Three hundred and fifty five exam completed students, one hundred and twenty three newly elected Associate and Fellow members, and seventeen Sri Lankan prize winners received their certificates and gold medals at the biannual convocation of the CIMA, Sri Lanka division for 2010 held recently at the Cinnamon Grand.

Chief Guest, Ms. Cheryl Badhams, Director of International Office, Birmingham City University congratulated the winners on their accomplishment and said 'The business world of today is faced with one of the most challenging environments ever encountered. Not only do some of the major economies have record levels of debt, but the dynamics of global business are changing in a series of fundamental ways.

Innovation in the world economy will depend on meeting the needs of Asia, Latin America & Africa rather than the consumer needs of Britain, Europe or the US. For many organisations in the past, developing economies have been an afterthought. Thinking in the future will have to reverse this as the world economy driven by the needs of the developing countries and nations who prosper will be those that invest in research & higher education.

Changing consumer expectations and rising expectations for corporate responsibility create an age of Accountability and an Age of Consequences in which we must face up to the legacies of the past including pollution, climate change and economic volatility. Most importantly countries must equip their brightest prospects for Big Thinking: the skills, knowledge, attitudes and agility necessary to ensure they - and their country- prosper!'

Sutheash Balasubramaniam Chairman, CIMA Sri Lanka Board congratulated the exam completed students, members and prize winners on their significant achievements on behalf of the CIMA fraternity. Special mention was made on the prize winners.

Speaking on he said "We are celebrating a significant achievement in your professional life. The way I see it - a professional qualification - the completion of professional exams is not the end but the beginning. You are now in a get set position on a track if qualified to run a race and the race in the corporate life is not a 100 metre dash, but more a decathlon.

Decathlon is an athletic event combining 10 track and field events contested by the male athletes in two consecutive days. The winner of the decathlon is titled the world's greatest athlete for the year. Decathlon attained Olympic status in 1912. Jim Thrope won the first decathlon Olympics title. The current holder of the title is American Bryan Clay, the gold medal winner of the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Those who are familiar with this event in the Olympics will know this is a sort of an obstacle race of a longer duration and the obstacles vary from hurdling to jumping to creeping and sometimes even crawling. The relevance I wish to draw is that you need to be mentally prepared not for a set challenge but a variety of them which calls naturally not for a set skill but a variety of skills. Since it is a longer race every time you cross an obstacle or an event momentarily you may feel good about yourself but the next moment you are up against a completely different obstacle which requires a totally different skills set. So in your mind the sense of accomplishment becomes a thing of the past and the anxiety of what you are up against next makes you prepare yourself to cross and you will know that the space of time you have to prepare for the next obstacle is limited and you will know that you are not the only one who is running this race".

He concluded by saying "Life is an exceptional opportunity given to each one of us and it's not about the moments of taking breath, it's about how many breath taking moments we create. It's about leaving a legacy, and that's the least".

The Convocation, which is not only a celebration of the achievements of the exam completed students, members and prize winners but also recognition of the tremendous support provided by parents, employers and tuition providers, was attended by more than 1,000 people.