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Manchester’s Chartered Management Accountants Go Green

Over 100 of Manchester’s Chartered Management Accountants met last week to see how they can lead the way in sustainability at a free event being run by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) at the University of Manchester.

Sustainability has long been on the corporate agenda with the main focus being on protecting profit margins rather than social responsibility. Today’s companies have responsibilities far beyond anything considered even 10 years ago, recognising the value that long term sustainability strategies can deliver, not only to a company’s profit margins, but to all aspects of the ‘triple bottom line’ of profit, planet and people.

Along with legal obligations such as the carbon reporting that businesses will have to do from 2013, Chartered Management Accountants are in the prime position to lead the way for sustainability in their organisations. CIMA’s recent report ‘Accounting for Climate Change’ shows that management accountants set the economic scene, quantifying the gravity of the need for change. They play a prominent role in helping senior management understand the economic consequences of proposed policies and are best placed to measure value, whether that is value at risk or a value creation opportunity.

Andrew Jones, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of The Energy Institute, speaker at the CIMA event said:

“I’m an engineer which has given me a great understanding into many sustainability issues, but I’ve come to the realisation that it is the finance function that is going to responsible for driving sustainability forward within our organisations. If we work together, anything is possible.”

CIMA run a series of events for students, members and guests in Manchester and across the UK on a regular basis across the year. For further information visit www.cimaglobal.com/localevents

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by CIMA UK Regional News .