02 July 2007
CIMA's Sri Lanka division today announced the election of its new President. The election took place at the Annual General Meeting held on Friday 29 June 2007 at Cinnamon Grand, Colombo.
Mr M A L Aruna Fernando, FCMA, CGMA, MBCS was elected President of CIMA Sri Lanka Division. Mr Fernando is a CIMA Fellow and an Associate member of the British Computer Society, UK.
Mr Fernando counts over 25 years of finance and business experience. He started his career as an audit trainee at Tisaveerasinghe Sothyalingam and Company in 1980 and then moved to the position of Accounts Executive at Air Lanka Ltd and NARA. In 1987 he joined Computer Link Data Systems (Pvt) Ltd as an Accountant. He quickly rose to the position of Financial Controller and in 1991 was appointed Finance Director.
In 1992 Mr Fernando embarked on his own venture Micronet Information (Pvt) Ltd, the pioneer in the information technology industry, and he currently holds the position of Managing Director. The company engages in providing computer peripherals, accessories to computer vendors, direct marketing of computers and peripherals to end-users, software consultancy services and system integration.
Mr Fernando has been actively involved in CIMA Sri Lanka Division since 1999, serving as a member of the Student Services Committee and was the Chairman of the Schools Promotions Committee in 2000. He was elected to the CIMA Sri Lanka Divisional Council in 2001 and has since undertaken many committee roles including Chairmanship of the Promotion and Marketing Committee and the Member Services Committee. In 2005 he was elected Vice President and in 2006, Deputy President.
Commenting on his election to President, Mr Fernando said:
'I am deeply honoured to be elected President of CIMA Sri Lanka Division. In Sri Lanka, CIMA has more than 1,800 members and 11,000 students. However, what is perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that we also now have more than 3,900 Sri Lankan members and students around the world. This clearly demonstrates not only the relevance of the CIMA qualification within Sri Lanka, but the opportunities it affords our members and students globally.
'For CIMA, worldwide growth is a key driver. To enable us to really expand our numbers we need a long term plan and a clear strategic focus. Strategy means change, and change we will. I am pleased to say that the council and I are wholeheartedly committed to the way forward through change. I commit myself wholeheartedly to serving the CIMA members, students and other partners according to our Royal Charter and our own CIMA values.'
During his year in office, Mr Fernando intends to ensure that CIMA retains its position as the leading management accountancy body in Sri Lanka, continuing to provide high level support to CIMA members, students and other stakeholders across the island.
Two further honorary officers were elected at the AGM. Gowri Shanker, FCMA, CGMA, was elected Deputy President. Ms Shanker is Advisor and Director, Delma Establishment in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Viren Wijesinghe, FCMA, CGMA, MBA, DipM, MCIM, Finance Director of Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt) Limited, was elected Vice President.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Surangi Ranaweera
Asst. Manager Marketing & Promotions
CIMA Sri Lanka Division
Tel: 94 11 2503880 Ext. 212, Fax: 94 11 2503881
E-mail: Surangi.Ranaweera@cimaglobal.com
Notes to editors
- CIMA (The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) is the only international accountancy body with a sole focus on business. It is a world leading professional institute that offers an internationally recognized qualification in management accountancy, focusing on accounting in business, in both the private and public sectors. It is the fastest growing UK based accountancy body, in terms of members, in both the UK and worldwide and is the voice of over 87,000 students and 68,000 members in 158 countries. In Sri Lanka alone, there are 1700 members working in a variety of fields both in the private and public sector. CIMA students in Sri Lanka number more than 11,000.
- CIMA prides itself on the commercial relevance of its syllabus, which is in tune with the activities of high performance organizations, and evolves continually to reflect the latest developments in global business. It is committed to upholding the highest ethical and professional standards of members and students, and to maintaining public confidence in management accountancy. For more information about CIMA, please visit http://www.cimaglobal.com/.
02 July 2007070702