summer 2013
Transcription
summer 2013
PM 40065475 SUMMER 2013 IN THIS ISSUE 22 12 Y Departments 4 Letter from the Editor 5 Message from your President & Chair 6 News and notes The latest CMA events, plus an update on the merger 26 CMA spotlight 28 Scholarships and donations 30 Member update Roger Gil, CMA Members on the move, new faces and members in memoriam 32 Program updates Understanding the new CPA program By Bob Gautama, CMA 26 17 Y Features 11 In with the new 12 15 2013 CMA BC Leadership Conference 17 20 2013 Executive Tour 21 The HR cycle: Orientation 22 Creating new leaders 24 Putting your numbers into words 34 Passing the torch 35 A look back at CMA history Your 2013-2014 CMA British Columbia Board of Directors Keys to effective communication By Michael Morrison, CMA The science of team building Four lessons managers can learn from the scientific community By Margaret Heffernan Investing the time to properly assimilate new staff will pay dividends in the long run By Doug Alley, CMA (Hon.) Three fresh tactics for turning high-potential employees into capable executives By Natalie Michael, MA, Certified Coach Your accounting may be solid, but are your financial documents being undermined by sloppy writing? By Sam Corea Update catches up with your Chairs, past and present ACCOUNTING CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA MANAGEMENT STRATEGY SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 3 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR SUMMER 2013 A fter eight years and more than 30 issues, we bid adieu to CMA BC Update. But worry not, because there are new and exciting things to come. Stay tuned and check your mailboxes in September for several new joint publications from CMA BC, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC and the Certified General Accountants of BC. Unfortunately, this will also be my last “Letter from the Editor.” While I’m not sure how many of you will miss this column – or my smiling face at the front of every issue – it has been a pleasure for me to discuss the subjects that matter to the membership. Though I won’t be writing about these topics anymore, I am a part of the editorial committee working on our new joint publications and shall remain active in determining the content of the magazines. On that front, I want to assure you that the CMA voice will not be lost, and our in-depth coverage of strategy and management topics will continue. Several members from the editorial task force of Update will be asked to continue to help produce content and provide editorial guidance for our joint publications, so CMA BC is well represented. Knowing that this is the last issue of Update, we have decided to focus on one of the key pillars of the CMA competency – leadership. Michael Morrison, CMA, explores the fundamentals of effective communication between leaders and their employees, while Executive Coach Natalie Michaels offers some creative tactics for developing successors. One CMA who exemplifies strong leadership and innovation is Roger Gil, VP of Finance of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) and the subject of our final CMA Spotlight feature. In addition to giving us the lowdown on his favourite fairground treats (mini-donuts and SuperDogs!), Roger discusses how he finds creative ways to generate revenue and increase value for customers. I hope you enjoy this last issue of CMA BC Update. On behalf of the entire editorial task force, thank you for your support over the years. Diane Chung, CMA Vice President, Marketing and new Business development diane@cmabc.com EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICE Suite 1000, 900 West hastings St., Vancouver, BC, V6C 0C4 Phone: 604-687-5891 | toll-free: 1-800-663-9646 fax: 604-687-6688 Email: cmabc@cmabc.com | Website: www.cmabc.com We welcome your feedback. Copyright CMa British Columbia 2013. Publications Mail agreement no: 40065475. Please return undeliverable copies to address above. ● ● ● EXECUTIVE BOARD CHAIR tammy towill, CMa, fCMa PAST CHAIR Pat Kennedy, CMa, fCMa FIRST VICE CHAIR Simon Philp, CMa, fCMa SECOND VICE CHAIR dave hallinan, CMa TREASURER Mark Kennedy, CMa, fCMa SECRETARY Vinetta Peek, CMa (hon.), CMa DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE lynn Casey, CMa, gerald dragomir, CMa, fCMa, Elaine Eccleston, CMa, fCMa, timothy Edwards, CMa, fCMa, doris good, CMa, diane Kerley, CMa, Bernard Magnan, CMa, fCMa, Bruce Mclennan, CMa, fCMa, lyndon Peterson, CMa LAY REPRESENTATIVES Chamkaur Cheema, Maxine dehart, John hunter, Stephen Quinn EXECUTIVE STAFF Vinetta Peek, CMa (hon.), CMa VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS Bob gautama, CMa VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT diane Chung, CMa VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS Rick lightheart, CMa, fCMa PRESIDENT AND CEO UPDATE STAFF EDITOR – VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING AND NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT diane Chung, CMa tiana Mah david andru, CMa, Karen Chan, CMa CandidatE, don Mclellan, CMa, don nilson, CMa, fCMa, Jeffrey Sparling, CMa, ann Wicks, CMa CandidatE ASSOCIATE EDITOR – COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST UPDATE EDITORIAL TASK FORCE: Canada Wide Media, 4th floor, 4180 lougheed highway, Burnaby, B.C. V5C 6a7 Phone: 604-299-7311 | fax: 604-299-9188 ● ● ● Matt Currie Edwin Pabellon ADVERTISING SALES Michael Rochfort PRODUCTION MANAGER/PRINT Kirsty Senior PRODUCTION MANAGER/STUDIO Kristina Borys PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Kathleen almeida DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Kim Mclane ADVERTISING PRODUCTION allison griffioen, Chris Sherwood SENIOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN debbie lynn Craig ELECTRONIC IMAGING Mandy lau, laura Michaels ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION ina Bowerbank EDITORIAL COORDINATOR ART DIRECTOR Upcoming Changes to Member Communications In the coming months, BC CMAs, CAs and CGAs can expect to see the following joint member communications: • CPABC In Focus — a new print and online member magazine launching early September. In Focus is replacing CMa BC’s Update, iCaBC’s Beyond Numbers and Cga-BC’s Outlook magazines. In Focus will be published six times a year. • CPABC Industry Update — a new online magazine focused on topics of interest for industry members; this online-only magazine will be launched in october 2013 and will be published four times a year. • CPABC e-newsletter — a new monthly e-newsletter with events, professional development opportunities, industry/professional updates and CPa news. • CPABC social media groups on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, as well as a new website — look for them end of august/early September! 4 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 ● ● ● Peter legge, o.B.C., lld (hon.) PRESIDENT gary davies VICE PRESIDENT SPECIALTY SALES Rebecca legge MANAGING DIRECTOR, CUSTOM PUBLISHING Mike Roberts SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT EDITORIAL AND CUSTOM PUBLISHING Kathleen freimond VICE PRESIDENT EDITORIAL tom gierasimczuk VICE PRESIDENT FINANCE farnaz Riahi, Ca CHAIRMAN & CEO A NOTE TO READERS Update is published four times a year by the Certified Management accountants Society of British Columbia and is mailed to 5,000 CMas, 1,000 CMa students and industry partners throughout the province. opinions expressed are not necessarily endorsed by CMa British Columbia. ®/™ Registered trademarks/trademarks are owned by the Society of Management accountants of Canada. Used under license. MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT & CHAIR S ummer is often the time to slow down, recharge and plan for the coming year – but Society staff, as well as your board of directors, aren’t slowing down this summer. Everyone is busy working on merger integrations and launching the new CPA Program, while continuing to run existing member services and Society operations. Significant progress has been made with the unification of the accounting profession in B.C. this year. You’ll find a merger update in the “News and Notes” section of this issue; however, we’d like to mention a couple of key milestones, including the agreement all three accounting bodies – CMA BC, ICABC and CGA-BC – signed on May 8, 2013, to pursue a merger. We are now working to unite under the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. To establish CPA in B.C., we are working with the provincial government to enact CPA legislation, and legally merge. We hope to be on the government’s upcoming legislative agenda, enabling us to form CPABC in 2014. Last month, CMA Society executives and the board of directors met in Kelowna for our first joint board meeting with the ICABC and CGA-BC executives, ICABC council, and CGA-BC board of directors. For more merger updates, visit cpacanada.com. With many changes forthcoming due to the merger, we would like to take this opportunity to update members, CMA candidates and students on exactly what changes they can expect to see with member services, professional development and member communications. Increased access to professional development programming – All members have been receiving the CA professional development catalogs throughout the year. Starting this fall, all Society professional development seminars and programs will be integrated with ICABC and can be accessed by members through ICABC’s PD website, icabc-pd.com. CGA-BC’s professional development programs will be cross-promoted and also accessible to members. ■ Educational program changes – The CMA Program is running out in B.C., with the final two intakes of the CMA Strategic Leadership Program in September 2013 and January 2014, and the final intake of the CMA Executive Program in September 2013. The new CPA Program was launched last month for the pre-professional CPA Prerequisite Education Program, known as CPA PREP, which is similar to our CMA Accelerated Program. The two-year CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) incorporates technical topics with a capstone integrative module, much like our CMA Strategic Leadership Program. Members can learn more about the CPA Program on page 32. On a final note, we’d like to say goodbye to Update magazine. We look forward to reading the new joint member magazine, CPABC In Focus, this fall – expect the inaugural issue at the beginning of September. CPA Canada. In B.C., members, candidates and students now have access to the employee and family wellness services offered by PPC Canada. Members are also invited to join a number of industry and technical forums with their CA counterparts; registration for these forums can be found in the members-only section of cmabc.com under “Member Services” in “Volunteer Opportunities.” Integrated member communications – Starting this fall, selected member communications will be integrated with ICABC and CGA-BC member communications. The Society’s monthly e-newsletter, CMA e-news, and our quarterly member magazine, Update, will be merged into new joint member publications. ■ On a final note, we’d like to say goodbye to Update magazine. Update has been B.C. members’ go-to resource for Society and industry news, in-depth articles on strategy, management and accounting, as well as member profiles and news. We know you will enjoy reading the inaugural issue of our joint member magazine, CPABC In Focus, in early September. We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and look forward to seeing many of you at upcoming Society or CMA Chapter events this fall. Best regards, ■ Increased member benefits – Certified members (CMAs) now have access to CICA resources, such as the CICA Handbook and CICA member savings program, through ■ Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia Tammy Towill CMA, FCMA Chair, CMA British Columbia Board of Directors chair@cmabc.com Vinetta Peek CMA (Hon.), CMA President and CEO, CMA British Columbia vinetta@cmabc.com SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 5 NEWS & NOTES Cma sponsorships and events t Jennifer De vall, Cma and sFu student rosanna yusuf, Cma mentor and mentee of the year awardees. hroughout the spring and summer, the Society has sponsored or attended a number of industry conferences and events, including the Human Resource Management Association’s annual conference and tradeshow (May 1-2), BC Chamber of Commerce Tradeshow in Nanaimo (May 23-24), Government Finance Officers Association of British Columbia (GFOA) conference (May 29-31), and the BCBusiness Top 100 luncheon and gala (June 26), which recognizes the province’s top-performing private and public companies. Promoting the new CPA program with employers, the Society held a Lunch-and-Learn session with the City of Kelowna on July 9. Cma bC’s mentor program the annual Mentor Mixer for the CMa BC Mentor Program was held July 11 in the o lounge at Coast restaurant. Congratulations to mentor of the year – Jennifer de Vall, CMa, Budget analyst at Vancouver school Board, and to the mentee of the year – rosanna Yusuf, a uBC diploma in accounting student. CMa BC’s mentor program pairs future CMa students with members and CMa candidates for one year of coaching and networking. vancouver board of trade’s Company of young professionals. vancouver board of trade Jacob thekkakara, Candidate in the Cma program, with ubC student yimin guo. On April 23, CMA partnered with the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Company of Young Professionals Program for a joint professional development and networking event focusing on risk management. Anthony Okuchi, CMA, Manager of Commercial Operations with Vancity, presented on Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and Assessments. Harold burgess, Cma and nicole Wears, business Development officer, at the vancouver board of trade Company of young professionals event. shannon thompson, senior manager, marketing, Cma bC, with rolando Cardeno, Cma and earl reyes, Cma at the mentor mixer event. 