IMA, QU sign pact to hone students’ educational and professional skills

THE Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and Qatar University have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in an effort to further academic, educational and professional initiatives for both institutions.

The MoU, signed by IMA Senior Vice-President, Global Business Development im Gurowka, CAE, and VicePresident for Academic Affairs of Qatar University Dr Omar Mohammed A Al Ansari, establishes IMA’s relationship with Qatar University to enable ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchanges.

As part of the partnership, Qatar University will begin offering Certified Management Accountant (CMA) materials to support students with their respective certification exams.

“The role of finance and accounting professionals is seeing a fundamental evolution in the current scenario and the need is to ensure that we have appropriate development paths in place for those aspiring to build a career in this sector,” said Hanadi Khalife, senior director of operations, Middle East, Africa and India.

“Through such partnerships, we are striving to empower finance and accounting students to pursue globally-relevant and current professional qualifications to enhance their future career prospects. Qatar University is one of the leading educational institutions in the region and we are confident that this initiative will help to bridge the skills gap further by presenting tremendous benefits to students and the overall profession in the region,” Khalife added.

“At Qatar University, we aim to nurture the intellectual development of individuals so they may graduate to be leaders and go on to making a positive contribution to regional economies,” said Dr Ansari. “We are delighted to partner with IMA to provide a holistic educational experience which empowers our students by better preparing them for the workplace when the time comes.

This initiative will help our students understand how the role of the chief financial officer (CFO) is changing and equip them with the accounting and finance skills they will need to succeed in the future.”

The partnership, which is in line with IMA’s Higher Education Endorsement Programme, will help IMA and Qatar University to optimise the higher education and professional development of students in the finance and accounting programme.

As part of the agreement, IMA has committed to providing CMA scholarships to the top 10 distinguished Qatar University students from all specialisations within the university. Furthermore, IMA and Qatar University will be working together to support and enhance various research programmes for faculty members.