Barry Melancon,
American Institute of CPAs President & CEO
and Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
Chief Executive,
to step down after 30 years of service to the profession
NEW
YORK, May 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, announced
that he plans to retire on December 31,
2024, from his role as President and CEO of the American
Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and CEO of the Association of
International Certified Professional Accountants (the
Association). The Association is the world's largest
accounting membership body of public and management accountants.
Melancon served the profession in this role for 30 years. The
details of his successor are expected to be announced before the
end of the year and Melancon will be assisting with the transition
and handover to the new CEO.
Commenting on the announcement, Melancon said: "It has been my
greatest honor to serve this dynamic, service-driven profession. I
am proud to have transformed AICPA and CIMA into the leading
accounting association, one that recognizes and promotes the
profession as being truly global and expansive. Over the decades of
my service, I have been committed to help the profession grow,
serve the public interest, seize new opportunities, innovate, and
expand the value it offers society. Today we have a profession
evolving at speed to meet the needs of markets and fulfill the role
of trusted strategic advisor. This bodes well for the future,
placing our profession in position to address some of the biggest
challenges facing individuals, businesses, and economies".
Melancon joined as CEO of AICPA in 1995 at age 37, making him
the youngest CEO of the organization in its history, and served as
the longest serving CEO since its formation in 1887. He became CEO
of the Association in 2017, after successfully bringing together
the largest accounting bodies, AICPA and CIMA, to serve the public
and management accounting profession worldwide. His professional
career started as a practicing CPA in Louisiana, becoming a CPA firm partner at 25
years old, before leading the Society of Louisiana CPAs and being
appointed CEO of AICPA.
As CEO, Melancon's role has spanned national and global
leadership roles and interactions with government, regulators, and
business leaders from around the world. Notable achievements
include spearheading the CPA Vision Project which set the platform
for a series of cutting-edge initiatives which has fuelled the
growth of AICPA and the profession. Under his leadership the
organization launched CPA.com, the computerization of the CPA exam,
the creation of the National Commission for Diversity and
Inclusion, the Centers for Audit Quality, and the Dynamic Audit
Solution (DAS). In 2012, he led the effort to create a joint
venture with CIMA and launched the Chartered Global Management
Accountant (CGMA) designation. Building on these successes, AICPA
and CIMA membership conducted historic membership votes that
created the Association, the world's largest professional
accounting organization, and set the stage for the groundbreaking
Future of Finance initiative and CGMA Finance Leadership
Program.
Melancon's track-record of establishing trust, visionary
leadership and passion for the profession has seen him play an
instrumental role as chair of the Board of the International
Integrated Reporting Council, leading its subsequent path into the
IFRS Foundation and formation of the International Sustainability
Standards Board. He is board chairman of the Global Accounting
Alliance, chair of XBRL-US, current board member of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce's Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness,
board member of the Center for Audit Quality and member of the
delegation to the International Federation of Accountants. He is
the recipient of numerous accolades including "National Association
Executive of the Year" and independent publication Accounting Today
placing him as the "Most Influential Person in Accounting" 17 times
straight. In 2008 he received the first and only Honorary Doctorate
of Commerce from his alma mater, Nicholls
State University. He was awarded the International
Accounting Forum and Awards 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. He has
also received numerous awards from other prestigious
organizations.
Melancon added in praise of staff and committed volunteers: "We
have accomplished a lot and that is a tribute to the incredible
staff and volunteers I've worked with during the 30 years and now
exemplified with the fantastic people currently in place. Their
leadership and passion, combined with the impact of tens of
thousands of member volunteers past and present, will continue to
drive the profession and organization forward."
Okorie Ramsey, CPA, CGMA, PMP,
NACD.DC, outgoing AICPA Chair and Chair of the Association, said:
"Throughout his career, Barry has been a passionate advocate for
the profession, promoting how it serves the public interest to
policymakers and regulators; a champion for diversity, equity and
inclusion; and a believer in innovation and technology. Barry has
always understood the need for new approaches and solutions, be
that with the formation of CPA.com and launch of Dynamic
Audit Solution; enhancing business and sustainability reporting or
taking a stance for the profession to actively address its DEI
issues. We have much to appreciate Barry for and wish him well in
his upcoming retirement. On behalf of the Board, we send our
heartfelt thanks and wish him well in the next phase of his
life."
Complementing this, Sarah Ghosh,
FCMA, CGMA, CIMA President and Co-Chair of the Association, added:
"Barry has always been able to keep the profession one step ahead
in dealing with future challenges and realizing opportunities. He
has led global efforts to upskill the profession to embrace
innovation, sustainability, inclusion and instill a life-long
learning mindset. Under his leadership, we have achieved so much to
increase accessibility to the profession through different learning
pathways – the CGMA Finance Leadership Program is a prime example
of that. He has advocated on behalf of the profession with
regulators and government officials to build trust in capital
markets. And, he has realized and delivered the vision of
creating the most global influential and largest membership
accounting body in the world – the Association of International
Certified Professional Accountants. He should be very proud of his
contribution, and we are indebted to his life-long commitment and
service to the accounting profession."
The Board of the Association is working with Korn Ferry, the largest global executive search
firm, to identify his successor. The appointment is expected to be
made before the end of the year. Details of this global search and
appointment criteria can be found on the AICPA & CIMA and
Korn Ferry websites
https://www.aicpa-cima.com/resources/download/job-description-ceo.
Anoop N. Mehta CPA, CGMA, former chair of the Association and
the AICPA, who is leading the selection committee said: "Through
Barry's leadership, we have established the Association and
optimized the relationship between AICPA and CIMA to lead our
global profession into the 2020s and beyond. Barry's successor will
take forward the world's largest membership base of CPAs and CGMAs,
a global platform of advocacy, learning, tools, and technology.
Barry leaves the Association in a great position and with a strong
leadership team to accelerate and lead the profession to grasp the
opportunities which lay ahead."
About AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of
International Certified Professional Accountants
AICPA® & CIMA®, together as the Association of International
Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), advance the
global accounting and finance profession through our work on behalf
of 597,000 AICPA and CIMA members, candidates and registrants in
188 countries and territories. Together, we are the worldwide
leader on public and management accounting issues through advocacy,
support for the CPA license, the CGMA designation and specialized
credentials, professional education and thought leadership. We
build trust by empowering our members, candidates and registrants
with the knowledge and opportunities to be leaders in broadening
prosperity for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient
future.
Media contact:
Bill
Ferguson
Senior Manager – External Relations
Email: bill.ferguson@aicpa-cima.com
Tel: +1.919.402.4610
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SOURCE AICPA & CIMA