IMA’s “CMAs Making a Difference” series spotlights valued members of the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) community who are making a difference to their organizations, to the profession, and to their world. This issue’s featured CMA is:
In what ways does your work as a CMA “make a difference” to the people you work with, the customers you serve, and the organization’s bottom line?
Being a CMA starts with an attitude and mindset that I am an accountant and financial professional in business with a mission to help drive better business performance. It is my role to ensure compliance, manage risks, develop and motivate people, and contribute to the sustainable growth of the company and all its stakeholders, including employees and the community.
To accomplish these goals, I and my staff built a high-performing, motivated finance and controllership team. We continuously strive to ensure that the company’s mission and vision will be achieved by (1) understanding the past with clarity, (2) forecasting the future with accuracy, and (3) partnering with the business to drive thoughtful, value-added decisions.
How have you been able to contribute to the greater good of your community as a CMA?
As a finance and accounting professional and as a CMA working for the largest home improvement and construction supplies retailer in the Philippines, I’ve helped our company grow its business and expand its partner supplier network.
This growth creates more jobs, which leads to increased tax collection for the government, better government services, and, ultimately, an improved quality of life.
Such growth also means we’re fulfilling our company’s mission to help people build, improve, and refine their homes for a sustainable, more comfortable life.
With respect to your career, what’s one thing that makes you happy?
What makes me happy is being given the opportunity to do what I love to do. My job is my “ikigai” – my reason for being – and I am fortunate to have found it so early in life. As head of finance, I have many responsibilities: to lead and inspire my team, manage the financial health of a publicly listed company, manage processes and risks, solve problems, and, at the end of the day, transform something chaotic into something beautiful. For me, being able to serve in this role is a convergence of passion, profession, vocation, and mission.
What advice would you give to someone looking for a career/job in accounting or finance where they can make a difference?
We accountants and financial professionals should strive to be role models, positive influencers, and servant leaders to others within our circle – our family and friends as well as our organizations and society.
Who is your role model and why?
Bill Gates, because he used his passion to become successful in life. And once he was successful, he sought to help others and bring about positive change in the world through his philanthropic works.
What’s your favorite inspirational quote?
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” – Albert Schweitzer
Know someone who’s a CMA making a difference? Let us know! Please reach out to ioneditor@imanet.org with your suggestions.