The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) today launched the Middle East application process for its annual Student Leadership Conference (SLC) event.

First and second-year students majoring in commerce, accountancy, finance or business administration in Middle East universities are invited to apply for a unique learning experience abroad. Six successful students from the Middle East region will be selected by IMA to go on an all-expense-paid trip to the elite annual Student Leadership Conference "Gateway to Success" in St. Louis, Missouri, US from November 1-3.

"IMA's Student Leadership Conference brings students from across the globe to discover their career opportunities in management accounting. They will also have the opportunity to upgrade their skill-set in line with current industry trends and job market requirements," said Hanadi Khalife, director of MEA and India operations at IMA.

Interested applicants are invited to submit a two-minute video highlighting the reasons why they would like to attend the SLC, focusing on their interests and the positive impact on their future career.

In addition, candidates need to demonstrate how they plan to share the information and the insights from the conference with their fellow students. This is part of IMA's vision to create a management accounting community within the region's universities. Full application details can be found on the IMA Middle East website.

The entries will be judged by IMA's panel of independent judges who will shortlist up to ten finalists according to the criteria specified in the terms and conditions. Finalists 'videos will also be promoted via IMA's social media channels.

Last year, IMA sent five students from Egypt, UAE, Qatar and India to the conference in Houston, Texas.  At the conference, students had the opportunity to meet global finance leaders and attend transformative sessions such as the presentation by former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow.

"The Enron case study was discussed in my management class back at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), and we've had a lot of debates and discussions about it. Fastow's talk gave me a different perspective. I learned that there could be rules we might think are right to follow but are not always ethical," said Ola Shalab, who attended last year's conference and is now a young accounting professional.

"The Student Leadership Conference is such a unique learning, professional development and networking opportunity for those looking to develop successful, long-term careers as accounting and finance leaders in business. We are inviting every qualified student to send their video applications," said Rishi Malhotra, Academic and Community Relations manager at IMA Middle East.

Video applications will be accepted until July 25. - TradeArabia News Service