“I’m a Creative Accountant.”

As the President and CEO of CMA Alberta, I would expect that such an admission will catch some of our members off guard. Yet, I say that I am a Creative Accountant with absolute conviction and pride.

Creativity is increasingly being identified as the single most important ingredient for success in today’s business landscape.

World leaders from around the globe in all industries and from all backgrounds talk about the need to be forward thinking and creative. In a recent report presented by Robert Half’s Financial Leadership Council, which offers recommendations on issues on the future of accounting, finance and auditing, council members identified the need for a focus on the development of both left-and right-brain skills. Panelists said tomorrow’s workers need to be strong in both modes of thinking to continually find ways to innovate and add value to professional skills and activities.

Sadly, the word “creative” generally evokes negative reactions in the accounting world. On the bright side, that’s all about to change.

CMA Canada, along with its provincial partners who represent more than 47,000 members worldwide, has decided to take back the words “Creative Accountants” and give them an entirely new meaning – one that is rooted in business excellence, accountability and leadership, and one that will continue to position CMAs as the leaders in management accounting.
 
As a national partnership, Certified Management Accountants of Canada put forth a legal application to trademark the phrase “Creative Accountants,” which will now refer to Certified Management Accountants who use solid strategy, management and accounting skills to create incredible business opportunities for organizations across Canada and beyond. The application not only demonstrates the forward thinking of our professional body, but also that we are brave and innovative enough to tackle a misused expression.

CMAs have earned the right to such a lofty name. We’ve earned it because we’ve demonstrated over and over again that CMAs are not just accountants – we’re business leaders, drivers, catalysts and change agents rooted in accountability and ethics. As a designation, we’ve pioneered the territory of strategic management accounting, and these principles are the foundation of our training.

There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Creativity and Accountability are exactly what business needs right now. And we are going to prove we deliver on that need starting right now. I believe that this bold new thinking will bring the designation to a place our members will be proud of and one that new members will aspire to. After all, Creative Accountants is nothing less than a defendable truth – one that will continue to see CMAs leading the future business landscape.

In a time when creativity and right-brain thinking are becoming imperative for success, CMA will be leading the way. And with this, I am pleased and proud to introduce you to the platform of the new campaign for the Certified Management Accountant: Creative Accountants. 

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