January 2007Issue 1

Certified Management Accountants • British Columbia

Champions of InnovatIonhow CEos inspire innovation within their organizations

Innovation… as a way of being

Success through strategic marketing

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in this issue

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CMA Spotlight 6 | Champions of Innovation

meet two CEos that are inspiring innovation within their organization.

9 | Sharing Best Practices how does your organization build an innovative business culture?

Strategy Report11 | An Innovation Strategy of Engagement at

the Vancouver Board of Trade a story about innovation based on learning, education and training, permission and a ‘perfect storm’ of research on the power of positive networking.

Accounting Scope19 | Financial Facts & Money Matters

finding a more tax-efficient solution for employee benefits.

CMA News21 | Convocation Highlights

166 new Cmas, 5 Life members, and 5 fCmas welcomed at the 2006 Convocation Ceremony.

Management View13 | Success through

Strategic Marketing The value of strategic marketing as a tool to cut through the noise in the marketplace – to get noticed and to be remembered.

15 | Innovation…as a way of being The source of innovation starts with how you think about innovation and how your environment reflects that thinking.

20 | Notes from the Desk of Minister Rick Thorpe an update on small Business in BC.

24 | Elite Employer Program new opportunity for Top Employers.

25 | Career Connections over 400 participants and 20 exhibitors were in attendance at another successful Career Connections.

26 | Changes to the CMA Program Keep up to date with new changes to the Cma program in view of the Cma Canada Competency map.

We are excited to offer this inaugural issue of Update magazine to all Cmas and Cma students in British Columbia.

Redesigning Update from a newsletter to a magazine has been a huge undertaking, and not one without risk, but we felt that it was a necessary step towards improving the publication and bringing more added-value to our members. With this initiative, we dedicate this issue to the single most important challenge for business managers – making innovation work.

In today’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic marketplace – with global presence, pervasive technology, and increasing diversity – innovation has become the new currency of competition. It is the key to building quality growth, identifying new market opportunities, and maintaining a long-term competitive advantage. Most importantly, it’s a differentiator that turns concepts into real services, products, processes or business models.

In this issue, Update provides you with a how-to tool kit of lessons and case studies that address how to build an innovative business culture and dispel the specific problems that managers face in changing their organizations. We showcase champions of innovation inside big corporations, offer the best of strategic marketing practices, demonstrate the importance of the environment in sourcing innovation, and feature positive networking as an innovative tool to surpass objectives.

Keep in touch, and help share your news and thoughts. Email us to submit your stories, ideas, and comments.Please note: If an article is published about you in British Columbia and identifies you as a CMA, please forward it to us to ensure that we are up to date with your news and information.

Update Editors

Vinetta Peek Vice President, Marketing & Communications

vinetta@cmabc.com

Want to advertise in the next issue of Update? Contact Vinetta Peek at 604.484.7003 or vinetta@cmabc.com.

executive board Chair FredZdan,CMA

Past Chair KarenBotham,CMA,FCMA

First Vice Chair MehbJessa,CMA

Second Vice Chair MiaMaki,CMA,FCMA

Treasurer BruceBelsher,CMA

Secretary ColinBennett,CMA,FCMA

directors at large MeryleCorbett,CMADavidDeGit,CMAGrahamFane,CMA,FCMAMarkKennedy,CMADonaldaMacDonald,CMAJoanMar,BCom,CMARonMatthews,CMALyndonPeterson,AAT,CMARobertA.Strachan,CMA,FCMA

executive staffPresident and CEO ColinBennett,CMA,FCMA

Vice President, Marketing & Communications VinettaPeek

Vice President, Accreditation Programs IrwinDeVries

Vice President, Operations RickLightheart,CMA,FCMA

update staffVice President, Marketing & Communications VinettaPeek

Communications Coordinator JacquelineKhouw

Graphic Design

ProfileDesignGroupInc.

A Note to ReadersUpdate ispublishedthreetimesayearbytheCertifiedManagementAccountantsSocietyofBritishColumbiaandismailedto4000CMAs,1000CMAstudents,andindustrypartnersthroughouttheprovince.OpinionsexpressedarenotnecessarilyendorsedbyCMABritishColumbia.

Editorial and Business OfficeSuite1055TwoBentallCentre,555BurrardSt.,Box269Vancouver,BC,V7X1M8Phone:604.687.5891•Toll-free:1.800.663.9646Fax:604.687.6688Email: cmabc@cmabc.com Website: www.cmabc.com We welcome your feedback.

