Member Article

CIMA Hold Annual Presidents Dinner

On 25th October, CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) held their traditional Annual Presidents Dinner. Held at Merchant Taylors’ Hall in London, the black tie dinner is one of the most prestigious events of the year in CIMA’s calendar and was attended by past CIMA presidents as well as Lords, MP’s, chief executives, chief financial officers and other senior decision makers.

This year CIMA’s guest speaker was Paul Polman, Chief Executive of Unilever, who addressed the audience on the pivotal role management accountants have in supporting businesses. Current CIMA President, Gulzari Babber FCMA, CGMA, from Harrow in West London, awarded Mr Polman an honorary CIMA Fellowship for his services to the profession of management accountancy.

The opening remarks were delivered by the CIMA president who highlighted the significance of the joint venture with the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) to establish the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation, as well as stressing the importance of the CIMA qualification in helping businesses succeed. Mr Babber also discussed his journey to becoming CIMA President.

Mr Babber said, “As President of CIMA I am delighted to have hosted this prestigious dinner. I have a message for students that no matter what your background, a CIMA qualification is always within reach as long as you are dedicated and prepared to work hard. I was also delighted to be able to present Paul Polman with an honorary CIMA fellowship. His work at Unilever has been game changing and I am confident that both CIMA and Unilever will continue their fruitful partnership.”

Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer of Unilever, said, “The journey towards the new business models necessary for success in the 21stCentury has only just begun. The Finance community has a critical role to play in shaping this journey in articulating the economic case for sustainable business models to investors and other stakeholders, developing the necessary performance metrics and ensuring that our investment evaluation - in brands and innovation, in research & development, in capital - embraces sustainability. CIMA’s heritage lies in the pioneering of modern management accounting for the manufacturing age. It needs to pioneer again for a new sustainable business age.”

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