Ian MacDonald founded our company in 1983. At that time it was called Ian MacDonald and Associates.

Ian was a rural development and natural resources consultant. He had worked in Gambia, Kenya and Thailand.

Offering training and consultancy services for the development community, in the early days we worked in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sudan and the Middle East. Typical projects included:

• Rural development management
• Community development
• Radio communication

We were among the first to recognise the importance of gender in development. In 1987 we ran a pioneering women in development course.

Ian retired in 1989 but remained a much valued supporter of the business until his death in September 2006.

In 1989, David Hearle took over as Managing Director and our operations expanded into Malawi and Indonesia, whilst continuing to support the Agriculture and Fisheries sector in Bangladesh.

From the early nineties, our courses included managing projects and programmes and we began to offer scheduled courses in Thailand. We also offered technical training in agriculture, aquaculture and seed technology.

In 1995 Ian MacDonald Associates became IMA International, and over the next two years, we were accredited by the International Standards Organisation and Investors in People.

David Hearle moved to Australia in 2001, handing over to Chris Grose, our current managing director. David is still a regular trainer on our scheduled and tailor-made courses.

Building on our success in Thailand, we added regular training venues in South Africa and Australia, where we offered mostly 2-week courses in Project Management and Monitoring & Evaluation.

Ian MacDonald had stayed in touch with us through the years, often joining the groups on social events. He was delighted that his organisation had developed into a leading training and consultancy provider in the development world. In September 2006, Ian passed away and many of our alumni wrote in to offer their condolences to his family.

As part of our commitment to the development community, in 2009 IMA rebranded with a formal acknowledgement of our unique values. As with many of our clients, we believe in diversity, sharing, friendliness, professionalism and optimism for the future. The rebrand resulted in a new logo which embodies these values, and in a relaunch of our website to help visitors quickly find what's important to them.

So whilst we're very definitely moving forwards, we continue to be firmly committed to the same principles upon which Ian MacDonald founded our organisation, and we have a keen eye on helping development organisations reach their long-term goals.