6 CMA UPDATE suMMer 2013 Keynote speaker anthony okuchi, Cma at the april 23 bot event. Certified ManageMent aCCountants | British ColuMBia executive tour each year, society executives and members of the executive Committee of the CMa BC Board of directors travel throughout B.C. for the society’s annual executive tour. the tour recognizes members who have held their CMa designation for 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 or 60 years. Most of this year’s events were held in partnership with the chapters’ annual general meeting; and in addition to the chapter agM and executive tour, society executive and board members gave updates on the merger discussions in B.C. and across Canada. Photos from the events and a list of this year’s recipients can be found on page 17. right: 7th annual Cma bC leadership Conference. bottom: may 31 breakfast panel with Ceos: Cybele negris, nolan Watson, Davis yung, and alexander Fernandes. leadership Conference Kelvin stretch, Cma, FCma, Debbie stewart, and luc peiterin, Cma at the networking reception of the Cma bC leadership Conference. The seventh annual CMA BC Leadership Conference (May 30-31) was sold out once again, with nearly 450 CMAs, CAs and CGAs, CMA students and other business professionals coming together for two days of professional development and networking. See pages 12-14 for more from the Conference. Cma Centre for innovation on June 13, 2013, the CMa Centre for innovation hosted a research presentation by alan Meyer, a visiting scholar from the lundquist College of Business, university of oregon. using organizational theory and sociology as theoretical frames, he studies industry emergence, corporate venturing and technology entrepreneurship. a copy of his presentation can be viewed online at youtube.com/user/CMAInnovationCentre. BRIDGING THE GAP Career Fairs and Campus events raising awareness for the new CPa Program and the last intakes of the CMa Program on campus, the society attended or sponsored the following career fairs and campus events: the Vancouver island university career fair (april 4), royal roads university career fair (april 10), the uBC diploma in accounting Program (daP) wine and cheese networking event (June 19), the sfu accounting student association Banquet (July 25), and the uBC accounting Club and uBC daP barbecue (July 22). Do you have photos from a recent Cma event? Have a university degree but lack the prerequisites to enter a professional accounting program? Find out how UBC DAP can help you put your career aspirations into action. www.sauder.ubc.ca/dap share them today! Photos can be emailed to tiana@cmabc.com. Certified ManageMent aCCountants | British ColuMBia suMMer 2013 CMA UPDATE 7 NEWS & NOTES b.C. merger update C MA British Columbia continues to be an active participant in the discussions surrounding the unification of the accounting profession at both the provincial and national levels. On February 14, 2013, a Special General Meeting was held where a bylaw amendment was passed allowing the Society to enter into an unincorporated joint venture with ICABC. The joint venture allows the Society and ICABC to offer the CPA Program in B.C. and start integrating member benefits, services and operations. A major milestone for the unification of the accounting profession in B.C. was the return of the Certified General Accountants of BC (CGA-BC) to merger discussions on February 26, 2013, with all three of the province’s accounting bodies announcing that an agreement to pursue a merger had been signed by each body’s respective Chairs and Presidents on May 9, 2013. Last month, the boards, councils and executives of CMA BC, ICABC and CGA-BC held their first joint board meetings. All three bodies are now working to unite under the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. A transitional steering committee has been formed with board representatives from all three organiztions to work on an integration plan for uniting the accounting profession in B.C. the leadership team of Cma bC, iCabC and Cga-bC signed the merger proposal on may 8, 2013. First row from left to right: pat Kennedy, FCma, Chair of Cma bC board; gordon Holloway, FCa, president of iCabC Council; and Candace nancke, FCga, Chair of Cga-bC board. second row from left to right: vinetta peek, Cma (Hon.), Cma, president & Ceo of Cma bC; richard rees, FCa, Ceo of iCabC; and, gordon ruth, FCga, Ceo of Cga-bC. To establish CPA in B.C., CMA BC – with ICABC and CGA-BC – are working with the provincial government to enact CPA legislation, and legally merge. We hope to be on the government’s upcoming legislative agenda, enabling us to form CPABC by spring 2014. Until CPABC is established all members will continue to use their legacy designation (CMA, CA or CGA) and refer to their legacy professional body for regulatory matters and member services. A united accounting profession in B.C. will see more than 34,000 members and students under CPABC, making it one of the largest professional organizations in the province. Nationally, on April 1, 2013, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) officially became operational. CPA Canada had been established on January 4, 2013, with the unification of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and The Society of Management Accountants of Canada (CMA Canada). In other provinces, CPA Quebec celebrated its first year as a merged organization in May 2013. In Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador all four accounting bodies have signed agreements to merge. Currently, almost 90 per cent of Canada’s professional accountants’ provincial bodies are involved in unification discussions – if unification is achieved with all of the participating bodies, the Canadian CPA profession will be more than 150,000 members strong, making CPA Canada one of the largest accounting bodies in the world. Visit cpacanada.ca for the most recent developments on merger discussions across the country. 2012-2013 Cma bC annual report and new board of Directors Cma bC’s annual general meeting at the terminal City Club 8 CMA UPDATE suMMer 2013 This year’s annual general meeting was held on June 26, 2013, at the Terminal City Club in downtown Vancouver. The 2013-2014 Board of Directors can be found on page 11. Copies of this year’s annual report can be downloaded at cmabc.com via the “I am a CMA” link, in the “Membership Services” section. Certified ManageMent aCCountants | British ColuMBia Cpa brand ambassador program the Chartered Professional accountant (CPa) designation is coming to B.C. and we need your help! for the past 60 years, you’ve been great ambassadors of the CMa designation in B.C. We are now looking for members interested in helping promote the CPa designation at their workplace and in their communities. CPa Brand ambassador activities could include presentations at your workplace, meeting with students or helping us at industry events and tradeshows. interested? email diane Chung at diane@cmabc.com. new Cpa advertising Campaign Cma CplD courses are moving to icabc-pd.com s tarting in September, CMA BC will be consolidating its professional development courses with ICABC. All CMA CPLD courses and programs, such as the Strategic Management Certificate Program, will be listed on icabc-pd.com and included in the ICABC PD catalogues. Information about the 2014 CMA Leadership Conference will continue to be posted on cmabc-pd.com, as well as iacbc-pd.com. CMAs, if you have never taken seminars with ICABC before, please contact the ICABC PD department at 604.681.3264 (toll-free in B.C. at 1.800.663.2677) to set up your profile first before registering for any online PD seminars. 2013-2014 iCabC pD passports The ICABC PD program offers PD Passports for purchase that can save members up to 40 per cent off regular seminar prices. CMAs who plan on taking multiple PD seminars with ICABC throughout the year are encouraged to review the PD passport options on icabc-pd.com/pd-passports.php. look for the new national CPa advertising campaign this september and october. advertising will run in outdoor media, newspapers, television, business magazines and websites, and at the Vancouver international airport. looking for a past issue of Update? digital editions of CMA BC Update will remain available for your research and reading pleasure at cmabc.com. Certified ManageMent aCCountants | British ColuMBia suMMer 2013 CMA UPDATE 9 Highlights from the B.C. Salary Survey Every two years, CMA BC conducts a member, candidate and student survey to track changes in members’ compensation, employer benefits and satisfaction with the Society’s member services. This year’s survey was conducted May 13-27, 2013, and asked members to report on their salaries as of December 31, 2012. Results from the salary survey are available for download at the members-only section of the CMA BC website: secure.cmabc.com/wcm/cmabc under the “Member Services” tab. Employment profile Over half of CMAs reported working 41+ hours per week with 12 per cent spending over 51 hours at work each week. Self-employed CMAs had median gross billings of 200,000 $ Nearly 40 per cent of CMAs living in B.C. and working full-time had total earnings (salary + bonuses) over $110,000 in 2012. One out of five CMA candidates earned over $90,000 (salary + bonuses) in 2012. Less than 10 % of CMAs participated in a stock option program in 2012. 10 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 Most members, candidates and students are employed in the following sectors: ■ public administration/government ■ finance, insurance, real estate ■manufacturing ■ wholesale/retail trade ■technology ■ public practice ■education ■not-for-profit Top roles CMAs hold: ■controller ■ vice president/CFO ■ manager of accounting ■ financial analyst 14% 12% 11% 7% 6% 6% 5% 5% 17% 10% 8% 8% BENEFITS Over 80 per cent of CMA employers support members by paying 100 per cent of their annual member dues. Nearly one-third of members, candidates and students work for companies with over 1000 employees in B.C. Planning for retirement, four out of six CMAs’ employers make contributions to a pension plan. Flexible benefits: ■ flex time 26% ■ work from home 13% % ■ additional vacation allowance 13 Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia In with the new 2013-2014 CMA British Columbia Board of Directors E ach year, CMA British Columbia elects members to serve on the CMA British Columbia Board of Directors. The 2013-2014 board was elected at the Society’s annual general meeting on June 26, 2013. CHAIR FIRST VICE CHAIR Tammy Towill, CMA, FCMA Simon Philp, CMA, FCMA Instructor, Faculty of Business Capilano University, and Partner, Peppertree Group Vice President Seattle Corporate Banking Group, HSBC Bank USA, North America SECOND VICE CHAIR TREASURER SECRETARY PAST CHAIR David Hallinan, CMA Mark Kennedy, CMA, FCMA Vinetta Peek, CMA (Hon.) Patricia Kennedy, CMA, FCMA Director of Corporate Services BC Lottery Corporation Partner Blackfish Accounting Group President and CEO CMA British Columbia Chief Operating Officer Pacific Flying Club DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Doris Good, CMA Lynn Casey, CMA Partner Peppertree Group Training Manager, Financial Institutions’ Commission of BC Diane Kerley, CMA National Practice Leader – Accounting and Finance, and Senior Consultant David Aplin Recruiting Gerald Dragomir, CMA, FCMA Partner Dragomir Liu & Co. Dba., Pace Accounting Inc. Bernard Magnan, CMA, FCMA Managing Director Bernard Magnan and Associates Ltd. Elaine Eccleston, CMA, FCMA Educator/Instructor College of the Rockies Bruce McLennan, CMA, FCMA Principal McLennan Consulting Timothy Edwards, CMA, FCMA Associate Dean, Accounting, Finance and Insurance BCIT Lyndon Peterson, CMA Director, Leasing and Property Services Northern Health LAY REPRESENTATIVES YUKON PRESIDENT Kelly Steele, CMA Chamkaur Cheema Consultant, Investors Group Financial Services Inc. CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA Maxine DeHart Director of Sales RPB Hotels & Resorts John Hunter President and CEO J. Hunter and Associates Ltd. Stephen Quinn Owner and Manager Interior Weather Services Ltd. SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 11 Y The seventh annual CMA British Columbia Leadership Conference, held at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. 