Copyright CMA British Columbia 2007.

Certified Management Accountants • British Columbia

C M a U P Dat E | J a n U a RY 2 0 0 7 | C e r t i f i e d m a n a g e m e n t a c c o u n t a n t s | B r i t i s h C o l u m b i aeditor’s note4 |

Jacqueline Khouw Communications Coordinator

jacqueline@cmabc.com

Editor’s note

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initiatives on the GoWe are proud to announce that the first provincial conference will take place on May 9-11 at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre in downtown Vancouver. Featured speakers include New York Times Best Seller Freakonomics co-author Stephen Dubner, Captain of the Canadian Women’s Olympic Hockey Team Cassie Campbell, and Peacekeeper with the Canadian Armed Forces Angela Mondou. CPLD sessions will also be offered between plenary speaking events.

Another key component of the conference will be an awards dinner, where we will be presenting an award to a CMA Employer of the Year, as well as recognizing a CMA British Columbia member who has gone above and beyond to epitomize the CMA brand and who has also given back to their community. The Honourable Rick Thorpe, CMA, Minister of Small Business and Revenue will be our presenter that evening. Mark these dates on your calendar and watch for more information to be sent over the next few months.

We have implemented changes to the accreditation process to ensure alignment with the new CMA Canada Competency Map. This Competency Map defines the three ‘pillars’ of the profession - accounting, management and strategy - that make the CMA a unique strategic accounting professional. By adopting a competency-based approach to accreditation, CMA can maintain its commitment to an accreditation process that is rigorous and meets the rapidly changing needs of business.

We continue to promote our profession to post secondary institutions, high schools, and employers through information sessions , advertising , scholarships, career fairs and other activities. Other promotional vehicles include our newest member benefits cmabcjobs.com and the Elite Employer Program, which are making an impression in the employer market, and which we see growing in importance over the next year. We also have a greater presence in the high school market through the launch of the high school case competition and scholarship program where 20 schools and 120 students are currently enrolled to participate.

As we launch this magazine and mark the start of a

new year, we continue to focus on heightening the

profile, influence and image of CMAs, and recruit

more people into all our pathway programs to the

CMA designation. An important strategic goal for

our Society is net quality growth. This focus on long

term growth drives the many exciting initiatives that

are shaping the future of the designation.

Message from Your president & Chair

fred Zdan, Cma Chair

Email: chair@cmabc.com

Colin Bennett, Cma, fCma President and CEO

Direct: 604.484.7002 or 1.800.66�.9646 ext. 7002

pride in the professionWith these initiatives, we encourage you to join in and promote the CMA message. Our profes-sion has earned its standing across all sectors of Canadian and international business in large part due to the diligent efforts of our members. It is through these efforts that we can ensure that CMA continues to grow to a whole new generation of strategic financial management professionals.

Comments?We encourage you to contact us, and share your feedback, criticism, comments, and suggestions. We look forward to the discussion.

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The Great Little Box Company was recognized as BC’s Best Company to Work for in 2006 by BC Business Magazine and Watson Wyatt.Robert Meggy’s innovative management strategy is based on one notion – “People are our #1 asset”.

“When I set out 25 years ago to turn around a box manufacturing company in receivership, the focus quickly became the employees,” states Mr. Meggy. “It is clear that happy and motivated em-ployees are the key to success and longevity.”

With more than 185 employees, the Great Little Box Company is widely acknowledged for its pro-gressive human resource practices, including its open door management policy and rewarding benefits and incentives. While most companies have a hiring pro-cess that involves 2-3 interviews, GLBC maintains a rigorous hiring process that involves 9 interviews for

Champions of

Innovationmeet two forward thinking leaders who wear the titles Cma and CEo, and are inspiring innovation within their organization through unique strategic management. here are their stories.

Robert meggy, Cma, fCma President, Great Little Box Company

any position anywhere in the company. “The biggest reason why people leave a company is fit or culture,” Mr. Meggy says. “It’s like a marriage – but you spend most of your waking hours with the people that you work with rather than the people at home.”

Mr. Meggy’s bottom line value - “We all have needs and wants. At GLBC, we try to cover all the basic needs and wants of employees.” Here are Robert Meggy’s top tips on running a business:

1) Recognizing Good WorkMr. Meggy encourages healthy competition and in-vests heavily in creating a positive and rewarding atmosphere with strong recognition programs. “We measure everything – once it’s measured, it can be recognized,” he emphasizes. “It’s important to have effective systems in place to recognize good work.”

