I’ve just returned from IMA’s inspiring Annual Conference & Expo (our 98th!) in Denver, which attracted the largest number of attendees in recent history. Tucked into the Conference along with the thought-provoking educational sessions and the excellent networking opportunities was the approval of our fiscal 2018 budget by the IMA Global Board of Directors. (The Board had previously approved our four-year strategic plan in February.) This budget and strategic plan lay the foundation for the future of our organization and will help guide our activities and priorities in the next several years. You, our members, are always front and center of our value creation.
As I mentioned in my May column, this budget is designed to ensure that our organization remains adaptable to the changes occurring within the profession and keeps our commitment to our core strategy. That strategy and budget combination, developed through a thoughtful, earnest collaboration between our Global Board and IMA management, pledges our focus on four core strategic goals:
- Win additional market share with “CMA First,” an aggressive, pipeline-building effort and expansion of the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) certification in the United States and globally. This includes further investment in strategic global regions such as the People’s Republic of China, India, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia, among others. The untapped potential of these regions is considerable, and incredible opportunities remain that we’ve only begun to explore.
- Drive member retention and loyalty in all regions by delivering tangible value through relevant programs, products, and services, such as our recently announced CSCA™ (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis) specialized certification for CMAs and IMA’s first-ever management accounting textbook.
- Raise awareness in the student/academic market to expand the membership pipeline and reach the young CMA-certified professional of tomorrow.
- Master technology that directly impacts IMA members and our value proposition.
As the global leader in management accounting, IMA has a responsibility to both understand and guide the future of the profession. Part of that commitment includes seeing beyond the boundaries that currently limit our perspective and working to define new horizons for our organization and management accountants around the world.
July 2017
