From gathering information to providing insight and direction

Alfred Ramosedi has been elected as 93rd president of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). He will also serve as the 11th co-chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. Joe Pickard finds out more about his views on the state of the profession and what he hopes to achieve as CIMA president

The Accountant: What are you hoping to achieve as president of CIMA?

Alfred Ramosedi: My focus as president is on turning uncertainty into opportunity and ensuring the human is in the lead. Over the coming year, I want to help shape the profession by focusing on with what I call the three Ts: trust, technology and talent.

Trust is our most valuable currency. In a world where trust is fast being eroded, we must stay anchored in our values, uphold ethical standards and maintain our role as guardians of integrity.

Technology, particularly AI, is a catalyst for growth. It gives us the opportunity to strengthen our role as trusted advisers who create and deliver value. However, it will also require us to evolve, stepping up to anticipate, guide and lead while maintaining human accountability, judgement and critical thinking.

And finally, we must invest in the next generation of professionals by providing opportunities, challenging outdated perceptions, and showcasing the important role we play in solving some of the world’s biggest challenges. Ultimately, by helping the profession navigate this period of significant change, we can set a clear course for its future.

TA: On taking on your role, you said: “The choices we make today – how we earn trust, embrace technology, lead through uncertainty and complexity, and invest in the next generation – will shape the future of finance and accounting. If we get those choices right, we will not simply keep pace with change; we will define it.” What is the right approach in terms of embracing technology and investing in the next generation of accountants?

AR: We cannot ignore the impact that technology, AI in particular, has on our profession. I also believe that technology does not change the value of human contribution; it changes where it is applied.

It is up to us to build not only the technical skills to use technology effectively, but also the capabilities that sit alongside it – sound judgement, accountability and trustworthy decision making. Technology should elevate people and opportunities, not eliminate them.

And that has direct implications for the next generation. If we approach technology as a way to reduce costs, we risk reducing entry-level opportunities and weakening the talent pipeline for the future. As a profession, we have a responsibility to help build the runway that allows new young talent to take off and reach their full potential.

It is also why organisations like CIMA matter. Through our CGMA professional qualification, thought leadership, and global CGMA community, we have always taken a long-term view of the profession – focused not just on reacting to change, but leading it.

A good example of this is our Rise2040 initiative, a profession-wide effort to understand how the profession is evolving and help shape its future. We recently released our first report alongside the Rise Navigator, a GenAI tool designed to make its insights more accessible. This work will continue to evolve, with new insights added over time.

TA: What are the biggest challenges facing the accountancy profession currently and how do you think the profession needs to overcome them?

AR: As mentioned earlier, addressing the three Ts – trust, technology, and talent – remains critical for the profession. However, there is also a fourth challenge: our image. Too few people today fully understand what we do, the breadth of disciplines within the profession, our relevance and the role we play as value creators and problem solvers.

There is still a view that accounting and finance professionals are primarily focused on producing numbers. In reality, our role is not just to explain what has already happened, but to help organisations understand what could happen next and what to do about it. That is where we add real value.

To do that, we need to speak the language of business, not just the language of the profession. It is not enough to analyse information – we need to interpret it, communicate it clearly and make it relevant to decision-makers.

We need to tell the story behind the numbers in a way that drives better decisions. That is what being a trusted adviser really means: combining technical expertise with the ability to explain, influence and guide.

TA: You have been involved with CIMA for nearly 30 years. What have been the most important lessons you have learned in that time?

AR: One of the most important lessons I have learned is that uncertainty is not something to eliminate; it is something to accept as both inevitable and necessary. It is what drives change, innovation, and progress.

Today, we are operating in an environment where uncertainty is no longer a periodic headwind, but a defining feature of the business landscape – driven by geopolitical tensions, cyberthreats, shifting capital markets, and the rapid emergence of generative AI. In this context, the profession can no longer approach reinvention as something we do periodically. We must be active value creators, shifting from gathering information to providing insight, guidance and direction that help organisations overcome challenges, enhance performance and realise potential.

To do that, we have to continually learn, adapt, and reinvent ourselves in real time, because relevance is not something we achieve once – it is something we have to earn again and again.