It gives me great pleasure to take up the role of CEO of the Institute. As the former CEO, Leon Duval has been very effective, first as President and then as CEO, and I know it will be difficult for me to follow in his footsteps. However, I will do the best I can. I will also continue to hold the position of Chairman of the Education Committee, the role I have had since the inception of the Institute, until a suitable replacement has been found. If anyone is interested in this role, please do apply.
I have now left my Dean’s position at the University of South Australia, but continue to be an Adjunct Professor as I have there are still PhD students I am supervising at that university. I have also taken up a role as President of the University of Southeastern Florida, a relatively new university formed to take advantage of the revolution in academia referred to as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). Due to this academic position, and my knowledge of the course content of the CMA Program, I have been able to get the CMA members’ prior learning recognised such that they will need to do only 2 courses to obtain an MBA. Details of this will be discussed elsewhere in this eNewsletter.
The Institute is now in its 18th year, having being incorporated in 1996. It continues to be the only post-graduate accounting qualification in the world. We are very selective in our recruitment of members, with the CMA program only available via approved training institutes or accredited universities, and as such our membership continues to be exclusive now with 2,500 members worldwide in over 90 countries.
The main issues I will need to address during my tenure as CEO will be for the Institute to attain the status of a Migration Assessment Authority for Australia, and to get to get the CMA qualification recognised by the Australian migration authorities. The difficulty has been the incredible uncertainty of the Australian Labour government over much of 2013. We have been working with a lobbyist and many letters of support were obtained from senior members, renowned academics and businessmen. However, due to a challenge to the Gillard government in March 2013, the Minister responsible was changed. All letters of support had to be addressed to a new Minister. Then just as we were ready to canvass the new Minister, the Gillard government was challenged again in June 2013, and lost to Kevin Rudd, who became Prime Minister of Australia again. It is still uncertain as which Minister will now be responsible and for how long, as a general election is planned for 2013.
Another issue that I will need to focus on is to ensure that the role of ‘Management Accountant’ maintained for another year in the Australian Government’s new Skilled Occupation List (SOL) for General Skilled Migration (GSM). This was first obtained by the Institute with Leon Duval leading the charge.
A further key task is to operationalise the Institute’s Continuing Professional Development Program which came into effect in July 2012. To this end, I am pleased to announce two major developments: (1) a link with the University of Southeastern Florida (USEF) to undertake an MBA as part of CPD; and (2) a link with the Academy of Finance and Management Australia (AFMA) to undertake Certified Courses in specialist areas that will enhance the CMA qualification.
Finally, as this is now membership renewal time, it is worth reminding members of some of the services provided by the ICMA:
- Maintaining the corporate website that was in keeping with the enhanced international profile of ICMA, which includes a members section and blog with links to Facebook and Twitter.
- Publishing 5 copies of the On Target eNewsletter
- Publishing an ICMA Member’s Yearbook that is mailed to members once an year.
- Having a physical library by over 10,000 texts and professional and academic publications and giving members access to a world-class eLibrary.
- Having a World-Class Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to handle the membership, invoicing, examinations and accounts.
- Continuing with the links to CEO Institute for Members
Best Wishes
Professor Janek Ratnatunga