Employee achievements are celebrated at monthly all-staff meetings, and all employees have a financial stake in the company’s success. “We have incorporated a monthly profit-sharing program where we pay out 15% of the profits equally,” says Mr. Meggy. “In a good month, an employee would make $300.”

If the company meets or exceeds the annual stretch profit goal, everyone takes part in the BOX award (Big Outrageous Extravaganza) - an all-inclu-sive 5-day trip to an exciting destination. Previous destinations include Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Val-larta and Las Vegas.

2) Sharing InformationMr. Meggy believes it’s important to empower employees by sharing financial statements and business operation updates, and welcoming questions and suggestions. Mr. Meggy notes “It’s very hard to feel like you’re part of a company if you don’t know what’s happening. I find that when we started sharing financial information, employees started caring more about what was going on.”

“And there are no surprises,” he adds. “We ed-ucate our employees about how to read financial statements. We talk about things being good and bad. As such, the company’s always changing, but you never hear anyone complaining about it be-cause they’re always a part of it.”

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Employees are encouraged to share their ideas for the business. Mr. Meggy states, “Every six months, I conduct meetings in the boardroom and ask everybody “if you had $1000 in the company, what would you spend it on to improve it?” Wheth-er it’s improving customer service, increasing sales, decreasing costs, conducting analysis, or focusing on employee wellness and worklife balance, every idea is rewarded.

3) Conducting ReviewsAs part of his focus on measurement, all employees are quarterly and annually reviewed where they have a one-hour meeting with their direct supervisor to review themselves, their direct supervisors, and the company. “The most important person in the

company is the direct supervisor,” Mr. Meggy points out. “If there’s a problem with a supervisor, this is the opportunity to bring it out.”

Annual reviews are conducted in greater detail and based on long-term planning – 5 or 10 years out. “Even if employees plan on not being with the company in the future, it’s important to discuss both their short- and long-term goals and help them get to where they want to be,” he believes.

To ensure that the review process is thorough, the company conducts a detailed, annual, anon-ymous survey. Mr. Meggy says, “We are always striving for a new level of competitiveness, and this starts with knowing exactly what’s going on and al-tering the strategic plan accordingly.”

“ innovation isn’t magic,” states Jane peverett.

“ it arises most often from good minds focused on the right objectives.”

Jane peverett, Cma, fCma President, BC Transmission Corporation

At the BC Transmission Corporation, Ms. Peverett believes that things can always be done better tomorrow than they are done today. That’s why the focus has been, and will continue to be, innovation.

Jane Peverett runs an organization that plays an important role in advancing the BC economy. Her company is responsible for the large electricity transmission lines in the province with over 18,000 km of high voltage transmission lines that bring the electricity from where it is generated (up north and in the interior) to where it is consumed (primarily the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island).

Their current challenge is that BC no longer has a surplus of electricity. In fact, for the last 5 years, we have been net importers of electricity. And our reli-ance on imported electricity will continue to grow, unless we start to build more generation in BC.

Ms. Peverett explains, “By 2020, demand for electricity in this province will increase by almost 50% - driven by the hot economy, an escalating population and increasing use by all of us, as our daily lives go more electric all the time. And the transmission lines needed to bring it to your home or business also need to be built. That is BCTC’s responsibility.”

In these difficult times, innovation is a core value in their company. To help employees under-stand what they are looking for when asked to be innovative, they describe innovation as follows:Innovation

We continuously seek ways to improve We value creativity We set high performance objectives We understand and effectively manage risk

“Innovation thrives in cultures where people feel comfortable expressing their opinions and offering their ideas,” expresses Ms. Peverett.

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CMA Spotlight CMA Spotlight

At BCTC, she encourages everyone to partici-pate in the decision-making processes and makes sure that ideas are discussed, not squashed. This starts with senior management leading by example.

“Since I became CEO 18 months ago, I have put in place all six of the other executives of the company,” says Ms. Peverett. “In making these key appointments, I thought carefully about how open these executives would be to the ideas of others.”

Innovation has also been built into their thinking process. “Each year, as part of the performance discussions that managers have with their employees, they talk about how they demonstrated innovation during the year,” Ms. Peverett states.

