what is the institute of management accountants 
the institute of management accountants ima is one of the top associations for financial professionals it offers the prestigious certified management accountant cma designation the ima s mission is to promote education and development in management accounting and finance advocate for the highest ethics and best business practices and provide a forum for research the institute of management accountants ima is a global membership association of accountants and financial professionals who work at nonprofit private and public companies and academic institutions in 2019 the institute celebrated its 100th anniversary 2 the organization s vision is to be the leading resource for certifying supporting maturing and linking the world s best financial professionals and accountants the association s core values include integrity and trust passion respect innovation and continuous improvement it achieves these core values by providing access to career opportunities building a network of industry professionals and developing partner connections it offers educational programs to increase leadership opportunities and expand professional knowledge ima provides a forum for members by promoting forward thinking research and industry best practices and offering newsletters and journals 1understanding the imaima provides services in the americas middle east africa asia pacific and europe 3 it has offices in china switzerland zurich netherlands amsterdam singapore united arab emirates dubai 4 and egypt cairo 56 as of sept 21 2022 the ima had approximately 140 000 members in 150 countries the association has over 350 professional and student chapters worldwide 1 members can achieve career development through access to one of ima s local chapters the association strives to raise awareness of the management accounting sector ima operates an online training center that provides educational materials it also offers professional education products members receive career development training through local chapters continuing education information and resources and participate in online communities historysince 1919 ima has been an advocate and resource for accounting and financial management professionals it was founded in buffalo new york to promote knowledge and professionalism among cost accountants and promote a wider understanding of the role of cost accounting in management the original name of the association was the national association of cost accountants but in 1957 the name was changed to the national association of accountants in 1991 the name was changed again to the institute of management accountants 7the first chapter was formed in chicago in 1920 and the first annual conference was held in atlantic city in 1972 the association created the cma certification program in 1983 it issued the first code of ethics for management accountants in the united states titled standards of ethical conduct of management accountants in 1996 ima established the certified financial manager program but discontinued it in 2007 87membership benefitsima offers membership benefits such as publications conferences and research on industry trends and advancements ima membership also offers discounts on business and professional expenses such as office supplies insurance rental cars and training 