The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Ford

You’d be hard pressed to find a better employer than Ford for a first class career in accountancy.

The car manufacturing giant has motored ahead with a training and development structure that ensures all employees reach their potential at each stage of their careers.
 
The CIMA qualification is an intrinsic part of the company's career development engine.  Since 1988, Ford’s finance professionals have been encouraged to opt for the CIMA syllabus. The company now employs more than 200 CIMA members and students worldwide.

Students are enviably supported, with free tuition, a special training facility at Dagenham and a dedicated website being just some of the study aids offered.

Paul MacNiven was one of the first graduates to study for the qualification 20 years ago. He believes that the CIMA syllabus is more relevant than ever in today’s business environment.

'CIMA offers a breadth of understanding that’s unique among accountancy qualifications,' he says. 'Because CIMA is international, it enables you to carry this knowledge anywhere in the world. In today’s global marketplace, that’s a huge advantage.'

Paul says his own career history is a good example of how CIMA qualified professionals drive a wide variety of functions at Ford.

For the past four years, Paul has had the heady responsibility of controlling costs for Ford’s new European models as they progress from concept to manufacture.

'The company likes to move its staff around as much as possible to give them a good understanding of how the business fits together,' he says. 'I’ve worked in marketing and sales, manufacturing, treasury and profit analysis.'

Paul believes his CIMA qualification was an ideal foundation for his career.

'I had no desire to be crunching numbers all my life,' he reflects. 'I wanted to be part of the action rather than part of the reaction in business and that's what the CIMA qualification has enabled me to do. With CIMA, you're trained to use your accountancy skills to analyse, manage and look forward rather than backwards,' he continues.

'That's what makes management accountants stand out from the crowd.'

Find out why you should choose CIMA

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