2013 CMA British Columbia Leadership Conference T he seventh annual Certified Management Accountants of British Columbia Leadership Conference (from May 30 to 31, 2013) brought together nearly 450 CMAs, CAs and CGAs, CMA candidates, students and other business professionals for two days of networking, professional development and sharing of best practices for how to “Be Brave” in today’s unpredictable environment. During the sold-out event, 17 seminars covered a range of diverse topics including leadership, governance, updates on Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises and International Financial Reporting Standards, business transition financing strategy, presentation skills, organizational change, business development, project management, data visualization, and business intelligence tools for Excel. Highlights of the Conference included the three dynamic keynote speakers: Amanda Lang, CBC’s senior business correspondent for The National, and the co-host of The Lang & O’Leary Exchange; Leonard Brody, Business and Technology Visionary, and co-founder of NowPublic.com; and Margaret Hope, internationally accredited Professional Speaker and author of You’re Speaking – But Are You Connecting? New this year was the breakfast panel discussion on day two of the conference with four young and dynamic local CEOs who’d successfully navigated their companies through the recession. Mia Maki, CMA, FCMA moderates the CEO panel. Panelists (left to right): Cybele Negris, Nolan Watson, Davis Yung, and Alexander Fernandes. Panelists included Alexander Fernandes, Founder, President & CEO, Avigilon; Cybele Negris, President & Co-Founder, Webnames.ca Inc.; Nolan Watson, President & Chief Executive Officer, Sandstorm Gold and Sandstorm Metals & Energy; and Davis Yung, President & Co-Founder, Fresh Direct Produce Ltd., Canada. Another new addition to the conference was the Idea Exchange Forum, which replaced the afternoon sessions on day two. Forums for financing and general issues for small business, forensic accounting and Internal Audit, managing team dynamics, and Excel sessions were held and moderated. Dates for the 2014 Leadership Conference in Vancouver will be announced this fall. Visit www.cmabc-pd.com/conference for more details, and for the call for speakers for next year’s event. Luncheon keynote speaker, Amanda Lang; Ken Puls, CMA moderates the Excel Ideas Exchange Forum; Lynn Casey, CMA leads the “Great Presenters are Made not Born” seminar; Q&A at the social media seminar. 12 CMA UPDATE suMMer 2013 Certified ManageMent aCCountants | British ColuMBia Tweet, tweet Thank you to all participants who contributed to the discussion on Twitter using the #cmaconf hashtag. Here are a few highlights: @EQadvantage listening to @amandalang at @ CMaBC Conference — smart, amazing, Witty #fieryred #eQ #CMACONF @AngelalChambers @cmamb @CMABC What a great day! amanda lang gave a great keynote, and so good to connect with some old friends! @amandalang_cbc @BJMclennan thanks! it was great to be at #cmaconf. Just sorry i had to split — had to get to my show @mia_maki @CMABC so excited to host the panel @ #cmaconf awesome entrepreneurs with much to offer! @WarrenEverton good networking reception @ CMABC #cmaconf. it’s amazing how connected we all are. #smallworld See you next year for the 2014 Leadership Conference. Call for speakers due September 9, 2013. Visit cmabc-pd.com. From top left clockwise: Aga Jendo, Abbey Mohd, Diana Lindgren and Kithy Lee; Jayne Brooks, Dorothy Vankoughnett amd Claudia Bouduel; Laurie Sheehan and Curt Walker; James Anderson, Robert McElroy and Trong Lee. Bottom: Group discussion in “Leadership – Building Capacity Through Empowerment” seminar. CMA British Columbia thanks the sponsors and tradeshow exhibitors of this year’s conference: Platinum Sponsor @sweetmanstephen #cmaconf great conference, 2 big take aways. data is doubling every 48 hours and got to have PowerPivot @kvbliek i am a data ninja! #cmaconf @kpuls great day at #CMACONF really enjoyed leading my sessions and recruiting new followers to the #PowerPivot army! robert half international Gold Sponsors executrade, optinet systems inc., tacit Management Consulting inc. Silver Sponsors @beak1 Whoever says accountants are boring, they should see what happens when we get together and discuss social media! #nChalmers @#cmaconf Business development Bank of Canada, Bean evo, Canadian Western Bank, david aplin group, intact insurance and lMs Prolink, Mercer Bradley, td Meloche Monnex, and the university of Victoria’s Peter B. gustavson school of Business executive Programs. @jimcsek @beak1 @nCalmers good example of reason to spend money in production of message rather than trad, on distribution #cmaconf #viralvideos Tradeshow Exhibitors @cloudchange “more data created every 48hours then from the beginning of time to 2003” @lbrody keynote speaker at #cmaconf 2013 Ballistic arts, Beanevo, Bfl Canada, Credit institute of Canada, i-worx, Jouta Performance group, Mercer Bradley, Pay savvy Y More photos from the 2013 leadership Conference are available at www.facebook.com/cmabc. Certified ManageMent aCCountants | British ColuMBia Y On Twitter? Don’t forget to follow @CMaBC. suMMer 2013 CMA UPDATE 13 The Executrade team at the Leadership Conference tradeshow. Wisam Abdulla and Faiz Abdulla, CMA, CEO of PaySavvy Canada Inc., at the CMA tradeshow. Left to right: luncheon keynote speaker, Leonard Brody; the procurify.com team – Harold Burgess, CMA, Kenneth Loi and Aman Mann at the conference tradeshow. Left to right: brainstorming at the “Grow Your Business: What Accountants Need to Know about Business Development” seminar; Donnie Macdonald, CMA, FCMA at a conference seminar. 14 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia Keys to Effective Communication ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY I I I By MICHAEL MORRISON, CMA L eaders know actions speak louder than words. The most effective leaders know their words matter… a lot. In every organization I have worked with, “communication” was listed as a top area for improvement. The way people communicated (or failed to communicate) about their work, customers, co-workers and company values had a significant effect on performance and workplace culture. The truth is, most people are selfish when communicating, largely because they don’t take the time needed to consider their audience. They speak and write without much planning or forethought. Think of people you regard as effective leaders and consider how they communicate. It’s likely they all do a few fundamental things: plan their message, choose their words carefully, know their audience, and choose the right time and method of delivery. ISTOCK Planning your message Great leaders know that mixed messages can be just as detrimental as poorly articulated ones. Imagine a CEO who holds a town hall meeting and talks about the need for everyone to be CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA more careful with spending and then just days later directs the sales department to do whatever it takes to increase sales. Both messages are valid and could help the company become more profitable, but they might also conflict, leading to confusion and possible clashes between employees. This type of miscommunication happens all too often. You can avoid it by taking time to develop your message ahead of time. This can be accomplished using a simple ten-minute exercise to plan in your head. First, define the purpose of your communication. Next, develop key messages that do not contradict each other. Third, write out the exact words for each key message in one concise sentence. Last, draw lines to show how the messages connect. Taking time to think through what you are going to communicate – focusing on your key points and how they might connect or conflict – will strengthen your communication. Words matter Choosing the appropriate words to convey ideas, beliefs, thoughts, or feelings can be tricky. In the English language there are about a quarter of a million options to choose from. Using the correct precise right word makes a significant tremendous huge difference. One leader I worked with, an engineer who specialized in work with lasers, wanted to describe how the work of his section was aligned with the company’s strategic goals. He said “our section’s work is collimated with the company’s goals,” SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 15 Y Y Y ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY which was great, except nobody in the room knew what “collimated” meant. Tone is also an important consideration. Another leader I worked with was a man of few words. He would send email messages with “thx” to show his appreciation and respond to questions with a simple “yes” or “no.” Most of the people that worked with him did not realize that he was a wonderful, caring person with great ideas and lots to share. They made assumptions about him being unfriendly, cold and arrogant because of the tone of his communication. The tone of any given message can be viewed as a continuum ranging from soft to hard, sad to happy, or even gentle to harsh. Some people use a harsh, demanding tone nearly all of the time. Others are gentle in most of their communication. Overusing any one tone, however, reduces its effectiveness. Skilled communicators show a range in their communication and vary the tone of their messages to ensure they’re consistently engaging their audience. Audience MICHAEL MORRISON is the Chief of Staff at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in Victoria. He is a CMA and has an MBA with a specialization in leadership. Dedicated to community service, in 2012 he received a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to Canada and was selected as a CMA BC Volunteer of the Year. 16 Since it is the recipient that interprets the message, effective communication requires you to keep your audience in mind as you craft your message and decide how to share it. Some people like a lot of words, some like a few. Some people respond better to a short presentation featuring only the key messages, some want facts and figures or personal anecdotes or pictures. At times, you’ll know your audience well and can tailor your approach to suit their preferences. When you don’t, you must take care to communicate in ways that will have the broadest appeal. One leader I’ve worked with used sports analogies and pop-culture references to try to get his points across. The people he was communicating with struggled to interpret what he was saying; they simply couldn’t relate to the references he was using. He forgot to consider his audience and ended up confusing them. Miscommunication can happen just as easily with the written word. Writing can take the form of simple sentences that have words with few syllables. Writing can also be an exposition of the capabilities of the essayist characterized by compound sentences and obscure methodologies for sentence composition further embellished for effect. Consider the reading ability of your audience and the language they use to communicate with one another. Delivery The way in which you deliver your message is