Innovation aside, Ms. Peverett recognizes that “change can be threatening or it can be energizing. People tend to find change threatening when they do not understand what it means for them.” She advises, “The best way to make change is to communicate – often and openly – about what it means for people. That allows them to take charge of their lives and plan to thrive in the change.”

As a result of their innovative culture and adaptability to change, the BCTC has developed new business strategies.

“Electricity is a wonderful blend of old technology and new technology,” says Ms. Peverett.

“We operate wires that are 50 years old, but now we operate them in new ways, so that we can move more electricity on the existing infrastructure.”

One very important example is real time rating of transmission lines. “Throughout the industry, the capacity of a circuit is typically determined when the circuit is put into place,” states Ms. Peverett. “It was based on a handful of limiting factors, one of which was how hot the wire could be allowed to get. The rating was based on the hottest summer day to ensure that the circuit would never overheat and be damaged.”

But at BCTC, they have come up with a way to continuously measure the actual temperature of the circuit, which allows them to push more electricity through the circuit when the air is cold and cools the wire. That allows BCTC to move more electricity on the existing circuits in the winter when it is cold – which is exactly when we need the electricity for heating.

The government has said that they intend to return BC to electricity self-sufficiency, which means that more generation and electricity transmission will need to be built in BC.

Ms. Peverett reveals, “We have a plan to invest $3.2 billion in new electricity transmission infra-structure in BC over the next 10 years. It’s a huge challenge for us. And I’m excited to be a part of it.”

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“Innovation isn’t an action - for us it’s a habit. Three key elements have promoted an innovative culture at Bull, Housser & Tupper: continuous professional development, extensive use of technology, and an objective and ongoing analysis of operations.

We have an extensive Professional Development program designed to create an environment where continuous knowledge and improvement are both encouraged and expected. That concept is reinforced by numerous activities throughout the year.

With technology, it’s about creating the mindset that we are early adopters. By providing the raw tools - an extensive Intranet platform, client Extranets, Blackberries, remote server access from anywhere - and backing them up with excellent support personnel and a full-time trainer, we’ve developed a workplace

where people can see the tangible benefits new technologies can deliver. That has created an openness to explore new technology, and an expectation that we will be leaders, not followers.

On the operations side, we strive for continuous improvement aimed at cost reductions and efficiency gains. We recently partnered with a consulting group to review all of our supplier relationships and improve processes. Through a competitive process with our suppliers and consolidated spending we realized significant savings. As an organization, focusing on cost control pushes us to constantly innovate.

These elements provide us with the tools to promote a culture to reach our ultimate goal of providing the best client service and legal advice to help our clients’ innovations.”

sharing Best practices it’s no secret that companies are scrambling to transform themselves from cultures driven by cost and quality control to growth and creative thinking. But what, exactly, does that entail?

sandra Delayen Cma Director of Administration, Bull, housser & Tupper

CMA Spotlight CMA Spotlight

how does your organization build an innovative business culture?

harold Burgess, Cma Assistant Controller,

fairmont hotels and Resorts

“With a loyal, passionate and proud band of colleagues, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts guarantees guests an unrivaled stay experience, featuring warm and engaging service, in authentic and unparalleled locations. One of the leading factors of Fairmont’s success has been our ability to be a market leader with innovative new programs and services for our customers. For example, at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, management has fostered an engaging workplace where colleagues have the right tools and training and feel empowered to make informed decisions.Across the brand, ideas are constantly rolled out and adjusted to best reflect their destination and the core customer base of their hotel. In fact, the brand, and its proactive employees, have been singled out for having an innovative attitude when it comes to service excellence. In

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2006, Fairmont was recognized, for the fifth consecutive year, as the only hotel company in a survey of Canada’s Top 100 Employers by Maclean’s magazine. Fairmont has also been honored by Fast Company magazine, an authority on business and business practices, as an Employee Innovator for creating empathetic orientation programs that enable Fairmont employees to put themselves in their guests’ shoes. Over the last five years, Fairmont has also been working at building its infrastructure through various initiatives such as streamlining its technology operations to focus on company wide standards. This function leads to greater communication between hotels and colleagues and enables them to share things such as best practices and customer preferences throughout the Fairmont portfolio.”

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Gail Budd, Cma Partner and Controller,

Rethink advertising

“Just as a landscaper will tell you to live with a yard for a while to see where the natural paths form before laying a fixed path, Rethink builds their policies and procedures to fit the company’s culture and environment.We create an open and equal work environment to encourage co-operation and teamwork:

Break down the walls and give everyone – even the boss – the same furniture, and the same size workspace.

