Sri Lanka: the jewel in CIMA’s crown

• CIMA Sri Lanka celebrates 50th anniversary
• President of CIMA praises new regime’s simple aim of ‘good governance’
• CIMA to play key role in developing human capital
• 100,000th CIMA member a Sri Lankan woman

From left: Middle East, South Asia and North Africa Regional Director Bradley Emerson, CIMA Sri Lanka Board Chairman Vipula Gunatilleka, CIMA Chief Executive Charles Tilley, CIMA President Myriam Madden, Post, Postal Services and Muslim Religious Affairs Deputy Minister Dulip Wijesekara and Sri Lanka Post Master General D. L. P. R. Abyratne

CIMA 100,000 Member Samalka Athuraliya​ 

By Shiran Illanperuma

The Sri Lanka branch of the Chartered Institute of Accountants (CIMA) celebrated its 50th anniversary recently with CIMA Global President Myriam Madden declaring the branch the “jewel in the crown of CIMA”. 

Madden emphasised the importance of the event to celebrate not just CIMA’s history in Sri Lanka but its bright future in a changing the economic landscape.

Myriam, CIMA’s 82nd President, also took the opportunity to praise the new Government’s “direct” approach with its good governance platform and expressed hope that CIMA members would be key players in building the human capital required to revive economic activity in the country. “Many governments are not clear with their aims but I have faith that the new Government with its simple and reasonable goals will bring about change and economic prosperity,” she said.

Meanwhile, CIMA Sri Lanka Board Chairman Vipula Gunatilleka said that the country’s CIMA members, who are experts in management accounting, would play a vital role in fulfilling the Government’s top priorities of restructuring the public enterprises. “We are unquestionably the pioneer management accounting body in Sri Lanka with over 3,500 residents, in addition to about 4,500 more overseas and a further 13,000 students enrolled,” he said.

Today’s management accountants have to broaden their vision to an “integrated thinking” that incorporates long-term goals such as human capital, intellectual capital and sustainability, said CIMA Chief Executive Charles Tilley. “The accountants of today have to account for businesses in their entirety and will be responsible for long-term stability and sustainability,” he said.

Referencing the Global Management Accounts Principles (GMAP) formulated by CIMA in collaboration with the American Institute of Public Accountants (AICPA), Tilley said that there now existed an international standard from private and public enterprises to make better decisions. “I hope these new standards will be used in Sri Lanka to create and preserve value,” he said.

Tilley praised Sri Lanka for allowing CIMA to flourish over the past 50 years saying that nearly every country in the world would have a Sri Lankan accountant thanks to excellence in Sri Lanka’s local branch. “I hope that with the support of the Sri Lankan people, CIMA will remain sustainable and relevant for the next 50 or even 200 years,” said Tilley. 

In addition to anniversary festivities, CIMA also celebrated its 100,000th member, who happened to be a Sri Lankan woman. Samalka Athuraliya, who had the auspicious honour of being a landmark member of CIMA, was gifted with a special award. Further Awards of Special Recognition were handed out to Sri Lankan CIMA members for exceptional achievements in their field.

A special panel of judges, including University of Peradeniya’s Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri, President’s Counsel Dr. Harsha Cabral, Daily FT Editor Nisthar Cassim and Kavishka Weerasinghe, also presided over the CIMA Icon 2015 Award, which was won by Ronnie Peiris and the CIMA Star Award 2015 which was won by Sugeet Pathodadige.

Pix by Lasantha Kumara