CIMA's successes over the past year have only fuelled its ambitions for further expansion.
| Author | Grant, Gordon |
| Position | In business |
I am delighted to note that CIMA's recently published annual review reveals our largest ever growth in the number of new members. We achieved 4.8 per cent net membership growth in 2007 against an ambitious target of 4.5 per cent, increasing the institute to 163,000 members and students in 161 countries.
The review highlights other notable achievements, including:
* A 50 per cent increase on 2006 in the number of students in india and China.
* Beating our target of having 4,083 Training Partner employers on board globally by nearly 12 per cent.
* The launch of our qualification in Islamic finance--the first of its kind to be offered by a chartered accountancy body.
* The launch of 35 new continuing professional development products.
While acknowledging these and other successes, it's also crucial to look ahead and plot our long-term growth. We operate in a hugely competitive environment and our ongoing success hinges on staying relevant and demonstrating the CIMA difference--both in traditional markets and in new areas where the brand needs to be established. The implementation of our employer strategy builds on existing demand for CIMA across multiple markets and is part of our sustainable growth model, which we expect to increase student numbers by 4.8 per cent in 2008 and by nine per cent by 2012.
While continuing to support our current key markets, we will focus on employer-led business development activities in Africa, eastern Europe, India, the Middle East and China. The opening of our latest office, in Dubai, represents significant opportunity for us in that region.
We will also implement market-entry strategies in high-growth areas such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Latin America. Key areas for development include employer relationships; global alliances; CIMA differentiation; ethics; innovation and development; and member support through virtual
communities.
To bring the story up to date on strategic alliances, we have just signed a memorandum of...
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