CIMA Sri Lanka celebrates 60 years of excellence in finance and business

This year marks an important milestone for The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) in Sri Lanka as we celebrate six decades of empowering Sri Lanka’s most highly skilled accounting and finance professionals to support their businesses, communities, and economies to thrive and succeed.

Today, the island is home to one of the largest communities of CIMA members and CGMA candidates worldwide, a long way from our humbler beginning with just 22 members in 1965. From the outset, we have championed innovation, resilience, and leadership. 

Over the past six decades, we have supported thousands of Sri Lankans to build their dream careers in finance and business, both in Sri Lanka and overseas. In addition, three Sri Lankans have served as CIMA President - Aubrey Joachim (2009-2010), Amal Ratnayake (2019-2020), and Melanie Janine Kanaka (2022-2023) – showcasing the country’s impact and influence on the global finance profession.

Our journey has been one of growth and resilience, transformation and impact – generation after generation. Though we have certainly transformed over the past six decades, our core purpose remains unchanged: we empower Sri Lanka’s brightest minds to drive sustainable success – for their organisations, their communities, and the country. 

As both a Sri Lankan and a CGMA designation holder, I take immense pride in how far we have come. But I also know that to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world, we need to continue to grow and transform.

The upgraded CGMA Professional Qualification

In the modern era, finance is no longer just about reporting the numbers – it’s about shaping the future. Finance roles are being refined to meet the future demands of business and economies. As a result, finance professionals need to be equipped with the right technical and critical thinking skills, a strong understanding of their organisation, and the ability to analyse, assess, influence and lead. They must be capable of providing the insights their organisations need to craft and successfully execute their strategies. 

This evolution made the mission for the upgraded ‘Chartered Global Management Accountant Professional Qualification’ (CGMA Professional Qualification) clear: to accelerate the development of high-performing finance business partners. That means embedding critical thinking skills earlier in the learning journey and expanding the syllabus to cover areas such as sustainability and generative AI.

At the heart of the 2026 CGMA syllabus upgrade is a shift in focus, moving from simply acquiring knowledge to demonstrating real-world competencies. The syllabus is now structured around the roles and responsibilities found in today’s modern finance teams, ensuring that what candidates learn directly aligns with what employers need.

In a world where information is readily accessible, technical knowledge alone is no longer a differentiator. What sets accounting and finance professionals apart is their ability to apply that knowledge – accurately, effectively, and strategically. This is where true professional value is created, by combining deep technical expertise with a broad set of complementary skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

One of the most powerful tools in this transformation is our Case Study exams. These are not theoretical exercises, they are grounded in real world job roles and responsibilities across all levels of an organisation. Through this problem-based learning approach, candidates develop essential skills like critical thinking, decision-making, and finance business partnering. They learn to solve problems through practical simulations, preparing them to deliver value from day one—and to grow into the strategic finance leaders of tomorrow.  Developed by finance professionals for finance professionals, the CGMA Professional Qualification equips future accounting and finance professionals with the knowledge and capabilities to drive strategy, support decision-making, and deliver value across both private and public sectors. It opens doors to countless career opportunities for CGMA designation holders

As we proudly celebrate 60 years of excellence on the island, we are also – perhaps more than ever before – focused on the future.