Build meeting rooms that encourage brainstorming – one wall blackboard paint, one wall cork.

Use multipurpose furniture. A ping-pong table as a boardroom table and as layout space.

Sharing Best Practices [cont’d]

We are flexible and focus on what really matters to people:

Choose clients that we believe in and respect; ensure there is creative opportunity and fair compensation.

Allow flexible work hours and give everyone 3 weeks paid vacation.

Encourage staff through paid time off to volunteer in the community.

Make it possible for parents to work 1 day/week from home without any reduction in pay. All it takes is a laptop and a cell phone.

Close down the office, and bring everyone together for teambuilding and some mindless fun.

Allow staff to bring their dog to work. Great for the dog owner, and everyone else. Stressed out? Nothing calms you down more than playing with the office dogs.”

an Innovation Strategy of Engagement at the vancouver Board of trade

The ChallengeFor over a decade until 2003, The Vancouver Board of Trade’s membership languished around the 4,000 mark. This fact was itself a worthy achievement given widespread erosion in chamber of commerce and association membership over many years, continent-wide. The Toronto Board of Trade’s membership, for example, fell 7000 (40%) in the ‘90’s. The trend of falling engagement was reflected in most facets of social activity—from parent/teach-er association attendance, to voter turnout, to active church participation.

Harvard Dean, Robert Putnam, chronicled the phenomenon in his award-winning book, Bowling Alone (Simon and Shuster 2000). Bowling was a metaphor for citizen disengagement. While more were bowling, they only did it with their close friends; league bowling was down 40 percent since the 1960’s. Generally, fewer people were engaged in society, groups and associations. Individuals and corporations increasingly turned inward. They became ‘silo-centric.’

The Strategy The challenge in reframing a Board growth strategy was exacerbated by the ‘hollowing-out’ of large enterprises in Vancouver, beginning in the early ‘90’s. More than 100 medium-large corporate offices disappeared through mergers, acquisitions and relocations. The strategy would have to be extremely innovative—pulling the proverbial rabbit out of a hat.

Public policy initiatives—like tackling the federal debt—have always been a core activity of The Board of Trade. When Finance Minister Paul Martin stopped The Board’s famous debt clock in 1998, it made headlines around the world. The

Nexus lane at the border, devolution of Vancouver International Airport, and reductions in Vancouver’s high business property taxes were only a few of The Board’s high-impact successes. Even though public policy doesn’t sell memberships directly, it was key to the brand and vital to the strategy.

Another core activity was programs: speakers; education; and, events. Here, the Board’s high quality offerings were expanded. The Distinguished Speaker’s Program, with speakers such as Prince Philip, George Bush Sr., Jane Goodall, Lee Kwan Yew and Michael Dell would now be complemented by new offerings. The Greater Vancouver Leadership Summit, the BC Economic Forum, and Manager’s Toolbox and Board Bootcamp seminars targeted professionals, managers and entrepreneurs. The innovative Leaders of Tomorrow Program enrolled more than a hundred graduating university students as Board members annually. Total offerings were expanded to over 500 annual events and meetings. Disney-style standards of service were adopted.

A fresh website (4,000+ pages of information), a revamped monthly Sounding Board newspaper and a new and energized membership team were all vital innovative increments for change. But what else could we do to give us a greater comparative advan-tage? What innovation—what “change that creates a new dimension of performance” (Drucker)—could we make? The answer was right before us.

The Board had achieved an enviable reputation as the top networking venue in the region. It was something members valued. Peter C. Newman even commented on this in his best-seller, The Titans. Following that endorsement, we began hosting monthly new-member networking training seminars. While very popular, something was still missing—the conceptual underpinnings of the networking discipline. Homework time.

Generally, people are not very good at networking. Most don’t like it, and many feel it is a waste of effort. Two partners, Gayle Hallgren and Judy Thomson, and I began doing research for a book on the subject. We were coached by Dan Muzyka, Dean of the Sauder School of Business at UBC and encouraged by Board chairman, Peter Legge. And what a treasure-trove of new research we stumbled upon! It helped create a new ethos: engagement through positive networking, the cornerstone of The Board’s new growth strategy.