oftentimes just as important as the content. A strong, CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 well-thought-out message loses much of its impact if the method of delivery is inappropriate or inefficient. For written communication, “thank-you” letters, notes of encouragement and condolence letters are best hand-written to add a personal touch to the message. Termination letters, leases and contracts are better suited to be typewritten, formal documents. Whichever method you use, keep in mind, many readers don’t read much of what is actually written, deriving more meaning from the form in which the message was delivered. Options for oral communication are similarly varied. Common methods for delivery include face-to-face dialogue, broadcast, telephone, video teleconferencing and group presentations. Conversations about employee performance are not well suited to group conversations while briefings on company goals and objectives are. Video-memos are a great way to introduce a topic or idea, but not an ideal way to present a technical schematic for a new piece of equipment. Choose a method of delivery that makes sense for the topic and objectives of your communication. Mark Twain once said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Communication should be as long as it needs to be. It takes time and effort to match content, tone and duration to the needs of the recipient. Even if the match is not perfect, the person delivering the message must take the necessary time to cover the key points, and it is wise to confirm that the recipient has received and understood them. Timing is also crucial. The perfect message delivered in all the best ways a month behind schedule is not very helpful. Communicating too early can be just as bad. When selecting the way to deliver a message, effective leaders seek the best time available to share their message. Sometimes the right time is easy to find – it is apparent and available. Other times people may have to create an opportunity to get the audience in the right mindset to receive the message. Ultimately, good communication comes down to meticulous consideration, of both your words and the people to whom you’ll be delivering them. Identifying and isolating key points in advance, then thinking through how they relate to each other helps clarify the message. After the message is clear in your mind, it’s imperative to select the right words, the proper tone and the right approach for delivering it, taking into account above all else the needs and preferences of your audience. Being thoughtful and deliberate when addressing your colleagues greatly improves the potency of your communication and, as a result, the all-around efficiency of your work environment. ■ CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA Y executive Tour honourees in Hong Kong raise their glasses alongside CMa British Columbia President and CeO, Vinetta Peek, CMa (Hon.), CMa, Chair Pat Kennedy, CMa, FCMa and J. Ian Burchett, Consul General of Canada for Hong Kong and Macao. 2013 executive Tour Congratulations to the following 301 CMAs a s part of the CMa British Columbia 2013 executive Tour, society executives and board members travelled around the province to pay tribute to CMas who have held their designation for honorary milestones of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 years. In recognition of their career and community achievements, these members were awarded a commemorative pin at a presentation ceremony while their biographies were read to attendees. Y ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 25 Years – 1988 Mr. Peter S. Antturi, CMA Ms. Linda Au-Yeung, CMA Mr. Timothy Brookes, CMA Ms. unjoo u. Burlie, CMA Mr. Nevin Chernick, CMA Ms. Jenny K M Cheung, CMA Mr. Jeff A. Colbourne, CMA Ms. Catherine Der, CMA Miss Maria A. Di Marco, CMA Ms. Wendy Dobi, CMA Mr. Edward Duda, CMA Mr. Ernest C. Dusdal, CMA Mr. Craig Elder, CMA Ms. Beverley F. Farmer, CMA Mrs. Gail Hind, CMA Mr. Daniel Ho, CMA Mr. Robert Hodak, CMA Ms. Catherine Hoefer, CMA Mr. David Hrycan, CMA Mr. Ian K. Jones, CMA Ms. Kathleen G. Jones, CMA Ms. Susie Jung, CMA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Mr. Almunir Kamdar, CMA Mr. Robert Knight, CMA Mr. Stewart Laing, CMA Ms. Brenda W. Lew, CMA Ms. Rowena Kwan Ying Lim, CMA Mr. Peter MacKay, CMA Mr. Bernard Magnan, CMA, FCMA Ms. Vivian Martin, CMA Mr. Blair A. Matheson, CMA Mr. Bruce M. McAra, CMA Mr. Gary McBride, CMA Mr. Gregory G. McLean, CMA Mr. Barry A. McLean, CMA Mr. Andrew J. McNevin, CMA Mr. Scott Mehlenbacher, CMA Mr. William F. Morrison, CMA Ms. Jennie Polyxeni Moushos, CMA Mr. Randall S. Murie, CMA Mr. Kenneth R. Norberg, CMA Ms. F. Marie Nygaard, CMA Ms. Jill Plasteras, CMA Mr. Peteris Pupols, CMA CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOuNTANTS | BRITISH COLuMBIA CMa BrITIsH COLUMBIa eXeCUTIVe TOUr 2013 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Hong Kong – June 7 East Kootenay – June 13 West Kootenay – June 14 Vancouver – June 18 Victoria – June 21 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ upper Island – June 22 Pacific Northwest – June 24 Central Interior – June 27 Okanagan – July 8 Kamloops – July 9 The executive Tour makes a stop in east Kootenay. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Ms. Debra D. Richardson, CMA Mr. Gordon P. Rollick, CMA Mr. Kulwant S. Sahota, CMA Mr. Gary N. Sherlock, CMA Ms. Kelly Sherlock, CMA Mr. Randhir Singh Sidhu, CMA Ms. Marie Helen Sinnott, CMA Mr. Kenneth Walter Stuike, CMA Ms. Terrie Tam, CMA Ms. Lisa C. Titterington, CMA Mr. Brian Torrell, CMA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Mrs. Manon van Tuyl, CMA Ms. Elizabeth Wagner, CMA Ms. Brenda L. Warner, CMA Mr. Barry W. Watson, CMA Ms. Leslie Whitmore, CMA Ms. Karen Whyte, CMA Mr. Michael Wicks, CMA Mr. Richard R. Wilschek, CMA Ms. Veronica W.C. Wong, CMA Mr. Wilfred C K Wong, CMA Mr. Andrew C.C. Wong, CMA SuMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 17 From top clockwise: East Kootenay recipient Bradley Howard, CMA with Chair Pat Kennedy; the Executive Tour stops by the Pacific Northwest branch; CMA BC Chair Pat Kennedy addresses Upper Island CMAs; Upper Island CMA Gregory Gaudaur with Chair Pat Kennedy; Pat Kennedy congratulates John Winkelmann on 45 years of certification; Jim Olsen, CMA, FCMA at the Upper Island Executive Tour event; Donna Porter, CMA takes in the Victoria Executive Tour. Mr. Ben H. M. Yee, CMA Ms. Judith R. Yee, CMA Mr. Andy Zlok, CMA Mr. Allan Fox, CMA Mr. Kevin H. Gaffney, CMA Mr. Robert Garries, CMA Mr. Gregory Gaudaur, CMA Mr. Leo G. Gauthier, CMA Ms. Lorna M. Gray, CMA Mr. Stephen I. Gray, CMA Ms. Ellen Hamer, CMA Mr. John Hanbury, CMA Mr. Robert Hayman, CMA Ms. Maria K. Hession, CMA Mr. John W. Lebidoff, CMA Ms. Carol Leong, CMA Mr. Danny S. F. Leung, CMA Ms. Deborah Woon Kan Leung, CMA Ms. May Wai-Yin-Chan Li, CMA Mr. Sing Chung Matthias Li, CMA Mr. David Libby, CMA Mr. Jim Logan, CMA Mr. Augustine F. Loo, CMA Mr. Chee Khan Lum, CMA Mr. Peter McIvor, CMA Mr. Abdulrahim Meghji, CMA Mr. Ian Milne, CMA Ms. Mary Moher, CMA Mr. Brian M. Moist, CMA Mr. James Musson, CMA Mr. Philip W. Nakoneshny, CMA Ms. Maria M. Pavan, CMA Mr. Donald A. Pavan, CMA Mr. Douglas B. Pontifex, CMA Ms. Deanna Pumple, CMA Mr. Michael Rassenti, CMA Ms. Mary Anne V. Robertson, ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Y 30 Years – 1983 Mr. Allan J. Achtemichuk, CMA Mr. Gerald Adams, CMA Mr. Howard R. Anderson, CMA Mr. Kevin J. Arens, CMA Mr. Douglas H. Arndt, CMA Ms. Michele Babineau, CMA Mrs. Mary Ballen, CMA Ms. N. Louise Beaton, CMA Ms. Marian E. Berry, CMA Mr. John S. Beverley, CMA Mr. John M. Bucy, CMA Mr. Donn Burchill, CMA Ms. Patricia I. Burke, CMA Mr. Bruce Chadwick, CMA Mr. Joel Chan, CMA Ms. Jacqueline G. Chay, CMA Mr. Percy Kong-Kei Chin, CMA Mr. Hudson Hing-Sang Chong, CMA Mr. Kelvin M. Chow, CMA Ms. Gail Cleveland, CMA Mr. Daryl G. Conner, CMA Ms. Sylvia A. Cross, CMA Mr. Ramon S. De La Costa, CMA Ms. Jan Marie Dore, CMA Mr. John Dumalski, CMA Mr. John Duncan, CMA Mrs. Amy Mankit Edmonds, CMA Mr. Douglas S. Field, CMA Mr. Dominic Fiore, CMA Mr. Frederick F. Fominoff, CMA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ “These CMAs are among the pioneers of the establishment of the strategic financial management profession in British Columbia. On behalf of the Society, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for their ongoing support and dedication.” ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CMA Mr. Patrick J.C. Ryan, CMA Ms. Daniela J. Salmen, CMA Ms. June Junko Seto, CMA Mr. Michael R. Siddons, CMA Ms. Cecilia L. Sinotte, CMA Mr. Robert Smith, CMA Mr. Conrad Wah-sum So, CMA Mr. Douglas Stadelman, CMA Ms. Wanda N. Stadnicki, CMA Mr. Kelly E Staudt, CMA Mr. James E. Stephens, CMA Mr. Shuk Ming Suen, CMA Mr. Albert M.C. Tam, CMA Mr. Peter Tamilin, CMA Mr. Henry Y. Tanaka, CMA Ms. Irene O.L. Tang, CMA Ms. May K. Tong, CMA Mr. Chin-Shing William Tong, ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Vinetta Peek, CMA (Hon.), CMA ■ ■ President and CEO, CMA British Columbia ■ ■ ■ ■ Mr. Serge J. Hombert, CMA Mr. Bradley O. Howard, CMA Mr. Allen H. Huey, CMA Mr. Gordon Innes, CMA Mr. Harold Jantz, CMA Mr. Richard Jones, CMA Ms. Angela Karpa, CMA Mr. Bruce Knott, CMA Mr. Michael Che-Kuen Lai, CMA Mr. James Laing, CMA Mr. Anthony Chiu-Ho Lam, CMA Dr. Murray Lynn, CMA Mr. Brian H. Lytle, CMA Mr. Kenneth Mackie, CMA Mr. Scott D. MacLean, CMA Mr. Justin Mah, CMA Ms. Leslie K. Marriott, CMA Mr. Michael G. Maschek, CMA Mrs. Darlene Masuak, CMA Mr. Stephen O. Mavety, CMA Ms. Joan McCance, CMA Mr. Donald G. McCay, CMA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 18 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 CMA Mr. Yee-Shing John Tse, CMA Mr. Robert Turmel, CMA Mr. H. Kendall Turner, CMA Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia From top clockwise: Victoria Chapter Chair Jason Stevenson, CMA; Mark Bucknall, CMA and Terry Gelinas, CMA; Pat Kennedy, CMA, FCMA with Alumnir Kamdar, CMA at the Vancouver Executive Tour; the Victoria Executive Tour presents ample opportunity for networking; Allan Achtemichuk and Carol Achtemichuk celebrate Allan’s 30 years as a CMA; Victoria CMA Maimu McLeod, a 35-year recipient, alongside Robert Alexander, CMA, FCMA; Vancouver Chapter Chair Laura Thomas with Brian Moist, CMA at the Vancouver Executive Tour. Ms. Eva Vorkampff, CMA Mr. Donald G. Walzak, CMA Mr. Terry N. Warren, CMA Mr. Bernd F. Weiss, CMA Mr. Gary J. Welna, CMA Mr. David Kim-Shin Wong, CMA Mr. Jim W.K. Wong, CMA Ms. Christine Worsley, CMA Ms. Sandra Zado, CMA Ms. Stella K. Kwong, CMA Ms. Caroline Lai, CMA Betty Bih Wu Lee, CMA Mr. Hank Jan Leenders, CMA Mr. Bernard B.L. Lum, CMA Mr. Richard W. Lumby, CMA Mr. Maurice K. Ma, CMA Mr. Kelvin R. Mar, CMA Mr. Richard B. McCallum, CMA Ms. Maimu McLeod, CMA Mr. Terry D. McMillan, CMA Mr. John A. Moran, CMA Mr. Albert C. Mori, CMA Mr. Sidney G. Norman, CMA, Mr. G. Brian Hobson, CMA, ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Y 35 Years – 1978 Mr. James R. Alexander, CMA Mr. Kenneth Anderson, CMA Ms. Katherine Barr, CMA Mr. Donald Barrett, CMA Ms. K. Jayne Brooks, CMA, FCMA Ms. Roberta Campbell, CMA Mr. John Catcher, CMA Mr. J. Craig Curtis, CMA Mr. Kishor V. Devani, CMA Mr. Adrian J. Donders, CMA Mr. Stephen S.W. Fan, CMA Mr. Graham S. Fane, CMA, FCMA Mr. Evan B. Farrell, CMA Mr. Roger Fast, CMA Mr. Ronald Gilbertson, CMA Mr. David Grace, CMA Mr. Anthony Griffin, CMA Mr. Barry Hodge, CMA Mr. John F. Huguet, CMA, FCMA Mr. Ernest M. Iannacone, CMA, FCMA ■ Mr. Ronald M. Odgers, CMA Mr. Cecil Primeau, CMA Mr. David Richards, CMA Mr. Selwyn W. Rose, CMA Mr. Otto Schmid, CMA Mr. Stephen Chi Fung Siu, CMA Mr. Albert R. Soreng, CMA Mr. John Spence, CMA Mr. Robert W. Strachan, CMA Mr. Gilbert T. Tulloch, CMA Mr. John D. Wolff, CMA ■ Mr. Duncan Morgan, CMA Mr. Robert L. Morris, CMA Mr. Olaf T. Nordstrom, CMA Mr. Maxwell F. Norman, CMA Mr. Stewart K. Paton, CMA Mr. George Pennock, CMA Mr. Gerard Sterk, CMA Mr. Gerald A. Thubron, CMA Mr. Bryan A. Webster, CMA Mr. Ted J. Will, CMA Mr. John F. Winkelmann, CMA Mr. Gerald Worden, CMA ■ FCMA Mr. Allen Johnson, CMA Mr. Wei Chiu Jung, CMA Mr. Bruce F. Maycock, CMA Ms. Chloe M. Morgan, CMA Mr. Gordon Moscarella, CMA Mr. David Patmore, CMA Mr. Terry Peterson, CMA Mr. John F. Porteous, CMA Mr. George R. Quo Vadis, CMA Mr. Logan D. Rodgers, CMA Mr. Larry Romano, CMA Mr. Dale L. Schatz, CMA Mr. Charles ShackerleyBennett, CMA Mr. Brian R. Sibley, CMA Mr. Allen N. Small, CMA Mr. Kenneth