CIMA elects John Graham as 92nd president

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has elected John Graham as its new president, making him the institute’s 92nd leader. 

Graham will also serve as the 10th co-chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA), the global alliance between CIMA and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

He is the first sitting CIMA president to concurrently hold a full-time executive role within the National Health Service (NHS). Graham is currently chief finance officer at both Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, where he also serves as deputy chief executive.

Graham became an associate chartered management accountant in 1999 and a fellow in 2011. He has held a range of leadership roles within CIMA and the association, including chairing the lifelong learning and professional standards committees. He currently sits on the membership committee, exam board, and appointments committee, and continues to serve on the CIMA Northwest England and North Wales area board.

According to the newly-appointed president, the profession is facing a more unpredictable and challenging world but remains resilient thanks to the opportunities arising from digital transformation. 

His term will focus on the association’s Finance and Accounting 2040: Rise to the Future Together project, which aims to shape the profession’s long-term development. 

Over the next year, Graham will engage with members across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America to promote career opportunities in areas such as artificial intelligence and business sustainability.

Graham said: “It is an honour to serve as 92nd president of CIMA and 10th co-chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, leading a global organisation that fosters trust, enables opportunity, and advances prosperity for people, businesses, communities, and economies worldwide.”