By Darcy Rezac Managing Director,

Vancouver Board of Trade

This is a story about innovation based on learning, education and training, permission and a ‘perfect storm’ of research on the power of positive networking.

Strategy Report

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book. Published in early 2003, it provided the basis for the Board’s new corporate strategy. New findings in sociology, psychology and mathematics became a beacon for change. In Putnam’s bowling parlance, it was right up our alley.

So, what is positive networking? Positive net-working is discovering what we can do for someone else. It is not all about us. Positive networking is based upon relationships, trust and reputation, rather than referrals and sales. In fact, it’s the over-emphasis on sales that gives traditional networking—transac-tional networking–its well-deserved bad rap.

Positive networking is also about permission: giving ourselves, and those we meet, permission to connect and build relationships. It’s how over 250,000 name cards are exchanged at Board of Trade events annually. People gather with a sense of purpose to work on a policy presentation to government, to hear a learned speaker or to participate in a professional development seminar. They are given permission to network—positively. It is this incidental, even oblique, benefit that adds so much value to the membership experience.

The Bottom LineThrough an ethos of positive networking, corporate, professional and personal well-being—happiness—has become The Board’s stock in trade. We even appointed our comptroller – Jack Wong, CMA – Chief Happiness Officer. How well has it worked? Very well indeed. Over the past four years, membership has increased by 30% to 5500 (see Membership Totals chart). We have become merchants of engagement.

3,957

4,228

4,3844,437 4,436

4,404 4,3864,354 4,324

4,2744,320

4,675

4,982

5,331

5,487

3,800

4,000

4,200

4,400

4,600

4,800

5,000

5,200

5,400

5,600

Mem

bers

hip

Med

ian

Tota

ls

Membership Totals

January1,2007

92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07

Darcy Rezac is Managing Director & Chief Engagement Officer of The Vancouver

Board of Trade, and Author: Work the Pond! (Prentice Hall NY, 05)

The Stress DragonMost people are uncomfortable networking. Professor Ken Prkchakin of UNBC showed that most would rather do a difficult assignment at work than meet new people. Many register an increase in blood pressure when asked to meet strangers. We call this common anxiety networking nervosus—it can usually be fixed.

Dr. Daniel Goleman showed that fundamental interpersonal skills improve social success. Unlike physical intelligence, which we can’t do much about, Goleman demonstrated that these emotional intel-ligence skills can be learned. This is good news for networkers.

While some may lack the social skills to network, others just don’t think it works. In groundbreaking research, mathematicians Duncan Watts and Steve Strogatz proved that we are connected to everyone else by no more than 6 handshakes (6 degrees of separation). And, the counterintuitive findings of sociologist Mark Granovetter illustrated that weak contacts—people we barely know—most often end up being the most important to our success. The message? We are more connected than we think and all contacts count.

But how do we define success? In our book, success is defined by personal and organizational well-being and happiness. Research shows money can help, but not much. UBC economist John Helliwell and Putnam report that once we earn as much as our peers, it is trust and how connected we are that determines our well-being and happiness.

In fact, it was a ‘perfect storm’ of research on the importance of networks, engagement and connect-edness to success—happiness and well being—that provided the conceptual underpinnings for the

Dav

e R

oels

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Innovative Strategy of Engagement [cont’d]

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By Dane ouellette, Cma Marketing Manager, sun-Rype products

Whether your business is to sell goods or to provide services, whether your focus is selling to a company or to an end consumer,success in what you do depends on your ability to cut through the noise in the marketplace - to get noticed and to be remembered! In this era it is not enough to rely on the quality or uniqueness of your offering, it is marketing that converts consumers into your customers and can win their loyalty as well as to maintain existing customers. Essentially marketing is the practice of managing a business based on the principle that the consumers of an organization’s products or services will ultimately determine its fate, whether it will be a success or a failure.

Marketing as we know it today began in the 1970’s when the ‘marketing orientation’ stage become known as businesses came to understand that it was consumers’ needs and wants that drove the whole process. Initially, the main concern of a business was to sell what it produced. However, after

the birth of the marketing era, it became understood as ineffective to put effort into products that didn’t serve the needs of the consumer. Thus the focus of driving a suc-cessful business became first understanding the consumer, developing products or services around their needs, monitoring consumer satisfaction and making adjust-ments to the offering as needed.

