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THE VIEW FROM THE PRESIDENT
MELANIE JANINE KANAKA, FCMA, CGMA
I profession. We must constantly
am very pleased to be writing
reinforce our duties and
my first column as CIMA
president and co-chair of the
Association of International obligations to serve others and act
in the best public interest.
Certified Professional Without trust, we cannot achieve
Accountants. I have been an active anything.
CIMA member for more than
three decades, and of the Help others grow
Association in more recent years, We have a collective responsibility
in my home country, Sri Lanka, to help others grow in the
and on the global stage. It is a true profession through volunteering
honour to have been chosen by and mentoring and inspire the
my peers to serve our members, next generation to join the
students, and engaged accounting profession. It is up to us to show
and finance professionals around them that the CGMA designation is
the world. a valuable and well-respected
There have been many recent qualification that can open many
global challenges — the world as doors, broaden career perspectives,
we knew it has been heavily and be a passport to a global career.
disrupted. Yet, the accounting and
finance profession has steadily Foster diversity, equity, and
risen to the challenges and Stepping forward inclusion
provided vital support and To unlock growth and prosperity,
guidance to organisations to help we must seek out, enable, and
them not only survive but also into growth develop the best and brightest,
adapt and thrive in a world that regardless of gender, ethnicity,
will continue to change. It is in belief, geographic dispersion, or
times like these that our skills and ‘We must continue to deliver value, socio-economic background. It is
expertise really come to the fore. only by driving equal opportunity
As our world continues to always adapting, inspiring trust, and embracing diversity and
undergo radical, disruptive and seizing new opportunities to inclusion that our profession will
changes at an accelerating speed, be able to address some of the
we must as professionals offer drive prosperity.’ biggest challenges of our times.
bold leadership. This is exactly At CIMA and the Association,
why I have chosen “step forward we know that true power comes
and lean in” as my presidential platform. from serving, helping others, and growing together.
Now is the time to lean in and embrace that Over the past two years, our profession adopted a
courage to step forward. To maintain our momentum. leadership role, guiding people and businesses
To disrupt and never relent when disrupted. To find through the economic impacts of the global
opportunity for growth. And to go beyond the current pandemic and its recovery. We were on the financial
crisis to claim our leadership role for the future. front lines.
We must continue to deliver value, always Ongoing crises across the globe continue to
adapting, inspiring trust, and seizing new significantly impact societies, national economies,
opportunities to drive prosperity for individuals, and global relations. Our profession finds itself once
organisations, economies, and society as a whole — again at the forefront of disruption. Now, more than
today and for the future. ever, we must commit to stepping forward and
But how exactly do we do that? emphasise our role in driving prosperity, trust,
and innovation.
Act as trusted partners I am really proud of what our profession has
We need to embark on a lifelong learning journey in accomplished so far, but deep down I know that we PHOTO BY FIONA HANSON/AP IMAGES
readiness for the future demands of the profession in KEEP IN TOUCH have just started our journey and have a long way to
areas such as data analytics, emerging technologies, Follow me go. I feel truly fortunate to be part of this journey and
and ESG reporting. In addition, I believe that trust, on Twitter: look forward to what we can accomplish together
built on ethics and integrity, is the keystone of our @CIMA_President during my presidential year.
FM-MAGAZINE.COM August 2022 I FM MAGAZINE I 5
