Eric Hansen, chairman of the American Institute of CPAs, was named Friday as chairman of the AICPA’s global association, the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, which the institute runs with the U.K.-based Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Hansen is also chief operating officer of BKD CPAs Advisors. He was elected chairman of the AICPA last October for a term beginning Feb. 1, 2018 and ending May 20, 2019 (see AICPA elects BKD COO Eric Hansen as next chairman). The governing councils of the AICPA and CIMA approved a one-year appointment of Hansen to chair the association. He will be working closely with CIMA president Steven Swientozielskyj, who will serve as vice chairman of the association, to meet the needs of 667,000 members and students in 184 countries and territories.
AICPA building in Durham, N.C.
Photo: AICPA
BKD COO and AICPA chairman Eric Hansen
Courtesy of BKD
Hansen will be chairing the association at a time of transition for the group. The AICPA and CIMA approved its formation in 2016, as an extension of their joint venture in creating a Chartered Global Management Accountant designation in 2012 and extending their footprint worldwide. They created new branding for the association last year (see AICPA to roll out new branding).
As COO at BKD, a Top 100 Firm, Hansen oversees firm-wide operations and acts as a liaison between BKD’s national office and its four regions. He was previously managing partner of BKD’s offices in Oklahoma. He has also been active as a member of the Missouri Society of CPAs and on its board.
“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,” Hansen said in a statement. “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.”
Swientozielskyj, the new vice chair of the association, has extensive experience with senior finance roles in various organizations in the public and private sectors. While at Network Rail, he spearheaded the establishment of financial shared services. He has been a member of CIMA since 1980 and held volunteer leadership positions at the organization.
