Not all accountants confident leaders: CIMA official

Even though Sri Lanka is blessed with a large number of qualified accountants, not everyone is equipped with the communication and leadership skills required to sell an idea to their bosses and hence fail short of becoming what the corporate sector needs - competent leaders. 

According to CIMA Sri Lanka Board Chairman Vipula Gunatilleka, over the years an accountant’s role has reached beyond just a bean counter and a back bencher to a co-piloting role in an organisation assisting the board of directors from the front. The demand for accountants who possess this new skill set of effective communication and leadership has become apparent in the corporate sector.

“Sometimes we have qualified accountants with so many qualifications but they are not confident leaders and I think the communication skills have a role to play in it,” Gunatilleka said speaking at the CIMA Toastmasters Club’s 10th installation ceremony held recently. 

Sri Lanka boasts of having the second largest fraternity of CIMA accountants after the United Kingdom and it is imperative that we ensure they are competitive in the market place with these soft skills in place.  He therefore commended the role played by the CIMA Toastmasters in moulding raw accountants with effective communication and leadership skills. 

“Toastmastering enhances one’s self-confidence, which is very important when it comes to the business world,” said Gunatilleka, who is also the Managing Director responsible for the information technology, business process outsourcing, audit and risk management functions of Aitken Spence. 

CIMA Toastmasters is an elite club exclusive for CIMA members and exam completed students set up a decade ago to enhance the members’ communication, public speaking and leadership skills which are paramount in becoming effective financially qualified business leaders. 

Meanwhile, the incoming President of the club, Ravinthrakumar Suwanthini unveiled the club’s new theme for the year, ‘Sharing knowledge through knowledge moment’. 

“CIMA toastmasters are not just good speakers, they are better listeners too,” said Suwanthini, who is also the Chief Internal Auditor at Edna Group of Companies.  The club conducts meetings every second and the fourth Wednesday at the CIMA Sri Lanka division auditorium and the members have the rare privilege of being coached under the club’s Charter President, Sri Lanka’s first female distinguished toastmaster and corporate trainer, DTM Padmini Samarasinghe.