Propelling business leadership for a resilient Sri Lanka

For any country to thrive, having a highly trained and skilled workforce is essential. At AICPA & CIMA, we take great pride in having supported Sri Lanka over the past few decades to help individuals, organisations and society as a whole thrive. This is our story.

Supporting Sri Lanka’s success since 1965 Founded over 100 years ago, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is the world’s leading and largest professional body of management accountants.

Its members and candidates work at the heart of organisations, to guide decision makers and drive business success in an ever-evolving business world.

Having been present in Sri Lanka since 1965, CIMA has strong ties with the island. The very first CIMA meeting took place in October 1965 under the leadership of M. V. Frank Hayhurst and Prof. Deshamanya M. T. A. Furkhan.

In 1969, Hayhurst left Sri Lanka and was later appointed president of the institute. In the 1970s, the Sri Lanka office officially obtained its CIMA branch status under the guidance of Furkhan.

The connection with the global accounting, finance and business leadership community and Sri Lanka has continued since the early momentum to broaden and deepen over the last six decades.

There have been notable appointments of Sri Lankans to the position of CIMA President (Aubrey Joachim – 2009/10 and Amal Ratnayake – 2019-2020) and active involvement in the creation of a joint venture in 2017 with the American Institute of CPAs to form the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the world’s largest professional body serving the sector.

Now through AICPA & CIMA, the Sri Lankan business, finance and accounting profession has an even greater range of activities and materials to support members, candidates and the profession. This builds on the foundation work of Hayhurst and Furkhan to drive recognition with employers and a community of like-minded professionals in Sri Lanka, and sets CIMA members apart on the local and global stage with the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation.

Today’s trendsetters Sri Lanka has the second largest community of CIMA members and CGMA candidates after the UK.

In the last couple of years, we’ve experienced steady growth despite the ongoing challenges Sri Lanka has experienced, and we hope to continue along this path. We have members and candidates working in a wide range of roles – across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors – who we know are making huge impact on their organisations and contributing positively to the wider economy.

In June 2022, Melanie Janine Kanaka – FCMA (UK), CGMA – became the 89th President of CIMA and Co-Chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. She is the first Asian woman to be appointed to both these prestigious roles.

We also have a strong pipeline of very talented Sri Lankan CGMA candidates in our community, including global top exam performers and highly talented candidates such as Sandil Mallikarachchi who completed their exams in 10 months.

Reinventing tomorrow For more than half a century, we have enabled thousands of Sri Lankans to build their dream careers in finance, business and accounting, both in Sri Lanka and overseas.

The Sri Lankan AICPA & CIMA office headed by Zahara Ansary – FCMA (UK), CGMA – serves with pride our members, candidates and employers.

In 2023 and beyond, we will continue to nurture and develop highly skilled accountancy professionals who can guide and lead their organisations, and in turn the national economy, towards sustainable success.

Our mission is to drive trust, opportunity and prosperity. We are here to help Sri Lanka adapt, grow and thrive.