12 June 2006
CIMA, the world’s largest chartered professional accountancy body with a sole focus on business, has elected an Irishman, a Scotsman and an Englishman as President, Deputy President and Vice President at its Annual General Meeting, held at the Café Royal, London, on 10 June 2006.
John Coghlan FCMA, based in Malahide, Dublin and Welwyn Garden City was elected CIMA President. His career has spanned senior management roles with the formerly quoted Jefferson Smurfit Group, becoming an operating subsidiary Chief Executive in 1980 and a divisional Chief Executive in 1990. In 1997 he became Managing Director of Smurfit UK Limited, where he was responsible for managing their 30 operating subsidiaries throughout Great Britain.
John’s involvement with CIMA began in Ireland in 1994, becoming Divisional President of the Republic of Ireland Division in 1997. In 1998 he was co-opted to Council and served on the International and Professional Standards Committees and in 2003 became Chairman of the Marketing Committee. He has served on the Executive Committee for several years and actively served on many Working Parties. In 2004 he was elected Vice President and Deputy President in 2005.
Outside CIMA, John is a former Council member of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, serving as Chairman of the Port Committee and Chairman of the Central Corridor Joint Task Group. He was Council Member and Honorary Treasurer of both the Irish Printing Federation and the British Corrugated Association. He was a Board member of the Small Industries Board of the Irish Industrial Development Authority. He has also served as external examiner for the Bachelor of Science degree in Print Technology for the Dublin Institute of Technology.
On becoming CIMA President, John Coghlan said :
“My passion for CIMA stems from my core belief in the value of CIMA’s unique business perspective. This is pivotal to our position as a world leader in the qualification and support of professional accountants in business. Employers value our sole business focus which is the reason we have grown by nearly 25% over the last five years, remaining the fastest growing accountancy body, in membership terms, in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
He continued:
“We are forward looking business managers with firm roots in finance. Our practical, applied approach, coupled with this business focus, enables us to develop Chartered Management Accountants who have an unrivalled depth of both accounting and management skills. In turn, this ensures that CIMA members continue to remain the number one choice for employers in business, in both the private and public sectors.”
He continued:
“As a body of over 155,000 members and students in 158 countries, CIMA is the only accounting body with a sole focus on business that is truly international. Our members are driving some of the world’s most successful organisations. We have unquestioned strength in existing territories but I am particularly excited about developments we are making into new and emerging markets.“
The other Honorary Officers elected at the CIMA AGM were Scotsman Gordon Grant FCMA who was elected Deputy President. Gordon is currently Operations Director, DEM Solutions in Edinburgh. Glynn Lowth FCMA FCCA, formerly President, Nottingham, Derby & District Branch has been elected Vice President.
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