How have I been spending my time? In my full-time position at Cummins, we’ve been calculating the tariff impact to our business, kicking off our 2019 Annual Operating Plan, and completing our midyear performance assessments.
On the IMA® front, in late July I spent time with IMA’s U.S. staff at the global headquarters in Montvale, N.J., where I was able to congratulate them on another outstanding year of member growth, new CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) growth, and CMA candidate growth. Our IMA staff members, both in the United States and around the world, are second to none and care deeply about each of you. They work tirelessly on the strategic goals established by the Board and continue to deliver above planned results. Even better, our staff and Global Board are focused on continuously increasing the value we receive as IMA members.
In addition to being grateful to staff, I’m also amazed at the many lives that have improved thanks to our IMA chapters, councils, clubs, and committees. There are so many people who make IMA part of their lifelong career journey and have been recipients of scholarships, grants, or opportunities to practice leadership skills at the local, regional, national, and global levels.
I really felt this during the American Accounting Association (AAA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., where IMA bestowed awards on professors who had made significant contributions to the profession. Kudos to those who gave of their time to help select the honorees: Usha Rackliffe, who chaired the 2018 Jim Bulloch Award for Innovations in Management Accounting Education, and Raj Mashruwala, chair of the 2018 Management Accounting Section—Dissertation Award.
More than 3,000 educators from around the world attended this meeting (including Frank Verbeeten from the University of Amsterdam, which earlier this year became one of a growing number of schools endorsed under IMA’s Higher Education Endorsement Program). It’s evident that many accounting professors, professionals, and organizations are grappling with the future of the profession. So is IMA. That’s why we’re asking you to comment on our enhanced Management Accounting Competency Framework, which you can find at www.imanet.org/framework. Please respond by September 17, 2018, to framework@imanet.org. We need member input and perspective to make this Framework the best it can be for the future of management accounting.
Time is flying, isn’t it? Please share your thoughts with me on this or any other topic at gwhite@imanet.org.
September 2018
