CIMA and CPA Canada enter reciprocal membership agreement

The agreement will allow Canadian businesses to access more talent in management accounting, widening the range of employment opportunities for members.

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CIMA and CPA Canada enter reciprocal membership agreement

Pamela Steer, left, CEO and president of CPA Canada, formalises the memorandum of understanding between CPA Canada and CIMA with Ash Noah, CPA, FCMA, CGMA, managing director—Management Accounting and ESG at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

To enhance career opportunities for members, CIMA and the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) are collaborating to widen employment options and offer more access to accounting and finance talent for businesses.

Representatives from CIMA and CPA Canada signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Toronto. The agreement became effective Tuesday.

The MoU allows members of each professional accounting body to concurrently become members of the other body and adopt, subject to criteria, the relevant professional designation.

“CIMA members are now able to join a provincial/regional CPA body, subject to passing days two and three of the CPA Profession’s Common Final Examination,” a news release said. “Canadian CPA members can join CIMA, subject to passing the CGMA Professional Qualification Strategic Case Study Exam. Candidates will also need to meet the other body’s practical experience requirements to demonstrate their competence and experience in the workplace.”

Andrew Harding, FCMA, CGMA, chief executive—Management Accounting at AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, said the agreement reflects the strong working relationship between the Association and CPA Canada.

“CIMA has a large global membership base, with a strong cohort in Canada,” Harding said in the news release. “The agreement will mean that CIMA and CPA Canada members will now have a bigger range of employment opportunities and will be able to use their skills even more widely. Holding the CPA and CGMA designations shows a depth of accounting and finance knowledge that companies all over the world will be looking to acquire to enhance their competitive advantage.”

Pamela Steer, CEO and president of CPA Canada, called the agreement another example of the value of the Canadian CPA designation.

“Canada’s accounting profession continues to demonstrate its commitment to increasing international labour mobility for our members,” Steer said in the release. “By establishing a clear pathway to achieving reciprocal membership, CIMA and CPA Canada will reduce challenges to accessing global career opportunities for our members, while addressing economic and market needs of domestic and international organisations.”

— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Steph Brown at Stephanie.Brown@aicpa-cima.com

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