S. Smith, CMA Mr. Russel Wesley Smith, CMA Mr. Kenneth S. Whittington, ■ ■ ■ ■ Y ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Y 40 Years – 1973 Mr. Samuel H. Beale, CMA Mr. Brian T. Birk, CMA Mr. Charles D. Campbell, CMA Mr. Reginald Davey, CMA Mr. John H. Dendekker, CMA Mr. Fritz W. Dressel, CMA Mr. William Duckenfield, CMA Mr. Hans Joachim Frie, CMA CMA Mr. Benjamin H.W. Yeung, CMA ■ ■ FCMA Mr. Douglas G. Gordon, CMA Mr. P. Hulnick, CMA Mr. Theodore Kozub, CMA Mr. D. W. Lawson, CMA Mr. Melvin H. Leiding, CMA Mr. Ben Van Der Woerd, CMA Mr. John M. Van Koll, CMA Mr. Jack Vorauer, CMA Mr. William Zambik, CMA ■ ■ ■ ■ Y 45 Years – 1968 Mr. Kenneth J. Garley, CMA Mr. J. Vern Gibson, CMA Mr. E. Brian Hardy, CMA Mr. Michael Jacobson, CMA Mr. Bjintze Jelsma, CMA Mr. Stanley Kitching, CMA Mr. J. Gordon Loewen, CMA Mr. John G. Lozie, CMA Ms. Margaret C. McPhedran, ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Y ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ FCMA Ms. Patricia A. Jansen, CMA Mr. Kenneth B. Karasick, CMA Mr. Hanif A. Karmally, CMA Mr. Clifford P. Kraft, CMA Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia 50 Years – 1963 Mr. Gordon Alexander, CMA Mr. Jerry I. Asner, CMA Mr. Robert Baker, CMA Mr. Elmer J. Benoit, CMA, FCMA Mr. W. James Fedorak, CMA, ■ CMA Mr. Donald Milton, CMA ■ 55 Years – 1958 Mr. Joseph F. Reisek, CMA Mr. Philip T. Wood, CMA Y 60 Years – 1953 Mr. Victor J. Christison, CMA ■ SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 19 Y Y Y ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY The Science of Team Building Four lessons managers can learn from the scientific community By MARGARET HEFFERNAN 1. Build competence gradually We all want to hit homeruns, but it’s a bad idea to set tasks that are simply too daunting. Sink-or-swim might sound bold, but it’s a very risky strategy. When Alon asked his first graduate student to rewire a commercial fluorimeter, instead of being thrilled by the (difficult) challenge, the student had no idea how to start. Instead, Alon concluded, he’d have done better to break the task into achievable (albeit still challenging) steps. Achieving each one 20 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 colleagues time to get to know each other as people, and not just scientists. The goal is to create a sense of connectedness so people want to help each other. “Our connection to a community and a culture provides us context and empathy during our struggles, acknowledgement during our successes,” he says. People are rarely loyal to companies or organizations; they are loyal to one another. builds confidence, which, in turn, drives motivation. 2. Don’t help too much Smart people cherish autonomy, so Alon says you shouldn’t rush in to solve problems your employees are still working on. Simply giving them the answer might accelerate completion of this particular 4. Make assignments personal A problem that is too hard can’t be solved until or unless new research provides the information needed to crack it. A problem that’s too easy won’t yield valuable insights. So how does Alon choose the projects for his team? He asks students to identify their talents and their passions. Then he looks at where those overlap with the objectives of the lab overall. Each assignment is a rich intersection of personal capabilities with professional needs. There’s no point making people do work they don’t care about, and no value in hiring passionate people without harnessing their energy. ISTOCK I ’ve written a lot about motivating people. Usually, we try to learn from ourselves and from our peers in the business community, but that narrow perspective can be limiting. So recently I’ve been interested in how other sectors drive high performance. In science, there are rarely any big financial rewards. Competition is fierce, with more and more post-graduates seeking limited positions and funding. In order to even be considered for a position as a scientific researcher, one has to be smart, well educated and dedicated, so the bar is set very high. The failure rate is enormous; many Ph.D students fail to secure academic positions and those who do often labour for decades without much in the way of recognition. Scientists also rarely enjoy the lavish perks of corporate life: business-class travel, swanky hotels, client dinners. So how do you keep a group like that motivated? Scientists aren’t taught how to manage teams. They learn the hard way: by experience. At the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, investigator Uri Alon did what you’d expect a scientist to do: He read a lot of psychological research about motivation. And he paid attention to his own performance – successes and mistakes alike. Below are some of his conclusions. task, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do in the long run. Alon described one graduate student who came up with the perfect request for assistance: “I have a question, but before I tell you, please promise not to solve it immediately by yourself. I want time to think about it.” The skills you learn yourself are internalized and drive both confidence and expertise. What’s so striking about Alon’s conclusions is that there is no mention of money or intimidation, threats or bonuses. The greatest reward of science – status, prestige – isn’t Alon’s to bestow. What he can offer is a community dedicated to personal and professional development. It turns out that is a great deal, indeed. 3. Be social At his lab meetings, Alon devotes the first half hour of the two-hour weekly meeting to “non-science” topics. He asks about absent students, which shows he notices and cares. By celebrating birthdays, discussing movies or theatre or the news, he gives his MARGARET HEFFERNAN is an entrepreneur, Chief Executive and author. Her most recent book is Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril (Walker & Company). CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY I I I The HR Cycle: Orientation Investing the time to properly assimilate new staff will pay dividends in the long run By DOUG ALLEY, CMA (HON.) C ongratulations – after a painstaking search, you’ve finally recruited the perfect candidate for that vacant position. But hang on; your work’s not quite done yet. Did you know that employees who quit within their first 90 days usually do so because of the treatment they receive in the first two? With that in mind, it’s imperative that new hires feel comfortable and engaged from the outset. Although truly effective orientation does take time and money, when you factor in the high cost of turnover, it’s a sound investment. Here are the fundamentals of an effective onboarding program. Putting the New Employee at Ease Welcome your new employee and re-establish the rapport that you built during the selection process. Follow that with a quick tour to point out washrooms, the kitchen and other key facilities. Once he or she begins to relax, introduce the staff to their newest team member and designate a “buddy” to assist your new hire with any questions and becoming comfortable in their new surroundings. The Big Picture It’s important for the new employee to understand how they fit into the greater scheme of things at your company. Sit down and take the time to explain how their position relates to co-workers on their team, and how their team relates to other departments or areas of operation. to serve each customer we deal with in a professional manner.” To help employees understand and attain their goals, it may, once again, be appropriate to assign one of your better workers as a mentor. Policies, Procedures and Behaviour In the beginning, your new hire will likely have questions about things like hours of work, pay days, grooming and dress code, vacation time, sick leave, breaks, training and performance. An employee handbook will afford them the opportunity to study the policies, procedures and “rules” of their new workplace. In particular, take care to emphasize points on acceptable use of company property, appropriate treatment of other employees and customers (i.e. no harassment or bullying), as well as workplace safety and emergency procedures. Have the employee sign a document acknowledging that all this information has been explained to them. Making an Impact It’s essential to cover the fundamentals described above in a timely fashion. Creating a simple “first-day” checklist will help ensure you don’t overlook anything. Beyond simply ticking off boxes, however, it’s important to deliver this information in a fun and memorable way. Some things I’ve had success with in the past: An introductory video of the workplace created by employees; “Coffee With the Boss,” offering an opportunity to hear about the business from the top; or, A scavenger hunt based on finding the answers to frequently asked questions (by speaking to other employees and sifting through company information). You only have one opportunity to make a first impression; for employers, the orientation of new hires is that opportunity. Take the time to do it right and you’ll be planting the seeds of a long and fruitful working relationship. ■ ■ ■ ■ ISTOCK Goals and Expectations In order for your worker to fit in and be productive, they must be made aware of your company’s values and goals, as well as the objectives of their position and team. This usually involves a thorough discussion and some preliminary training, but it could start with a simple statement of the company’s philosophy or creedo – something along the lines of, “We strive CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA DOUG ALLEY, BCOMM, CMA (Hon.) is a Principal with The Alley Group, a management consulting firm specializing in human resources. Doug has over 35 years of experience in all facets of strategic planning, employment and labour issues. SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 21 Y Y Y ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Creating New three fresh tactics for turning high-potential employees into capable executives By NATALIE MICHAEL S avvy organizations are always looking for ways to develop the men and women who will one day take over their company’s leadership roles. Indeed, a good succession program is essential to the health of any enterprise. Standard tactics like leadership assessments, coaching and progressive job assignments are effective and serve as key components of a succession program, but many companies still require creative tactics to prepare the next generation of leaders. Here are a few tips that will help your organization cultivate effective leaders before they take on a leadership role. NATALIE MICHAEL, MA, CPCC, is an Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant. Her firm, The Karmichael Group, specializes in executive coaching, leadership assessments and succession management consulting. 