This year’s IMA^® (Institute of Management Accountants) Student Leadership Conference promises to equip accounting and finance students with what it takes to “Embrace Your Future.” The Conference will be held at The Westin Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C., on November 14-16, 2019; registration is now open at www.imaslc.org.

The Conference will feature three days of networking, learning, and fun with more than 600 like-minded attendees, including students from 100+ colleges and universities. Keynote sessions will include:

• “Being All in All of the Time” – John Howell, managing director at Grant Thornton, will share an inspiring message about how it’s not so much about change as it is about changing the way you see things. He will help open attendees’ eyes to the beauty in what they do and how they do it.
• “Transforming the Finance Function with Robotic Process Automation” – Loreal Jiles of BP will lead a discussion about the power of RPA, its impact on the profession, and how to become a leader in this space. 
• “The Healthsouth Fraud: A Case of Ethical Malpractice” – Weston Smith will share a personal, behind-the-scenes story of Healthsouth and the corporate culture that motivated the company’s financial statement fraud.

Concurrent sessions will offer insights that can help students succeed in their first professional position, including preparing for the CMA^® (Certified Management Accountant) exam, understanding global business, and making the journey from student to C-suite professional. Other sessions will cover “hot topics” such as ethics, diversity and inclusion, and forensic accounting.

“We try to make this Conference better and better every year, and we’ve definitely delivered. We’ve assembled a great line-up of speakers, plus many opportunities for students to make contacts that can help them in their careers,” said Jodi Ryan, CAE, IMA director of member engagement. “Numerous companies will be collecting résumés to fill internship and entry-level positions, so students should bring along copies to share with potential employers.” 

Cummins Inc. will be conducting interviews on site at the Conference, and to be considered for these interviews, students must upload their résumé when they submit their Conference registration by October 25. Please visit the IMA website to see a full list of sponsors and exhibitors. 

Several fun and educational networking events are also planned, including the crowd-favorite T-shirt design contest, three optional industry tours, and discounted tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. To see highlights of last year’s event, please watch this YouTube video.

For complete details, including registration information, please visit www.imaslc.org. To keep up with the latest news, join the conversation at #IMASLC19 on IMA's Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages.