Ninth Annual IMA China Conference Delivers Insights

The Ninth Annual IMA China Conference, featuring a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) exam, was held on December 15 and followed the theme “Insight and Reshaping.” Due to the sudden and rapid spread of COVID-19 in China, the conference was offered in virtual format. More than 5,000 individuals registered for the conference, with total views reaching 78,600 across multiple channels.

The conference kicked off with opening remarks by Jeffrey C. Thomson, CMA, CSCA, CAE, president and CEO of IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants). Keynote presentations from prominent leaders included:

  • “Management Accounting Innovation: Case and Enlightenment,” by Shanhua Yang, Chief Accountant, China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (SINOPHARM) 
  • “The Innovative Application and Practice of Management Accounting in Big Enterprises,” by Qiang Wei, CMA, CFO, China Resources Snow Breweries 
  • “ESG – Foresight and Thinking,” by Xijia Su, Professor, CEIBS
  • “The New Business Forms and Changes Faced by Enterprises in the VUCA Era,” by Dongsheng Zhao, VP and CFO, Lining Sporting Goods Cooperation
  • “Exploration and Practice of the Bosch Finance Team,” by Eric Yang, Vice President of Finance, Bosch (China) Investment Ltd. (See photo below) 

Yang

Also featured was a dialog on the topic of “Financial Transformation and Management Accounting Application in Digital Revolution,” delivered by Rongsheng Qin, Former Dean, Beijing National Accounting Institute (BNAI); and Xiaojin Zhu, VP of Finance, North Asia, Unilever. 

The conference also included women’s leadership sessions, featuring a keynote presentation on “How to Win the Future and Forge Extraordinary Leadership in the Financial World,” by Gwen van Berne, CMA, Chair, IMA Global Board of Directors (see photo below).

Gwen

A second keynote speech, titled “Female Leadership and Financial Team Building in the Age of Digital Intelligence,” was offered by Sarah Luo, VP of Finance, Skechers.

This portion of the conference also featured a roundtable discussion on the "Transformation and Blooming of Female Leadership in the Workplace,” by Yinghan Fan, Professor, Curtin University; Xiaoyan Zhang, CMA, GM, Onshore Wind Service Department, GE; Lifang Dang, CMA, CFO, Meizhou Dongpo Group; and Yi Zhang, CMA, CSCA, Chief Strategy and Financial Advisor, Lenovo New Vision Technology.

As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the CMA, the conference included a presentation of awards to outstanding enterprises and CMA holders for their support of CMA certification, and their best practices and contributions for the organization, as well as to the winners of the China Management Accounting Paper Award and the China Short and Long Case Writing Competition.

The conference concluded with words of appreciation by Richard Li, VP and Chief Representative, IMA China.

For more information on IMA China, please visit https://www.imachina.org.cn/.