BKD chief operating officer will advance the Association’s mission to drive a dynamic accounting profession globally

LONDON and NEW YORK –  Eric Hansen, CPA, CGMA, has been named chairman of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association) – the global accounting organization formed by members of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) to advance public and management accounting worldwide.

The governing councils of the AICPA and CIMA approved the one-year appointment of Hansen, who also serves as chair of the AICPA. He will work closely with CIMA President Steven Swientozielskyj FCMA, CGMA, who will serve as Association vice chairman, to meet the needs of 667,000 members and students across 184 countries and territories.

On his appointment, Hansen said: “The competency and integrity we stand for as a profession has never been more important than it is right now as businesses and clients navigate intensifying complexity at hyperspeed. To help them keep pace, we have to push ourselves further and faster – reimagining services, seizing new technologies and developing new skills. The Association is leading the profession to meet the needs of this transformational time, and I am humbled and honored to serve in this role.”

Hansen brings significant experience to the post. He is Chief Operating Officer at BKD, a top 12 U.S. accounting firm where he oversees firm-wide operations and acts as a liaison between BKD’s national office and its four regions. He has provided audit, tax and consulting services to companies in the manufacturing, healthcare, construction, transportation and the financial services industries.

He also has a legacy of service to the profession. In addition to his tenure as chair of the AICPA, he has served as chair of the AICPA finance committee and as a member of the AICPA’s Major Firms Group, among other activities.  Hansen is also active in the Missouri Society of CPAs, serving as an ex-officio member of its board of directors.

Swientozielskyj also brings extensive experience to his role as vice chair of the Association. His career includes a number of senior finance roles across the private, public and consultancy sectors.  During his tenure at Network Rail, he led the setup of its financial shared services, which within three years was benchmarked as a world-class facility. Swientozielskyj has been a member of CIMA since 1980 and has held numerous volunteer leadership positions.

The Association brings together the expertise and reach of two of the world’s leading accountancy organizations to drive a dynamic accounting profession globally.  It works to develop the tools, resources and insights its members need to help clients and businesses stay ahead in a volatile and rapidly changing business environment.