DUBAI, UAE, January 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —

• Globalization and Value Drive Interest in IMA and the CMA Certification  
• IMA Middle East membership base steadily growing   

IMA^® (Institute of Management Accountants) the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, today announced a historic milestone of reaching 100,000 members for the first time in its nearly 100-year history. The timing of this achievement coincides with IMA’s upcoming 100-year anniversary celebration, which begins in June at IMA’s Annual Conference and Expo in Indianapolis and concludes at its conference in San Diego in 2019.

Named “Professional Body of the Year” by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, a prestigious global accounting publisher, IMA reached this milestone through strong growth across each of its regions – the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Middle East/India, and Europe. International markets, especially, were high-growth areas in recent years, due to IMA’s ability to deliver value with a global network and localized products and services, enabling strengthened careers, organizations and economic development.

“Globalization has been a significant driver for our continued expansion,” said IMA President and CEO, Jeff Thomson, CMA, CSCA, CAE, who recently traveled to Brazil and India to deepen IMA’s international relationships. “As economies develop, more skilled finance and accounting professionals are needed to offer insight and foresight to businesses and governments.”

Leading up to its centennial, IMA expects membership growth to accelerate due to automation, artificial intelligence and blockchain, which are replacing repetitive tasks and opening opportunities to use higher-level advisory skills.

“Our membership base in the Middle East and India has been steadily growing despite the economic downturn since the drop in oil prices. This is an indication that the region’s finance and accounting professionals understand the importance of investing in their career, given the changing workplace environment and the evolving role they are expected to play as business partners and not just stewards of their organization’s finances,” said Hanadi Khalife, Director, Middle East, Africa & India Operations at IMA.

The CMA^® (Certified Management Accountant) certification – IMA’s flagship credential – helps professionals develop strategic thinking, sensitive analysis, scenario planning and insight into the workplace, leading to more sound decisions from the data gathered by automated processes. Over the past year, the total number of CMA candidates increased by 67 percent, signaling that accountants are increasingly counted on as strategic business partners.

In 2017, IMA also launched the CSCA™ (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis), a specialty credential that builds upon the CMA curriculum and helps management accountants master their strategic planning and analysis skills.

“Through IMA membership and the CMA certification, our mission is to help professionals prepare and remain competitive in the future as automation impacts our profession,” said Thomson. “This growth represents not only a need in the marketplace but a tremendous commitment from IMA’s volunteers, partners and staff to support the profession. We look forward to continuing that support for each of our 100,000 – and growing – members.”

About IMA^® (Institute of Management Accountants) 

IMA^®, named 2017 Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA^® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of about 100,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit http://www.imanet.org.

SOURCE IMA (Institute of Management Accountants)