The Investment Management Consultants Association rebrands
The Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA), a body for investment and wealth management professionals, has been rebranded as The Investments & Wealth Institute.
Established in 1985, The Investments & Wealth Institute is a professional association for financial advisors, investment consultants, and wealth managers. The institute has members in over 35 countries around the world, collectively providing investment consulting and wealth management services to individual and institutional clients. The Investments & Wealth Institute provides the industry with professional standards, education, and offers a number of professional certifications, including the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA®) and Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®) certifications. According to the institute’s website, its certification programme hosted more than 6,000 professionals last year.
As part of a strategic plan focused on improving the organisation’s positioning and relevance, US-based IMCA has changed its name to the Investments & Wealth Institute. “For over three decades, our organisation has been at the forefront of investment and wealth management education, and the expectation for advanced knowledge and professionalism in the industry is rising,” said Scott Thayer, chairman of the board. “We’re here to meet that growing need. Our new name – the Investments & Wealth Institute – more accurately reflects who we are and what we do, as well as elevates the institute’s mission by recognising the contributions we’ve made to the profession’s body of knowledge and our commitment to increase public trust and improve outcomes for investors.”
Parallel to the rebranding, The Investments & Wealth Institute has unveiled a number of initiatives that are aimed at enhancing its offerings to its community. The launch of a new Online Learning Center is one, aimed at boosting members’ learning experience and help participants move more efficiently and effectively through their course work. “As we continued to expand our online learning programmes, we needed a more robust platform that could accommodate a greater depth of content and create a more meaningful learning experience,” said Devin Ekberg, managing director of education at the body. “This investment in our technology infrastructure is all about improving the experience for the end-users: our members.”
Other improvements that the institute is working on include the launch of a new website, investments in technology and the acquisition of the Retirement Management Advisors (RMA) designation to enhance its education offerings and add curriculum for retirement income planning and retirement management.
Last month, in a joint bid to raise the professional standards in UK’s £9 billion consulting industry, the Management Consultancies Association (MCA) and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) teamed up to launch a new professional accreditation for management consultants: the Chartered Management Consultant award.
