To sum up, David is CIMA president

David Stanford FCMA CGMA has been elected as 84th president of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

He will now be responsible for overseeing the governance of CIMA around the world and promoting management accounting and the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation.

Mr Stanford previously served on CIMA’s governing council and several local, regional and global committees before becoming deputy president of the organisation last year.

As president, he will work to advance the new Association of International Certified Professional Accountants – the Association – formed at the start of 2017 by CIMA and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). CIMA members are now part of a global network of more than 650,000 professionals and students, in 179 countries.

He said: “I am privileged to become CIMA president at such a key time in our history.”

“CIMA joining forces with the AICPA will take accounting to a new and dynamic level, by providing highly-skilled accountants with the knowledge, insight and drive to meet the demands of today and the challenges of tomorrow.

“I strongly believe the work of the new Association, such as our ongoing commitment to members’ training and employability, will have a huge and positive impact on the profession.”

After initially setting out to become a fashion buyer when he left school at 16, Mr Stanford began his CIMA studies in the Capital before qualifying as a management accountant in 1973.

Before moving into the world of finance, Mr Stanford also ran a nightclub and a jewellery business and appeared in the final of TV quiz Countdown in 2014.

He takes on the presidency of CIMA as the organisation goes from strength to strength, with a growing membership base.

More than 106,000 people across the globe were registered as members in 2016, a three-per-cent increase on 2015’s figures, with CIMA also gaining 34,000 more students through the year.

Mr Stanford relocated to Manchester shortly after qualifying as a management accountant and now lives in Salford.

In other appointments ratified during the CIMA AGM, 2016-17 president Andrew Miskin FCMA CGMA became immediate past president, while former Network Rail and NHS director Steve Swientozielskyj FCMA CGMA was elected as deputy president.

CIMA Council representative for the Americas Amal Ratnayake FCMA CGMA is the new vice president.