22 Assign “Acting Executives” to fill in for vacationing ones. Every executive goes on vacation for a few weeks per year, which presents an excellent opportunity for a subordinate to get a taste of executive life in the organization. Recently, one Human Resources VP told me that vacation coverage is one of her company’s most highly valued development tools. Each time an executive goes on vacation, they assign someone to take over that person’s role. While the executive is away, the “Acting Executive” attends meetings on the incumbent’s behalf, handles inquiries, responds to messages and makes decisions. Acting Executives are assigned for all top roles, right up to the CEO. Even though the time frame can be short (usually around two weeks) the experience is invaluable. Acting Executives get a fresh perspective on the organization, a better appreciation for what executives deal with on a daily basis, and exposure to new relationships within the company. To make the most of these assignments, it is important to debrief the Acting Executive on their experience and, ideally, gather feedback from peers who temporarily reported to them. This can provide useful career development insights that can help an up-and-coming leader refine their style and be more methodical with executive career planning. Strategic sabbatical programs help retain current leaders and develop new ones. In this age of 24/7 access to the office, executives are working harder CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 than ever and often burning out because of it; this has led to unprecedented executive turnover in recent years. One way organizations can effectively retain executives and develop successors is through strategic sabbatical programs. A sabbatical program essentially means that the organization offers a paid or unpaid leave to an executive for a period of anywhere from one to six months. During this time, the executive can travel, organize an exchange with another company, or simply rejuvenate by relaxing with friends and family. Allowing your executives to take a sabbatical every five years can be an excellent retention strategy. Moreover, since the sabbatical requires that a highpotential leader be placed into an Acting Executive role, these programs are also excellent development opportunities. Similar to the aforementioned vacation coverage, a sabbatical can provide high-potentials with practical experience in a leadership role and increased exposure to the business, including the opportunity to be a part of strategic conversations in a way that they may not have been exposed to otherwise. Because the tenure of the assignment is longer than vacation coverage, the learning from sabbatical coverage is typically richer. Also, it offers the organization a good opportunity to test an employee’s executive potential in a low-risk way. Volunteer board service – a good way to begin the succession process. One of the keys to executive CERtifiEd ManagEMEnt aCCoUntantS | BRitiSh ColUMBia iSTOCK Leaders development is knowing how to effectively prepare and transition a successor. Although important for maintaining an executive’s legacy and organizational health, many executives do this poorly, hanging on too long to their responsibilities or not adequately developing the heir apparent. In my experience one of the best ways to teach executives the value of developing successors without creating the feeling that they are being pushed out of their jobs is to request that they participate in a not-for-profit or industry association board; as part of this process, request that they proactively identify and develop a successor for their board seat and report on what they learned during the process to the executive team. This exercise provides them with an opportunity Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia to learn important lessons about succession first hand, as opposed to having a strictly theoretical understanding of the process. Through this exposure, they will hopefully come to realize that time passes quickly and you need to be proactive about developing others, and that the succession process is dynamic, with even the best-laid plans often going awry. Most importantly, they’ll come to know that a successful transition requires letting go, yet still providing support – something that many execs struggle with. Easing an executive into the succession process with an exercise such as this helps to mitigate any feelings of resentment, allowing for deeper reflection and ultimately a better understanding of the need for a proper succession plan. ■ SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 23 Y Y Y ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Putting Your Numbers Words into Your accounting may be sound, but are your financial documents being undermined by sloppy writing? T BY SAM COREA hough often viewed as an afterthought in the world of finance, checking (and rechecking) text for correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization and word choice is just as important as all the care and attention Certified Management Accountants take to make sure their numbers are rock solid. Consider the so-called case of the comma that cost a million dollars. In 2006, Rogers Communications and Bell Aliant (a telecom company in Atlantic Canada) clashed over a 14-page contract detailing the use of local telephone poles. The culprit? A single misplaced comma. Because of the comma’s location, the companies argued that the length of the agreement – and when it could be cancelled – was unclear. The dispute went all the way to Canada’s federal telecommunications regulator, the CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission). In the end, it was settled by referring to the French version of the 24 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 document, which was deemed correct because its punctuation left nothing open to interpretation. While this is undoubtedly an extreme example, errors in punctuation, spelling and word selection often do make readers question the full and exact meaning of the text. “Of course, CMAs take great care in ensuring all the numbers are correct,” said Mia Maki, Principal at Quimper Consulting Inc. and Assistant Teaching Professor at the Univesity of Victoria’s Peter B. Gustavson School of Business. “But the numbers tell only part of the story. Poor text can cast doubt about the quality of the numbers in a particular report. It’s about creating a strong relationship between the words and numbers to enhance your bottom-line message.” As much as a misplaced decimal can affect the bottom line, so too can sloppy writing. A poorly placed comma, random apostrophe or an incorrect word choice in text explaining a financial statement CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA It’s all about financial story telling – using numbers and words effectively. And it starts with knowing your audience and being mindful of the reader. Ask yourself: who am I writing this for? Thinking about the reader helps you select the right words and focus on the reaction you’re trying to achieve. Generally speaking, try to keep your words as simple as possible. Plain and sensible language helps make documents easier to understand, while wordy explanations can distract readers. Why say “in close proximity to” when “near” means the same thing? “In conclusion,” is a good substitute for “in the final analysis.” Replace “it would thus appear” with “apparently.” Big words, jargon and over-writing aren’t necessary to impress readers. Aim for clarity and brevity. Rest assured, cutting the flowery expressions doesn’t mean that the writing has to be dull. Writing in the active voice (so that the subject acts instead of being acted upon) will make your sentences clearer as well as more engaging. Here’s an example: Passive: Your proposal was reviewed at our meeting on May 1, and it was immediately submitted to the developer. Active: We reviewed your proposal on May 1 and immediately submitted it to the developer. or balance sheet may make the reader question the validity of the entire document. That’s why strong writing, active text editing and meticulous proofreading skills are just as important as triple-checking the numbers. Great accounting and sharp analytical skills are cornerstones of the work CMAs do every day. However, when preparing reports and documents, it’s important to remember that the numbers alone don’t deliver the message. The text that goes with the financials must be just as strong as the numbers, with impactful, easily understood language and correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation. Failing to achieve that undermines the accounting information you so carefully produced. ■ Editing and Proofreading Tips for CMAs ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Purchase the Canadian Press Stylebook or sign up for the online account (https://stylebooks.thecanadianpress.com/). If your company has an internal style guide, be sure to reference that as well. When editing, use a ruler to help you isolate and focus on each line of text. Ensure the names of all external organizations mentioned are spelled correctly. Does the company have an apostrophe? Is there a hyphen? Is the name spelled with all-caps? Refer to the press releases on each company’s website to confirm. In body text, spell out numbers one through nine. Use numerals for 10 and above. Don’t edit from a computer screen. Print your document. Read it aloud and mark it up with a pen to spot the errors. Read, re-read and then read backwards; the latter will keep you from skimming the text. Take a break between editing sessions to rest your bleary eyes. Finally, let a colleague take a look. A fresh perspective is the best way to pick up on overlooked mistakes. ISTOCK Additional online resources: http://www.mhwcom.com/Writing-Tips-for-Accountants.html http://classweb.gmu.edu/WAC/somguide/accounting.htm CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA SAM COREA With more than 25 years of experience in the fields of corporate communications, publications, media relations, broadcast journalism and event operations, Sam Corea is a Vancouver-based communications and event consultant who provides a wide range of writing, editing and project planning services. SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 25 CMA SPOTLIGHT Roger Gil, CMA CMA Grad year: 2001 Day Job: Vice President, Finance, Pacific National Exhibition A www.cmabcblog.com 26 CMA UPDATE sk someone what goes through their mind when they think about the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), and you will probably see their eyes light up as they gush about fresh mini-donuts, doused in cinnamon and sugar. Or they’ll relate fond memories of farm animals in the vast agricultural exhibits, SuperDogs, rides on the wooden rollercoaster, or dreaming about winning the prize home. Late-summer days at the Fair have long been a shared rite of passage for the people of Metro Vancouver. Although these memories can still be made at today’s PNE, the organization has changed a lot over the years. The rollercoaster still delights the crowds, and vendors haven’t stopped churning out those delicious donuts, but new ownership, a broad mandate and a demanding business model have changed how the PNE conducts its business. Nobody understands this better than Roger Gil, SUMMER 2013 Vice President of Finance for the PNE. “We’re part of the City of Vancouver but while the city subsidizes its parks, the PNE does not get any funding from the city,” Gil explains. “We are a separate, self-sustaining entity and we have to manage the business accordingly.” This means operating differently than other not-for-profit government organizations. As Gil says, “When you look at our business, we’re like a private for-profit entity. We talk about how we can maximize revenues, when to invest in capital to reduce expenses, new techniques to become more efficient, and possible ways to generate new revenue.” This is a necessary approach in large part because the PNE, once owned by the provincial government, has a mandate that extends beyond the two weeks at the end of the summer when the actual Fair takes place. The organization also maintains the entire Hastings Park site and manages the year-round activities that take place there – from Playland’s famous “Fright Nights” to concerts and sporting events at the Pacific Coliseum, and even community ice rentals at the Agrodome. Ensuring the PNE organization can sustain these activities is key to Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia keeping the whole enterprise running successfully. This imperative leads to business decisions such as the one announced earlier this year – to cut admission and parking prices for customers but keep the PNE’s gates closed on two Mondays during the Fair. “As with any business looking at becoming as efficient as possible, the main driver of this decision was to offer value to our customers,” Gil explains. “We get 800,000 people over a 17-day period but on those two Mondays we don’t get a lot of people. We’re able to save on those costs and pass those savings on to our customers by offering a 20 per cent discount on admission and parking. The overall goal is to make the Fair as successful as possible.” Gil may be one of the leaders responsible for big decisions like these at the PNE, but he’s also involved in a whole lot more. Gil gained much of his experience in large multinational corporations, but the smaller relative size of the PNE’s business offers him varied challenges. “In a large company, you tend to focus on just one thing. At the PNE, I look at everything – I’m responsible for financial analysis and statements, but also for IT and corporate services. I also get involved in strategy, which I wouldn’t get a chance to do in a larger organization. The breadth of what I’ve been involved in keeps things very interesting and challenging.” Gil was born and raised in East Vancouver, not far from the Pacific National Exhibition grounds. He achieved his CMA designation after getting intrigued during an information session at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Asked