A Message from Alain Mulder and IMA Europe
Season’s greetings! As we wind down 2023, I want to take this opportunity to thank all our members for their support over the past year and to acknowledge some of the major accomplishments we’ve achieved over the past 12 months.
We hosted a highly successful Annual Conference in the spring, as well as a variety of chapter meetings and CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) dinners. We also held our CFO roundtable in Türkiye (read more about that in this newsletter) and forged several new strategic partnerships.
I also want to congratulate two of our esteemed members on some incredible accomplishments: Maria Dado del Alonso Sanchez has been nominated for “Las Top 100 Mujeres Líderes” Female Leaders Award. I’m also pleased to announce that our Honorary Professor-in-Residence, Prof. Dr. Mike Schulze, was featured in the latest issue of Verlag für ControllingWissen AG - Controller Magazine. Mike co-authored an insightful article (in German) titled “AI in Controlling and Finance: Possible Applications and Risks.” In this piece, the authors take a deep dive into the world of generative artificial intelligence, exploring its immediate and future benefits in controlling and finance. Congratulations, Mike and everyone involved! Learn more in this LinkedIn post.
In other exciting news, I hope you’ve heard about IMA’s newly launched foundational certification, the FMAA™ (Financial and Managerial Accounting Associate). This new certification offers an innovative opportunity for professionals to acquire essential accounting and finance skills for everyday use in the workplace. The FMAA provides a flexible and practical path for individuals who want to speak the language of business with current and future employers. Registration for the FMAA exam, a two-hour test with 80 multiple-choice questions, will open in January 2024 for a March 2024 testing window. Read IMA’s press release to learn more.
IMA also recently released the results of the latest Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS), which for our region revealed that high employment opportunities combined with historically low unemployment rates in the third quarter of 2023 reflect an increasing risk for companies. In addition, confidence in the Western European economy fell again in the third quarter of 2023, according to the survey. This survey, conducted before the war in Israel erupted, reflects the status of the current economic situation through the eyes of leading financial professionals.
Finally, I want to draw your attention to IMA’s recently introduced Sustainable Business Information and Management Community online platform. This vibrant platform is open to IMA members and nonmembers and offers a space to share insights, best practices, resources, research, and information related to sustainable business management. Please invite your friends and colleagues to be part of this exciting initiative that’s driving sustainable change! Join now: https://bit.ly/47glJtw.
From all of us at IMA Europe, we wish you and your family much peace during this holiday season and a healthy, prosperous new year.
Please email me directly at amulder@imanet.org to share your thoughts and perspectives.
