IMA’s “CMAs Making a Difference” series spotlights valued members of the CMA^® (Certified Management Accountant) community who are making a difference to their organization, to the profession, and to their world. This issue’s featured CMA is: 

Can you share something specific that the CMA has enabled you to do?

I always wanted to do something beyond a bachelor’s degree while also studying towards it. I had that opportunity at Jain University, where I was able to earn my undergraduate degree (with honors) and also work towards my CMA certification. Soon after graduating and passing my CMA exams, I joined Shashank Associates, which operates in the hospitality sector. While working there, I got the opportunity to explore various operational aspects of the industry, including being involved in budget and financing projects right from the start.

The concepts that I learned from the CMA – strategic planning, decision analysis, risk management, investment decision making, and technology and analytics – drove a spirit of innovation in me to bring about a change in the firm. So, I’m now one of the founding partners of a startup that’s in the process of rethinking and reinventing the role of technology in the hospitality industry. We have a very diverse team working on our applications and are currently identifying new resources. It’s been amazing to see something grow from an idea on paper into something in reality. This ability to develop and conceptualize a new idea, lead a team, and serve it to help it grow – all of this has come to me thanks to the CMA.

Where do you envision yourself in 5-10 years?

For me, the CMA wasn’t just a course that I took, it was a life-changing decision. Earning the certification gave me a foundation to develop and competently apply all the skills I learned and gave me a great boost of confidence to choose an entrepreneurial journey.

In the next 5-10 years, I envision myself as a happy leader who is devoted to serving causes that empower people around me. I see myself at the head of my startup that has earned great trust and confidence from the industry.

What’s one goal you want to accomplish in your career?

My goal in my career, and in life, is to have harmony. I believe that for all of us, three aspects of life are what make and break who you are and how you are living: health, wealth, and love. I would see my career as a successful one if every day, all my actions are bringing harmony in these three facets of life.

What do you consider the highest priority for your career?

The highest priority for me for my career, and also for my life, is happiness. If that doesn’t exist in what I do, then what I do doesn’t matter. To be happy, and to be able to share that happiness with all the stakeholders I interact with – my family, my peers, my friends and colleagues, and my clients – is what makes me feel fulfilled. It’s also what drives me to do better. As young professionals, we prioritize a lot of other things over happiness. For me, it’s a quintessential priority.

Who is your role model and why?

My father is my role model – because he taught me to think for myself. He taught me to understand all the things I could be and to be kind and grateful, above all. All the ambition and intelligence that anyone sees in me, I owe it to his endless encouragement and guidance. He led me to know that I can do more with my life than just working a job, and he taught me that quality life means to nourish and grow with every passing day.

What advice would you give to students who are in the early stages of considering management accounting or earning their CMA?

Don’t just view the CMA as a certification. View this as a transformational tool that will drive you to grow as a true leader in whatever career you choose. The CMA journey would give you a holistic dimension to many aspects of life where you can pick up any skill and own it.

Know someone who’s a CMA making a difference? Let us know! Please reach out to ioneditor@imanet.org with your suggestions.