Barry C. Melancon is the CEO of the International Certified Professional Accountants Association , the world’s most influential professional accounting organization with 650,000 members and students. Formed in 2017, it combines the strengths of the Certified Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the Institute of American Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA), which Melancon also leads as president and CEO. Melancon joined the AICPA in 1995 at the age of 37 and is now the longest-serving CEO in the organization’s 129-year history. Under his tenure, the AICPA has become the largest CPA membership group in the world and has launched a number of initiatives to benefit not only the profession, but also investors, business owners, lenders and the general public. These include the Audit Quality Centers; Private Company Reporting Standards; Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL); the computerized CPA exam; and two consumer financial education programs. Under Melancon’s leadership in 2011, the AICPA formed a joint venture with CIMA to elevate management accounting globally. They created the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation for professionals who meet the highest standards of rigor and quality. Today, approximately 150,000 professionals worldwide hold the CGMA designation. Building on this success, AICPA and CIMA members voted in June 2016 to evolve the joint venture into the Association. Its mission is to promote a vibrant accounting profession around the world that creates confidence, opportunity and prosperity. Melancon has been named the Association’s first CEO.