Newest regional IMA chapter launched in Jordan; total membership in MENA 10,700 strong
The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA®), the world’s leading organization dedicated to supporting accountants and financial professionals in business, announced today that its Middle East membership grew by 30 percent year on year. The announcement was made in Dubai at the end of a region-wide tour, which took IMA officials to Jordan, Lebanon and finally the UAE.
Jim Gurowka, International Business Development Director at the Institute of Management Accountants, said that significant strides in membership numbers were achieved over the past year where Egypt witnessed 90 percent growth to reach 2,600 members, while Saudi Arabia and UAE membership numbers grew by 43 percent to 1,500 and 22 percent to 2,000 members respectively. This brings the total IMA membership in the MENA region to 10,700.
“We are also happy to announce that we launched our newest regional chapter in Amman, Jordan, bringing the total number of Middle East chapters to five,†continued Gurowka, who placed emphasis on the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) course as the driving force behind the elevated interest in the IMA.
With over 600 IMA members, the Jordanian chapter was inaugurated at an event held in Amman that merged the IMA with the newly formed Jordan Association of Management Accountants (JAMA). Ammar Khayyat, President of JAMA, will head the chapter as president. Khayyat holds his position as chief financial officer (CFO) at the Jabbar Group.
The CMA exam subject matter, which was reorganized in November last year and now consist of two exam parts rather than four, places greater emphasis on the issues most critical to accountants and financial professionals in business, including financial planning, analysis, control and decision support.
“The CMA exam continues to be a career-enhancing credential valued and sought by employers across the globe, and has had a considerable impact on professionals in the Middle East region, signified by the impressive membership growth rates witnessed over the past year,†said Gurowka.
With more than 30,000 CMA certificates awarded to date, the CMA program continues to demonstrate its value to professionals. In fact, according to IMA’s 2008 Annual Salary Survey, members holding the CMA designation earned an average of 24 percent more in salary than their non-certified peers.
Enrollment in the new CMA program will begin in spring 2010. Candidates may take the new CMA examinations starting May 1, 2010. For more information about the CMA certification program, please visit www.imanet.org/certification.
