Chartered Management Institute chief executive, Mary Chapman, has announced that she will be leaving the organisation in Spring 2008 to pursue new challenges in both a professional and voluntary capacity.

Advertising for Chapman’s successor began on Sunday 30 September, with executive search firm Odgers Ray & Berndstron also assigned to identify suitable candidates.

Chapman says: “It has been enormously absorbing and rewarding to serve at the Institute. Our efforts to raise the standards of the profession and the aspirations of managers are critical to the long-term career success of individuals, to the performance of UK organisations and to the quality of working life.”