it provides clients and other LEA firms so unique, that judges determined that it merited special recognition for its outstanding initiatives.

“This unique organization truly can provide a spread of local, Asian and global expertise – from advising on country operational comparisons, to advising on strategic use of bilateral and multilateral tax and free trade agreements, to treasury and payroll management structures. At a local level, this specialized foreign direct investment practice provides a range of financial, tax, audit, investment and accounting-related services to multinationals investing in the countries it operates in,” noted LEA.

Mr. Adam Livermore, Partner and Regional Manager, proudly accepted the award on behalf of Dezan Shira & Associates at the LEA Global Conference in Montreal.

“We are delighted to win this award from LEA as recognition for our efforts in bringing together several LEA partners in different areas of emerging Asia,” stated Mr. Livermore. “As multinational companies continue to advance into more and more developing economies, the ability for LEA firms to provide a coordinated service to their clients which can cover these markets becomes increasingly important. As a company operating exclusively within the emerging Asia domain, we are happy to be the catalyst for this project and we hope it can provide tangible benefits for the LEA firms based in those countries, as well as those in more mature economies that can also expect greater support from the Asia side in the coming years.”

“We are honoured and touched to receive this prestigious award from our peers in the global accounting arena. What originally started out as a one-man practice in Shenzhen, China, has now developed into an alliance employing over 800 professionals in 28 offices across nine countries, as well as representation in Europe and the United States,” stated Mr. Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Founding Partner of Dezan Shira & Associates.

“I would like to thank all our colleagues and clients both past and present for allowing us to develop in this manner and become one of the very few start up practices to become a multinational organization in its own right over the past twenty-two years. We will continue striving to provide excellent services throughout Asia as well as developing our quality standards in the years to come.”

LEA members, who are typically the largest non-Big Four practices in their respective jurisdictions, recorded a total revenue of US$2.9 billion in 2013. LEA’s global network consists of:

• 212 Firms
• 586 Offices
• 102 Countries
• 2,056 Partners
• 16,640 Professional Staff
• 23,090 Total Staff

Dezan Shira & Associates is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in emerging Asia. Since its establishment in 1992, the firm has grown into one of Asia’s most versatile full-service consultancies with operational offices across China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Vietnam, in addition to alliances in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, as well as liaison offices in Italy, Germany and the United States.