Standing from left: Genius School of Professional Studies IT Consultant Thenu Peiris, Achievers Lanka Business School Group General Manager Kanchana de Silva, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants Management Accounting Regional Vice President Asia Pacific Venkkat Ramanan, Wisdom Business Academy Group General Manager Chinthaka Wijayaratne, Imperial College of Business Studies Business Development Manager Thilina Wijewardena, Institute of Global Knowledge Director Haleem Athem and Apex Business Academy Galle Branch Manager Keith Alles; seated from left: Genius School of Professional Studies Director Suranjith Ratnayake, Wisdom Business Academy Chairman Theo Soumyraj, Achievers Lanka Business School CEO Faris Ismail, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants Chief Executive Management Accounting Andrew Harding, Imperial College of Business Studies Director Operations Sivabaskaran Shanmugam, Apex Business Academy Director Deshani Gamage and Mayzone College Director S. Mayooran

Association of International Certified Professional Accountants Management Accounting Chief Executive Andrew Harding was in Sri Lanka recently to sign a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with CIMA’s learning partners in the country.
This MoA will promote CIMA’s Certificate in Business Accounting (Cert BA) as a stand-alone qualification, with Sri Lanka being the first country to launch this programme, followed by its expansion to other parts of the world. 
Whilst the Cert BA offers an entry route into the CIMA Professional Qualification, it is also a qualification in its own right. Cert BA provides a solid understanding of fundamental accounting, management and business principles, supporting the development of skills in financial reporting, forecasting and data analysis.  
Commending the quality of CIMA’s learning partners in Sri Lanka, Andrew said, “I am extremely proud of the high standard of tuition provision by our learning partners in Sri Lanka and once again, they are trailblazing this new initiative of a stand-alone Cert BA. Sri Lanka is an important market for the association. Both CIMA and the American Institute of CPAs have established this new association to combine resources, strategies and people which gives us more efficiency, effectiveness and far stronger influence. We are genuinely global, with 650,000 members and students in public and management accounting.”
The association’s Regional Vice President Asia Pacific Venkkat Ramanan was also in attendance for the MoA signing ceremony. Addressing the gathering of learning partners, Venkkat elaborated, “As a professional body, we are responsive to market needs. It is a source of great pride to see the provision of educational services in the country. Wider reach of educational qualifications is important and this programme is designed to give access to different segments of the market.”