CIMA elects first Asian-born president

CIMA, the management accountancy institute, has elected its first Asian-born president, Aubrey Joachim.

Joachim – who was born in Sri Lanka of Portuguese descent and is now an Australian citizen – was elected president with global responsibilities at CIMA's 90th Annual General Meeting at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London over the weekend.

Joachim, currently a management coach, began his career at Unilever Sri Lanka in 1973, going on to work for companies in a range of sectors.

On becoming CIMA President, Aubrey Joachim, said: 'We must ensure we continue to build on our relevance to all our current and future stakeholders – members, employers, students, potential students and all those with whom the institute hopes to interact in the future, both in established and new markets.

'In this context, that means being operationally efficient and effective and having a streamlined governance framework that delivers results quickly.'

At the AGM George Glass, finance director for Balfour Timber Group, was elected deputy president. Harold Baird - an adviser specialising in the SME sector and also financial controller of S J Anderson & Sons, a construction and property company - was elected vice president.