CIMA was recently named as the professional/training organisation of the year at an international awards ceremony and received an honour in Sri Lanka.
CIMA was recognised for its commitment to preparing talent for the future of the finance profession at the 16th International Accounting Awards in London last week.
In addition, CIMA was awarded a superlative in Sri Lanka, being honoured as the country’s most loved professional institute by business magazine Lanka Monthly Digest.
Rise2040 report at ‘a defining moment’ for profession
A global initiative of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants to shape the future of the accounting profession was officially launched last month with the release of a flagship report, Rise2040: Shaping the Future of Finance & Accounting.
Developed through a structured global dialogue spanning more than 25 countries and 6,000 accounting and finance professionals, the Rise2040 initiative aims to deliver a shared vision of how the profession will evolve in an era defined by technological advancement, data expansion, and increased complexity.
As automation and artificial intelligence (AI) reshape routine work, the profession is rapidly shifting from a focus on historical reporting to delivering insight, foresight, and strategic guidance — a shift to “anticipatory adviser”, a news release said.
“We are at a defining moment. As AI reshapes how work gets done, our value will increasingly be defined by human judgement, trust, and the ability to lead in complexity,” Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, CEO of the Association and CEO and president of the AICPA, said in the news release. “At the initiative’s core sits the Rise2040 AI platform and flagship report; both reinforce a defining insight … the future of the profession will not be determined by what happens to us, by the forces shaping it, but by how we choose to respond.”
According to the release, the report identified five interconnected drivers shaping the profession’s future — together, these forces are transforming how work is performed, how value is created, and how professionals lead:
- Technology and data infrastructure.
- Value model transformation.
- Talent and workforce dynamics.
- Regulatory and trust architecture.
- Market and societal expectations.
New partnership in India intended to support talent development
The Association signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Jain University in India, marking the start of a partnership supporting the development of a future-ready finance talent pipeline, a news release said.
The collaboration will help develop the talent needed to support India’s evolving economy, Ajay Lalwani, FCMA, CGMA, country manager–India at the Association said in the release.
“It also reinforces [the city of ] Bengaluru’s position as a global centre of excellence for finance and business services, by equipping students with the skills and capabilities required in a dynamic and competitive landscape,” Lalwani said.
The partnership aims to promote the CGMA professional qualification through greater academic integration, awareness initiatives, and career-focused engagement, the release said.
— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Steph Brown at Stephanie.Brown@aicpa-cima.com.
