Alain Mulder, IMA regional director, Europe, headlined the event, speaking about how finance professionals can future-proof their careers and remain relevant in the Digital Age. Also in attendance at the event, which was held at the Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, were key members of the Moscow Chapter board, including Olga Derugina and Igor Fesenko.
During his talk, Mulder discussed IMA’s recent paper, “Management Accounting Competencies: Fit for Purpose in a Digital Age?” which studied whether management accountants are ready for the changes coming to the profession. He also described the four “lines of sight” for today’s accounting and finance professionals—oversight, insight, hindsight, and foresight—noting that “the financial professional of the future will need to turn data into strategic intelligence [insight] and play a leading role in shaping future actions [foresight].”
Mulder’s visit to Russia also included meetings with review course providers for the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) exam: HOCK International and ATC Morgan, both significant players in Russia’s educational training segment. Mulder also met with the dean of the Financial University of Moscow, where the two discussed cooperation between IMA and the university as well as how to better align the university’s curricula with the content of the CMA exam.
Commenting on the trip, Mulder observed, “The demand for skilled accounting and finance professionals continues to grow as the Russian economy gains strength and diversity. We have been encouraged by the steadily climbing growth of our chapter in Russia and look forward to continuing to offer more resources and events that can help to solidify IMA’s presence in that country.”
As part of his visit, Mulder was also interviewed by the Russian online magazine GAAP.ru, which covered Mulder’s remarks at the chapter event and provided a call to action to professionals to “upskill in competencies that are not easily automated, including decision support, planning, analysis, and forecasting.” Mulder noted, “In the years ahead, the CMA will likely become an essential certification for people seeking finance and accounting roles with companies of all sizes throughout the world.”
For more information about the IMA Moscow Chapter, visit https://moscow.imanet.org.
December 2018