what his CMA training has enabled him to bring to the PNE, he reveals: “Because the CMA training teaches you to be entrepreneurial, whenever I look at a task, I try to think of different and better ways to do it.” He adds, “So if there is an idea to generate revenue or create a new event, I can ask the right questions – how do we do it, how do we organize it, will it make money or not?” Over his six years with the PNE, Gil has had many opportunities to apply that entrepreneurial approach, Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia “In a large company, you tend to focus on just one thing. At the PNE, I look at everything – I’m responsible for financial analysis and statements, but also for IT and corporate services. I also get involved in strategy, which I wouldn’t get a chance to do in a larger organization.” including during the Fair’s 100th anniversary and the 2010 Winter Olympics – the volunteer accreditation centre was located on the PNE grounds, and the Pacific Coliseum hosted figure skating and shorttrack speed skating. But Gil says one of the biggest highlights for both him and for the organization came later that year, when the PNE built and operated Empire Field, the temporary outdoor home of the BC Lions when BC Place was getting its new roof. It was what he calls an “immense and complex project” to build and operate a venue that would only be open for a year and a half. Empire Field was a success, and customers even asked at the end why it couldn’t stay open for other events after the Lions moved on. Gil says that this kind of success was only possible because of close coordination between all parts of his organization: “The cohesion between the various departments really made Empire Field effective and successful.” With the PNE hosting its 103rd Fair in summer 2013, Gil looks forward to what lies ahead. The PNE will undoubtedly continue to look for new ways to delight customers and generate revenue, but Gil says he’ll continue to make room for the classics; minidonuts, SuperDogs and the wooden rollercoaster won’t soon be crossed off his summer to-do list. ■ SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 27 Y CMA Scholarship Awards C MA British Columbia awarded CMA scholarships at 12 post-secondary institutions around the province to students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and an interest in management accounting. These scholarships – each worth $2,500 towards a remission of CMA fees – are designed to help emerging talent pursue a career in accounting and strategic management. Congratulations to these 2013 scholarship recipients. Y BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Y KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY Y TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY Vanessa Frydman Larisa Gorodetsky William B. Hards Memorial Scholarship Financial Management Diploma ACCT 4720 – Advanced Management Accounting Nicholas Buhler BUSI 324 – Management Accounting Ezra Benevoli Y OKANAGAN COLLEGE R. Glynn Spelliscy Award Bachelor of Technology Accounting Degree David Brodie Y CAPILANO UNIVERSITY Dick Lucas Memorial Scholarship BUAD 366 – Advanced Managerial Accounting Jesse Cowell Y SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Marian Easton Memorial Scholarship BFIN 431 – Advanced Management Accounting Siddharth Joshi WC Easton Scholarship BUS 478 – Strategic Management Y UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Kitty Ka I Wong Tom Kennedy Memorial Scholarship COMM 454 – Accounting for Management Control and Incentives Award recipients still to be determined at the time of publication for Camosun College, Vancouver Island University, Thompson Rivers University, University of British Columbia Diploma in Accounting Program and the University of Northern British Columbia. We thank the following individuals who made a donation to the CMA Scholarship Fund from July 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ D. Roberts Alexander, CMA, FCMA Joan Axford, CMA, FCMA Shirley Baker Colin Bennett, CMA, FCMA Elmer Benoit, CMA, FCMA Carl Bertholm, CMA Morley Brown, CMA Jennifer Bryant, CMA Hana Carbert, CMA, FCMA Roger Chan, CMA Bob Cheng, CMA Kam Choi, CMA Meryle Corbett, CMA, FCMA Roger Cradock, CMA, FCMA Paul Cumberland, CMA Alexander Dancs, CMA, FCMA Sandeep Dayal, CMA Angela Downey, CMA, FCMA 28 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Elaine Eccleston, CMA, FCMA Lois Etherington, CMA (Hon.) Gordon Farrell, CMA, FCMA James Fedorak, CMA, FCMA James Ferguson, CMA, FCMA Laara Gean, CMA E.George Hartmann, CMA, FCMA Peter Herz, CMA, FCMA Don Hincks, CMA, FCMA Daniel Ho, CMA Frank Hunaus, CMA, FCMA Ernest Iannacone, CMA, FCMA Stephen Joyce, CMA Patricia Kennedy, CMA, FCMA Brian Kennedy, CMA, FCMA Paul Kenney, CMA Shendi Keshet, CMA Sonya Lam, CMA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Dennis Lam, CMA John Lebidoff, CMA Lawrence Lee, AAT Henry Lenaghan, CMA Rick Lightheart, CMA, FCMA Dong Liu, CAN Donnie MacDonald, CMA, FCMA Joanna Malgorzata, CMA Ron Matthews, CMA, FCMA Donald McCay, CMA Eric McFarlane, CMA Christine McKinnon, CMA Aklilu Mulat, CMA, FCMA Sidney Norman, CMA, FCMA James Pammenter, CMA, FCMA Ron Park, CMA (Hon.) Vinetta Peek, CMA (Hon.), CMA Rob Pellatt, CMA, FCMA CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA and Donations ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Linda Penner, CMA George Pennock, CMA Simon Philp, CMA, FCMA M.Yvonne Pinder, CMA, FCMA Vincent Poon, CMA, FCMA Grant Rolph, CMA Peter Rook-Green, CMA Melinda Shum, AAT ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Robert Strachan, CMA, FCMA Robert Stuart, CMA, FCMA Robert E. Taylor, CMA, FCMA Ernest Tesluck, CMA Richard Thorpe, CMA, FCMA Dominic Tsui, CMA H. Turner, CMA Ronald Urquhart, CMA ■ ■ Barbara VanDerLinden, CMA, FCMA Kervin Vencanah, Candidate in the CMA Program ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Robert Venema, CMA, FCMA Andrew Wilczynski, TELUS, Employer matching Teddy Wong, CMA Peter Wong, CMA Christine Yip, CMA We’d like to extend a special thank you to the following individuals for their continued support of the CMA Scholarship Fund. These individuals have all donated more than $500 between January 1, 2008 and May 31, 2013. $500 - $1000 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Shirley Baker Emily Barcket, CMA Colin Bennett, CMA, FCMA Elmer Benoit, CMA, FCMA David Burke, CMA Roger Chan, CMA Bob Cheng, CMA Kam Choi, CMA Roger Cradock, CMA, FCMA Alexander Dancs, CMA, FCMA Sandeep Dayal, CMA G. Arnold Fry, CMA Katie Grove, CMA Donald Hincks, CMA, FCMA Daniel Ho, CMA G. Brian Hobson, CMA, FCMA Jozef Hubburmin, CMA Ernest Iannacone, CMA, FCMA Barbara Keyes, CMA Henry Lenaghan, CMA Jim Logan, CMA James Pammenter, CMA, FCMA Ronald Park, CMA, FCMA Grant Rolph, CMA Connie Shepherd, CMA Andrea Smulders, CMA Kelvin Stretch, CMA, FCMA Ernest Tesluck, CMA Dominic Tsui, CMA H. Turner, CMA Alladin Versi, CMA, FCMA Andrew Wilczynski, CMA Benjamin Yeung, CMA CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS | BRITISH COLUMBIA $1001 - $5000 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Bruce Dunn, CMA James Ferguson, CMA, FCMA George Hartmann, CMA, FCMA John Lebidoff, CMA Donnie MacDonald, CMA, FCMA Vincent Poon, CMA, FCMA ■ ■ ■ Robert Stuart, CMA, FCMA Richard Thorpe, CMA, FCMA Peter Wong, CMA $10,000+ ■ James Fedorak, CMA, FCMA SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 29 MEMBER Update Members on the move Congratulations to these CMA British Columbia members who have recently been promoted or accepted a new career opportunity: David Crawford CMA Perry Keung CMA Matt Murray CMA Y David Crawford, CMA has joined the Vancouver Board of Trade as Vice President. Previously, David was Director of Finance and Operations with Grant Thornton LLP. Y Perry Keung, CMA has been promoted to Director, Commercial Real Estate Finance for Bank of Montreal. He was previously a Credit Analyst with BMO. Y Linda Lucas, CMA is now Chief Operating Officer for KNV Chartered Accountants. Linda was previously 30 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 Linda Lucas CMA Tom Peerless CMA Director of Finance at Davis LLP. Y Carrie Lyle, MBA, CMA, CIM has joined ScotiaMcLeod as Wealth Advisor, Portfolio Manager. She was previously President, Portfolio Manager at ZLC Private Investment Management Inc. Y David Macdonald, CMA is now Director of Finance at bcdiabetes.ca. David Carrie Lyle MBA, CMA, CIM Grant Poje CMA David Macdonald CMA Earl Reyes CMA was previously Operations Manager at REACH Community Health Centre. Y Matt Murray, CMA has been promoted to Director of Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis at TELUS. Matt was formerly the company’s Controller for Corporate Financial Planning. Y Tom Peerless, CMA is now Director, Audit Services at Have you recently joined a board of directors, received a promotion, moved to a new company, or received another honour? Submissions to Members Update can be emailed to tiana@cmabc.com. the BC Pension Corporation. Tom was previously Director, Internal Audit & Enterprise Risk at HP Advanced Solutions. Y Grant Poje, CMA is now Vice President of Sales Operations at Whitewater West Industries. Grant was Director of Sales at StemCell Technologies. Y Earl Reyes, CMA has recently accepted a new position as Business Analyst at Nicola Wealth Management, after five years at Central 1 Credit Union. Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia Awards, accolades and appointments Congratulations to the following members for their recent achievements: Y Helen Ghabel, CMA, Vice President of Finance for YWCA Metro Vancouver and Cathy McLay, CMA, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Finance and Corporate Services with TransLink, were both recognized with “CFO of the Year” awards by Business in Vancouver. Helen Ghabel Y Colin Bennett, CMA, FCMA has been appointed to the board of the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of British Columbia. Y Peter Norwood, FCA, FCMA Cathy McLay has been awarded the Ritchie McCloy Award for CA Volunteerism. Peter is currently a member of the CPA Certification Steering Committee (CSC), CPA Prerequisite Education Program and CPA Practical Experience working groups, playing a vital role in creating the new CPA education program. New Faces Welcome to new members of CMA British Columbia from other provinces: Y Rob Godding, CMA has relocated to Vancouver from Regina. Rob is currently a Financial Reconciliation Associate for Raymond James. Rob Godding Y Henry Tran, CMA has recently moved to Victoria from Ottawa where he was an Income Tax Auditor at Canada Revenue Agency. Henry is currently a Senior Auditor at the Ministry of Health with BC Public Service. Henry Tran Edward received his CMA in 1964 in Quebec. He retired in 1983 after being employed with Bell Canada for almost 40 years as Supervisor, Internal Audits-EDP. Edward passed away on March 14, 2013, at the age of 83. William R. Meredith, CMA – Surrey, B.C. William received his CMA in 1969. Before retiring in 2001, he found employment in a number of industries from forestry to health care and various small businesses, where he worked in data processing, accounting and office management as a manager, senior financial officer and accountant. Active within the community, he volunteered for over 40 years with the Knights of Columbus. Bill passed away on March 28, 2013, at the age of 77. Kenneth A. Simpson, CMA – Vancouver, B.C. Kenneth received his CMA in 1962. Prior to his retirement in 1989, he worked for Vancouver General Hospital as their Capital Accountant. He served as the Society’s Provincial President from 1968-69, and volunteered on the Education Committee and the Planning and Development Committee, as well as the 1982 and 1992 National Conference Committees. In 1993 Ken was granted Life Membership by the Society. He passed away on April 3, 2013. Gordon received his CMA in 1974. Before retiring in 1993, Gordon worked for Westcoast Energy as Supervisor, Financial Planning for 24 years as well as Emil Anderson Construction as Field Office Manager for over 10 years. Gordon passed away on January 31, 2013, at the age of 87. Philip received his CMA in 1959. During his career with Esco Ltd., he progressed from a supervisor position in the Data Processing and Costing Department to Director of Management Information Services, a position he held for 19 years. After retiring in 1985, Philip volunteered for CESO, travelling to developing countries and lending his