In today ’s marketplace the art of marketing continues to evolve as companies experience shifts in consumer behaviour and greater pressure from competition. The rate at which technology and the information age is advancing has accelerated the integration and interaction of corporations and consumers around the world. Consumers today are becoming better educated and more resourceful, and it is the organizations that develop strategy around and market to consumers’ needs that are winning.

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Success Through strategic marketing

ManagementView

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Key Steps in Applying Strategic Marketing:The products or services an organization offers will determine at what level the strategy should be focused. The focal point could be applied at the individual consumer level for specialized products or services, the group level to target key market segments on a broader scale, or at the mass level for all-servicing products or services. Once the target market has been identified, there are four key steps to help develop and execute an effective marketing strategy.1. Opportunity Identification: The key question to start with is given the competencies of your organization, what opportunities exist to build your business? In answering this question an analysis of these five key areas will help identify opportunities:

• The trends in the relevant market • The target consumer • Your competition• The channels you compete in• Your business performanceThis step provides you with the insight to

evaluate your business, competitive situation and the status of the total market. When you identify what is evolving in these areas, ask yourself why it is happening and what can be done to benefit from it. The result will be the identifying areas of opportunity to focus on.2. Setting the Strategy: Once viable opportunities have been identified, strategies can start to form around where the organization’s resources will be directed. The optimum areas to focus on should be where the best chance of gaining a competitive advantage, or point of differentiation against competition will occur. Your strategy should clearly identify who your focus of effort will be applied against, why your product or service should be purchased versus a competitor’s, how you plan to achieve this competitive advantage and ultimately what your goal is for this plan.3. Developing the Plan of Attack: Based on the strategies defined, the next step will be to develop marketing sub-strategies or action plans. The

sub-strategies are the actual plans that will define how each element in the marketing mix will be deployed to achieve the overall objectives. For each element of the marketing mix, product, price, place and promotion, it should be identified what you actually want to achieve in the marketplace and how. It is also important to identify what resources within the organization will be required to carry out and execute the plans. Each of the sub-strategies should be integrated with emphasis placed on aligning them to the overall marketing strategy. 4. Implement and Evaluate: The final step is the implementation of the action plans and evaluating the results. The implementation phase is executing the sub-strategies as defined in the previous steps. Once programs have been completed, it is equally important to evaluate the results achieved compared to what goals were set for each plan. This will enable you to determine the effectiveness of the plans and to make adjustments for future initiatives.

The end result is a differentiated, valued set of benefits that resonates with your consumers, in your target market. Remember to use consistent messaging to communicate the benefits; this will reinforce your relationship with consumers and build strength around your strategy. Overall it is a sound, strategic approach to marketing that if done correctly will provide the company with a sustainable competitive advantage.

Success Through Marketing Strategy [cont’d]

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The historical role of the accountant was to manage, maintain and ensure control. CMAs continue to challenge this role as we seek to embrace and promote innovation as leaders within our organizations. But what is the source of innovation? Innovation is defined as, “the act or process of in-venting or introducing something new.”1 But, is new necessarily better? Is it necessary to embrace innovation to succeed? If you consider that typing ‘innovation’ into your web browser results in as many as 123,000,000 responses, it is clear that many organizations and individuals believe so!In his article, Innovation Now!, Gary Hamel asserts that, “Too many CEOs are concerned that provoking 1,000 or 2,000 unconventional ideas will incite their people to waste time going off in thousands of crazy directions,” but the real problem is that, “People have been beaten down, boxed in, and brainwashed for so long that the challenge is not to rein in their farfetched and absurd fantasies. The challenge is to get them to expand their thinking.”2 This leaves us the inquiry of how do we – CMAs - source innovation?Most business professionals support the concept that creativity and innovation are important to varying degrees, but there is little consensus on how to best achieve the essential balance between

creativity and control. The allure of finding the ‘next great idea’ is often outweighed by the apprehension over providing an environment without boundaries in which innovation is achieved. As a result, many organizations prefer to focus on incremental change to achieve expanded results versus unstructured creativity to achieve possible breakthrough results. Consider that most corporate structures produce expanded results. Expanded results are those that would not be attainable on your own, but which become attainable through the use of teams. Breakthrough results are those that were not even imagined prior to their being produced. They are epitomized by a complete break from the past. Though in essence, relying on past decisions impedes true innovation, there is comfort to be found in the security of knowing what has been done and believing it gives us insight into the future. We are conditioned to follow the plotted course. Our academic system provides clearly defined outlines, pathways and grades to ensure we know which step to take and the results of each of those steps. The business community presents us with job descriptions, organizational structures, budgets and defined bonus or reward systems which tell us what to do and how we will be rewarded when we do it.

