The Investment Management Consultants Association has bestowed Professor Ron Bird with a life membership to honour his contribution as a founding member of the Australian chapter.

Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) is an international professional association, and credentialing organisation,  with more than 10,500 members and certificate holders in 32 countries.

Bird founded the Australian chapter in 2000 after seeing a need for short course for new young appointments to the asset consulting industry.

“It was Ron who identified the need for specialist investment advice education and approached IMCA in Denver Colorado with the proposal that an affiliate association be established in Australia,” IMCA Australia chair Brett Elvish said.

“Bestowing Life Membership on Ron is our way of publicly acknowledging his support.”

Although Bird was a founding member and board director for IMCA Australia, his main focus over the last 16 years has been directing the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) program.

“I am delighted to be recognised, although that is not why we did what we did”, Bird said.

“The important thing is that we are lifting standards in the industry and by doing so everybody benefits”.

Bird’s life membership was announced at the IMCA Australia annual conference in Sydney on Monday.

Yvonne Gray, who managed the IMCA Australia secretariat for many of the associations early years, was also recognised for her contribution.

During IMCA’s early years in Australia it was Gray who established the structure for the CIMA course, putting the legal agreements in place, and organised the membership.

“While Ron was the visionary, it was Yvonne who made it happen,” IMCA Australi deputy chair Kylie Willment said.

“It was Yvonne’s work that put IMCA Australia in a sound financial position.”