expertise as an advisory accountant. He passed away last year at the age of 89. Y If you would like to send a note of condolence to Y Jing Feng Yu, CMA, MBA Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia Edward A. Lepine, CMA – Shawnigan Lake, B.C. Philip T. Wood, CMA – Vancouver, B.C. Y Tommy Wong, CMA has moved to Hong Kong from Toronto. He is currently a Lecturer at the Open University of Hong Kong. has moved to Shenzhen, China, from Montreal. She is now a Financial Manager at Huawei. We wish to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of the following members who recently passed away: Gordon T. Umbach, CMA – North Vancouver, B.C. Y Amanda Terpenkas, CMA, CIA has moved to Vancouver from Calgary where she was a Senior Internal Auditor at TransAlta Corporation. She is currently a Senior Internal Controls Analyst at Finning International. Members in memoriam Jing Feng Yu members’ family and friends, contact Rick Lightheart, CMA, FCMA at 604-484-7004; 1-800-663-9646, ext. 7004; or rlightheart@cmabc.com. SUMMER 2013 CMA UPDATE 31 PROGRAM UPDATES Post-Merger Education Understanding the new CPA Program By BOB Gautama, CMA A s we move closer to establishing the CPA designation in B.C., our current CMA education program is in the process of being phased out. Beginning this September, CMA BC and the CA School of Business (CASB) are starting to train British Columbia’s new generation of CPAs, with the first graduates expected by Fall 2015. The CPA Program is being developed nationally, but delivered regionally, and builds on the best of existing education programs, creating a challenging and rigorous certification process that meets the needs of business, public practice and government. The CPA certification program consists of: Academic prerequisites including an undergraduate degree and specific subject area coverage; Graduate-level CPA Professional Education Program; Evaluation throughout and common final examination; and, Relevant practical work experience. What exactly does the new program look like? ■ ■ ■ ■ 32 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 There are many similarities to our current CMA Program; candidates are still required to complete a number of prerequisites in accounting, finance and strategy in their undergraduate degree or through the new CPA Prerequisite Education Program before entering the two-year CPA Professional Education Program leading to the CPA designation. Consistent with CMA standards, all students entering the CPA Professional Education Program are required to have Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia CPA PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM (CPA PEP) ACADEMIC PREREQUISITES 1 CORE 2 CORE 1 an undergraduate degree from a recognized postsecondary institution. CPa Prerequisite Education Program Similar to the CMA Accelerated Program, the CPA Prerequisite Education Program (CPA PREP) is designed for those who have an educational background in a discipline other than accounting and lack some or all of the prerequisite courses required for admission to the CPA Professional Education Program. CPA PREP is delivered on a part-time basis, combining online learning, self-study and classroom learning. A modularized program, students complete only those modules they require. There are 12 modules in CPA PREP, ranging in length from one to 14 weeks. In B.C., we launched Module 5 – Intermediate and Advanced Financial Accounting – in July and will be opening registration for subsequent modules two months prior to when classes for those modules begin. As the program has been developed nationally, students who may need to move are able to transfer completed CPA PREP modules to another province. This transferability is a benefit to students, as the CMA Accelerated Program course format and length differed between provinces and had to be completed in its entirety in order to be recognized. istoCK CPa Professional Education Program The two-year CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) combines the best of the CMA, CA and CGA programs, and incorporates technical topics with a capstone integrative module ending with a three-day Common Final Examination. CPA PEP is delivered on a part-time basis and is a modular program designed to offer CPA candidates greater flexibility and the ability to customize their training toward a specific area of focus. There is an evaluation after each module, which candidates must pass before proceeding to the next one. Using a blended learning model, CPA PEP combines online learning, self-study and classroom learning. The format of CPA PEP differs from the CMA Strategic Leadership Program in that there are two technical core modules and two elective modules. The elective modules are where candidates choose an area of specialization – assurance, tax, performance management or finance. Candidates wishing to pursue a career in public accounting must take the assurance and tax modules. The Capstone Elective Module focuses on the development of enabling competencies such as Certified MAnAgeMent ACCoUntAnts | British ColUMBiA 2 ELECTIVE ELECTIVE CAPSTONE INTEGRATIVE MODULE CAPSTONE EVALUATION PREPARATION FINAL EVALUATION CPA CPa Prerequisite Education Program Modules Module 1 – introductory financial Accounting Module 2 – introductory Management Accounting Module 3 – economics* Module 4 – statistics* Module 5 – intermediate and Advanced financial Accounting Module 6 – Corporate finance Module 7 – Audit and Assurance Module 8 – tax Module 9 – intermediate and Advanced Management Accounting Module 10 – strategy and governance Module 11 – Business law* Module 12 – information technology* * these modules are available as self-study modules leadership and the integration of core competencies through case studies and a final report, much like the Board Report in the CMA Strategic Leadership Program. As the final step in their CPA studies, candidates write a multi-day Common Final Examination at the end of the CPA Program. Candidates are expected to complete relevant practical work experience in accounting or finance as part of the CPA PEP. The practical experience guidelines will be released next year, but all candidates will be required to complete 30 months of work experience in an accounting and finance role. There will be two experience pathways – approved path (positions offered by offices/organizations in training paths approved by the profession), and experience verification (positions supervised/mentored by a CPA who may or may not be employed by the candidate’s employer). In the experience verification pathway, candidates will not be required to work for specific pre-approved employers. So, what are the main differences between the new CPA Program and the CMA Program? There is no National Entrance Exam before entering the professional program (CPA PEP) and applicants will be required to complete a multi-day exam at the end; moreover, the pre-professional program, CPA PREP, is now modular versus the ninemonth format of the CMA Accelerated Program. To learn more about the CPA Program, members can visit bccpa.ca and cpacanada.ca. ■ BOB GAUTAMA, CMA is Vice President, Programs, at CMA British Columbia. sUMMer 2013 CMA UPDATE 33 Tammy Towill, CMA, FCMA and Pat Kennedy, CMA, FCMA. Passing the Torch About your new Chair and Past Chair U pdate recently interviewed Tammy Towill, CMA, FCMA – Chair, and Pat Kennedy, CMA, FCMA – Past Chair of the CMA British Columbia Board of Directors on their transition, as well as their vision for the designation and the accounting profession in B.C. Update: Pat, it’s been quite a year for you as Chair given the merger discussions in BC. What will you miss? Pat: It’s been demanding, rewarding, fun and stressful – but a highlight of my career. I’m privileged to be involved with this important transition for our profession. The CMA BC board is a smart and successful group, and is without doubt, one of the most highly functioning boards I’ve encountered – they are principled, always strategic and not head down “in the weeds.” The strategic focus of this board and their commitment to the merger process has been nothing short of exceptional and has made my term a real privilege. Update: Do you have any advice for Tammy as the incoming Chair? Pat: Get ready to become the ultimate time management expert. Rely on the excellent team you’ve built and enjoy the ride. Tammy is one of the best strategic thinkers I know, plus her great sense of humour will come in handy! Update: Tammy, any changes you plan to make in the coming year? Is your role as Chair changing given the merger? Tammy: The Past Chairs have done an incredible job in laying the foundation for our board – things are working well so I don’t plan on making huge changes. I want to provide a passionate and thoughtful voice at the Transitional Steering Committee, which is working on merging the three B.C. accounting bodies. 34 CMA UPDATE SUMMER 2013 This coming year is a transition year and the focus is how we, as a Board, can best engage our members as we fulfill our responsibilities to the legacy CMA organization, while also taking an active role in creating our new designation and body – the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC. I start my year as Chair with a board retreat which is bringing together the boards and executives of CMA, CA and CGA. I feel this is the first step to unifying our brand and organization, as we build relationships through its most important ambassadors – the members. Update: What are some of your biggest challenges in the coming year? Tammy: The role of Chair is a big job, and I’ll need to find balance between being Chair, my family (did I mention I have 14-year old twin girls!) and my work commitments. For my fellow Board members, I want to ensure they feel adequately engaged and informed; active communication is essential and is a priority for me this year. Update: Why did you choose to get involved with the CMA British Columbia board? Tammy: I’ve been passionate about CMA since graduation – more than 17 years ago. All my experiences with CMA, as a volunteer or moderator in the Strategic Leadership Program, have given me inspiration. I was looking for a new challenge in 2009, after I’d completed my board roles with the American Marketing Association of BC, when I was asked to run for the CMABC board – I haven’t looked back since. Pat: I am a huge cheerleader of the CMA designation. It opened doors for me professionally and being asked to consider running for the board was an honour and a privilege that I couldn’t pass up. ■ Certified Management Accountants | British Columbia a LOOK BaCK aT Cma HISTORy Timeline 1920 – The founding of the Canadian Society of Cost Accountants (now CMA Canada). 1945 - The Society of Industrial and Cost Accountants of BC (now CMA BC) is incorporated. 1953 – The first BC Life Membership is presented to one of the B.C. Society’s founding members, Robert A. McIntyre. 1978 – The Society of Management Accountants of Canada, now CMA Canada, approves the granting of Fellowships (FCMA). Nine B.C. CMAs become FCMAs in 1979. 1 3 2 1985 – The Society’s designation changes from Registered Industrial Accountant (RIA) to Certified Management Accountant (CMA). 1991 – The Association of Accounting Technologists (AAT) is established in B.C. 1995 – CMA BC celebrates its 50th year. 2000 – The Professional Program is revised and renamed the Strategic Leadership Program (SLP). 2003 – The CMA Executive Program is established 4 Photo 1: Graduating class of 1973. Photo 2: J. Vern Gibson, President of the Board of directors, presents R. Glynn Spelliscy with Life membership at the 1980 convocation. Photo 3: Celebrating at the 1973 convocation. Photo 4: 1989 medalists: Rosalind Breckner (Gold), Susanne Kelley (Silver) and Rowena Lim (Bronze). Photo 5: Graduating class of 2012. in B.C. 2007 – Update newsletter becomes Update magazine, a 30-plus page print magazine distributed to all B.C. members. 2008 – B.C. membership climbs to over 4,000 certified members (CMAs). 2011 – CMA BC announces discussion of a merger with all three accounting bodies in B.C. 2012 – CMA BC and ICABC sign an agreement to 5 pursue a merger on Oct 19, 2012. 2013 – B.C.’s accountants unite under the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation; the agreement to pursue a merger is signed by CMA BC, ICABC and CGA-BC on May 8, 2013. Cma British Columbia membership 2012-2013 Cmas – 4,958 Candidates & students – 1,295 aaTs – 234 Cma ad campaigns over the years.