Accounting and Finance Professionals Step Up at IMA23, Look Forward to San Antonio in 2024

IMA’s Accounting & Finance Conference (IMA23), held last month in Minneapolis, provided attendees with an opportunity to enjoy powerful collaborations, network with colleagues, and discover new ideas from world-class experts.

“We were pleased to host such a successful in-person conference and to see the enthusiastic learning and inspiring collaborations among our attendees,” said LeighAnn Tobia, CMP, DES, director, conferences & events at IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants). “We want to thank our incredible speakers for the knowledge they shared and whose insights we hope will spark continued dynamic discussions and help our attendees excel in their careers.”

She continued, “Our deep-dive workshops, career coaching sessions, and Tech-Knowledgy Center networking opportunities once again this year proved very popular. Finally, we extend our thanks to our sponsors—particularly our presenting sponsors Blackline, CostPerform, Deloitte, Highradius, Trintech, and Yooz—for their support of this in-person experience.”

IMA will host next year’s annual conference, IMA24, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa on June 9-12, 2024. IMA is now accepting presentation proposals for next year’s conference. Visit the Call for Sessions to submit your proposal and learn more about the benefits of presenting.

Highlights of IMA23, themed “Step Up,” included:

  • Nancy Giordano, a strategic futurist, in her session titled “The Forces Shaping the Enterprise of the Future,” discussed how technology is rapidly changing the profession and making advanced technology accessible to everyone.
  • Jennifer Kirk, SVP, Global Controller & Chief Accounting Officer, CFO Medical Surgical of Medtronic, led a presentation on “The Future of Finance: Road Map, Transformation, Trends, and Framework.” She spoke about the how-to of finance transformation including how-to build a realistic roadmap based on strategy. Kirk described how transformation requires maintaining alignment with current and future business needs, mastering data management, and improving staff skills.
  • A panel session on “Financial Reporting at the Crossroads” featured speakers from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, UPS, Cleveland-Cliffs, and the Connor Group, who discussed recently issued rules and proposals as well as the future of financial reporting.
  • Workshops and important discussions on PowerBI, the metaverse, technologies, ESG, finance transformation, ethics, and more.

A photo of the General Session
A well-attended general session.

The first day of the conference featured the exciting finals of the U.S. Student Case Competition, where four teams presented their solutions to the case, “Kunapipi Gardens: Transfer Pricing in the Service Industry.” A team of students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) was crowned the champion; they are pictured below (from l. to r.): faculty advisor Danny Siciliano, Alexandria Kim, Gleim representative and vice president Garrett Gleim, Kelsie Cayla Dayrit, Marian Aniceto, and Angela Grace Borro. This was the sixth time in seven years that a team from UNLV has won the title. 

A photo of the team from UNLV

Attendees were also able to enjoy some fun optional activities during the conference, including attending a “Twin Cities” tour and visiting Target Field to see a Major League Baseball game between the Minneapolis Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers.

For more information, please visit IMA's Accounting & Finance Conference.