OREANDA-NEWS. BDO has expanded its presence in ASEAN following the addition of JF Group in Myanmar and Sylvester Leong & Co in Brunei to the network. Both firms will now operate under the BDO name in their respective countries.

JF Group is led by Mr Wan Tin and was established in Yangon in 1990. It provides audit, accounting and financial consultancy services. Mr Wan is a central executive committee member of the Myanmar Institute of Certified Public Accountants and was formerly with U Hla Tun & Associates Limited, PwC's representative firm in Myanmar.

Sylvester Leong & Co is one of the larger chartered accountancy firms in Brunei, with partners and staff having many years' experience between them. The firm will complement BDO Consulting (B) Sdn Bhd, which was set up in 2012 to provide advisory services.

BDO's CEO Asia Pacific, Stephen Darley, commented: “I am pleased to welcome Wan Tin, Sylvester Leong and their partners and staff to the BDO network. These two firms are an integral part of BDO's strategy to strengthen our ASEAN reach.

“Our vision is to be the leader for exceptional client service and this involves extending our presence to be where our clients are and where they are going. With Myanmar opening its doors to the world and the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, BDO intends to be part of this region's growth and shall play a central role in supporting our clients' operations as the AEC develops,” added Stephen.

Both operations in Myanmar and Brunei are fully supported by BDO in Malaysia. BDO in Myanmar and Brunei form part of the ASEAN sub-region led by Dato' Gan Ah Tee, who is the Regional Senior Partner and also the Managing Partner of BDO in Malaysia.

Dato' Gan said: “We look forward to playing our part to support Myanmar's growth. With BDO's cohesive network in the ASEAN countries, we can draw on strong national roots as well as expertise across borders, offering seamless service.”