The key to success lies in having a passion and commitment in ones chosen field according to 20-year-old Dilshani Gunawardena - the latest CIMA World Prize Winner - and she would know. After winning the World Prize for Finance Accounting and Tax Principals last November, this seemingly timid and soft-spoken CIMA student is full of ambition to take on today's corporate world.

Dilshani is one of the many world prize winners to emerge from Sri Lanka in the past year and has brought her country pride while reinforcing the importance of the CIMA qualification among those looking to reach new heights in their future careers. CIMA has over the years, enabled many students in Sri Lanka to reach dizzying academic and career heights. However, she says she was surprised to find out she got 96 marks and it came as an even bigger shock that she won the award, it was a tough exam but in the end, perseverance paid off.

Dilshani who's a first year student at University of Colombo and a Musaeus College student has a lot on her plate but says time management and a strict schedule has allowed her to balance university and CIMA and keep her marks good. She's got about a year more to go before completing CIMA, and armed with this globally renowned qualification and a university degree, she hopes to get involved in the stock market.

About the journey thus far, Dilshani says, "It's tough going, especially students who have to balance jobs because CIMA is pretty serious and you need to dedicate some serious time into it. I think what helped me, and what will help many other students is putting away that time to study. I also think it's important that students really think about what they want. When you love what you do, there are no limits to what you can achieve"!

On why she chose CIMA, Dilshani says, "CIMA offers an internationally recognized professional qualification in management accountancy, which focuses on accounting for business and places much emphasis on management and that's pretty important for anyone who wants to make it big."

She is also a firm believer that CIMA opens up career opportunities to students like no other qualification in the same field can. And she's right. With most of the world's top corporate giants preferring CIMA qualified students, including companies like Aviva, local blue chip companies too now have a great demand for CIMA qualified students. She says, "It's more than just about accounting, the business management skills that CIMA students possess are priceless and that's why I chose CIMA. I think anyone with the right education and commitment can excel in CIMA, they just have to put their heart into it."

Dilshani and many other Sri Lankan youngsters are just a drop in the ocean of the 171,000 students and members in 165 countries. CIMA Sri Lanka Division was awarded the prestigious Superbrands status last year for its commitment towards excelling in the promotion and delivery of professional studies.

CIMA prides itself on the commercial relevance of its syllabus, which is in tune with the activities of high performance organizations, and evolves continually to reflect the latest developments in global business. According to independent research conducted by the University of Bath School of Management, CIMA's syllabus and examination structure are the most relevant to the needs of business of all the accountancy bodies assessed.