Institute of Certified Management Accountants Australia holds Global Hall of Fame Awards

The Global Financial Accounting Hall of Fame and the Global Management Accounting Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony was held recently, organised by the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (Australia). Featuring a high profile gathering of over 200 prominent academics and professionals, including a number of distinguished corporate leaders, this awards ceremony was headlined by Chief Guest, Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy. 

Also gracing the event was High Commissioner for Australia in Sri Lanka Bryce Hutchesson.  

Professor Brendan O’Connell, Global President of CMA Australia and Professor of Accounting at RMIT University and Professor Janek Ratnatunga, CEO of ICMA Australia and former Chair of Business Accounting, Monash University, along with ICMA Regional Directors from around the world, were also present. 

ICMA Australia Global Hall of Fame awards honour professionals and academics in recognition of their distinguished service contributions to the progress of financial accounting and management accounting in their respective countries.  

Rajan Asirwatham, who was the Senior Partner and Country Head of KPMG Sri Lanka (formerly Ford Rhodes Thornton & Co) for well over four decades, from 1961 to 2008, and James Mather, who was the Senior Partner of Ernst and Young from 1970 to 2001, playing a monumental role in the way Ernst & Young developed, were recognised with Global Financial Accounting Hall of Fame Awards. 

Prof. M.T.A. Furkhan, who was one of the prime movers in establishing, in 1965, the basic roots of the management accountancy profession in Sri Lanka, when he brought the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants (now CIMA) to Sri Lanka, and Prof. M.W. Wickramarachchi, who is a pathbreaker in academic accounting education in Sri Lanka, were honoured with Global Management Accounting Hall of Fame Awards. Also significant, Prof. Wickramarachchi was the founder of Department of Commerce at University of Kelaniya and Department of Accountancy and Financial Management at University of Sri Jayewardenepura. 

The Selection Committee was comprised of the founder members of ICMA: Willian Dix, AO, Former Chairman of Ford Australia and Qantas; Professor John Miller, AO, Former President of the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants (CAPA); Emeritus Fellow, Dr. Leon Duval, Founder President of ICMA and Professor Janek Ratnatunga; Former Chair of Business Accounting, Monash University; and CEO of ICMA Australia. 

CMA (Australia) qualification has been offered to qualified accountants in Sri Lanka since 1997 through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka. The Academy of Finance partnered with the institute to offer the Graduate Conversion Programme of ICMA to qualified professionals, graduates and MBA holders since 2006. During the past 20 years, more than 2,000 senior corporate professionals from the top corporates have benefited through the ICMA programmes in Sri Lanka.    

ICMA Australia Sri Lankan operation is headed by Regional Director Kapila Dodamgoda. ICMA local office can be reached via [email protected] or by visiting them at No. 3, St. Kildas Lane, Colombo 3 for further information.