Ramosedi elected CIMA president in leadership change

Alfred Ramosedi has been elected President of CIMA and will also serve as Co-Chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

The appointment puts a South African business leader at the head of one of the world's largest professional bodies in management accounting. The Association represents 574,000 members, students and registrants across more than 150 countries and territories.

Ramosedi is the 93rd President of CIMA and the 11th Co-Chair of the Association. At the same meeting, Dr Matthew Hansard was elected CIMA Deputy President.

His presidential year will focus on trust in the profession, the use of artificial intelligence in finance and accounting, and widening access for younger entrants. He will work alongside Association Chair Jan Lewis as the bodies respond to changes affecting the profession and its role in business.

Ramosedi said the profession faced decisions that would shape its direction.

"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," said Alfred Ramosedi, CIMA President and Co-Chair of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

He also addressed the responsibilities of the office as he took up the role.

"I take on this role with humility and a strong sense of responsibility," said Ramosedi.

"I am committed to serving our members, students and the wider profession, and to working with them to create a future grounded in trust, innovation and opportunity," he said.

Career path

Ramosedi has spent more than three decades in South Africa's financial and professional services sector. He began his career at Nedbank in the mid-1990s and held a series of senior and executive roles there over 15 years.

He later served as Managing Executive of Nedbank Private Bank before moving to ABSA Bank and then African Bank. In 2017, he became Chief Executive Officer of Bayport Financial Services South Africa, part of a financial services group focused on consumer lending and financial wellness programmes in developing markets.

His history with CIMA dates to the late 1990s. He joined the CIMA Gauteng Branch as Secretary and later became President of the South Africa Area Committee.

He then helped set up the Southern Africa Regional Board and served as its inaugural Chairman for seven years. He later joined the CIMA Council and sat on the Global Markets, Marketing and Professional Standards Committees before stepping down in 2011.

In 2013, CIMA awarded him the Silver Medal in recognition of his contribution to the institute. He returned to the CIMA Council in 2023 and also joined the Board of Directors of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.

Over the past year, he served as CIMA Deputy President. He is also a member of CIMA's Appointments Committee and the CGMA Exam Board.

Wider backdrop

The leadership change comes as finance and accounting bodies grapple with how artificial intelligence, governance demands and talent shortages are reshaping the profession. Questions of trust, standards and recruitment have become central to debates over how accountants and finance leaders support organisations through economic and regulatory pressure.

Founded in 1919, CIMA is a founding body of the Association alongside the American Institute of CPAs. Its members and students work across industry, commerce, the public sector and not-for-profit organisations.

Ramosedi lives in Johannesburg with his wife and has three adult children. He enjoys reading, cycling and running.