ManagementView

Innovation

...as a way of being by mike Thiessen, Cma and Tammy Towill, Cma

continued on page 18

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Angela MondouWhat do war zones, Vietnamese orphanages, F18 fighter-aircraft missions, high-tech product launches, the Oprah Winfrey Show and the NFL Super Bowl have in common? The same thing that career, adventure, life and dreams have in common.

Angela Mondou is a former Air Force captain and marketing executive whose unique and unconventional career has taken her from worldwide military operations to top ranked high tech companies. She will show how to get your frontline leadership team ready for the challenges of leadership.

Stephen J. DubnerStephen J. Dubner is the co-author of the international bestseller Freakonomics. Published in May 2005, Freakonomics instantly became a cultural phenomenon. Hailed by critics and readers alike, it first topped the sales charts in the U.S. before moving on to the U.K., Canada, India, Brazil and even Singapore. Through forceful storytelling and wry insight, Dubner shows how economics is, at root, the study of incentives – that is, how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. Freakonomics shows that the modern world, despite much complication and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, as long as you ask the right questions and find the right data.

Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia May 9 & 10, 2007CMA BritiSh ColuMBiA ConferenCe

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Early Bird Registration Draw Deadline March 30th

Cassie CampbellAs former Captain of Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team, participant in over 20 international competitions, winner of 21 medals and a heroine of Canadian sport, Cassie Campbell draws on her accomplishments of a gold-medal winning team to explore the themes of leadership, teamwork, motivation and determination. She is also the first female to provide colour commentary on Hockey Night in Canada and remains the only Canadian hockey player – male or female – to captain a team to two Olympic Gold Medals. A lively, passionate and engaging speaker, she knows first hand about the key roles that teamwork, determination and great leadership play at the most challenging times.

Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia May 9 & 10, 2007

Accommodation at the

Fairmont Chateau Whistler

Resort for two nights and

2 green fees at the Fairmont

Chateau Whistler Golf

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On-Line Registration Available february 1st! www.cmabc.com/accountabilitysummit2007.html

True creativity and innovation is being willing to look at what’s missing, the presence of which would make a difference, free from the constraints of the past and embracing the proverbial blank page. So why is this so difficult to do? Fear of the unknown, corporate structures that negatively reinforce fail-ures and lack of understanding about the ultimate goal of the organization are powerful deterrents for employees being willing to generate new and innovative ideas. Today, many employees face un-certainties with regards to home, family, social or health concerns so there is comfort in holding on to our road maps wherever we can find them.As the need for creativity and innovation grows, so changes the role of management. The role of the manager initially melded perfectly with the structure of road maps. Clearly defined paths, out-comes and dictated benefits for prescribed results allowed managers to guide their employees down a predefined path. If the achievement of expanded results through incremental gains is the product of effective management, then the achievement of breakthrough results through innovation is clearly the product of effective leadership. Consider that innovation is not a specific product or improvement, rather it is sourced an ongoing way of being. Where power is defined as the ability to fulfill one’s word, a CMA who is powerful with respect to innovation reliably produces breakthrough results. In effect, he/she makes innovation systemic by creating an environment that calls for the breakthrough to show up. When we stand in the possibility of being the source of innovation, we empower ourselves. No longer do we pretend that innovation is something to be gotten. Instead, innovation is the natural expres-sion of our leadership. If innovation is sourced in a way of being, then the work to be done is individual – to iden-tify and dismantle our own barriers to creativity or whatever stops us in the BEING OF innovation. This self-focus is the natural expression of our leader-ship as CMA. In facing and removing our own barriers to innovation, pro-fessionally, we become the source of inspiration, creativity and innovation within the organization. It takes our leadership and commitment to build the confidence, capability and desire within the corporate structure for em-ployees to seek out and embrace the blank page to enable organizations to forge a new path to future success.

Embracing the need for creativity and innovation is a great first step but it takes us only to the edge of a great chasm with the daunting task of taking this theory and actually creating sound business practices to make it real. Innovation is the result of unlocked creativity... so how do you unlock creativity? Where is it locked? Employees at all levels possess the desire and capability to enhance an organization’s creativity and innovation – contribution of this kind is in the end the natural expression of human being. The true leadership challenge facing the CMA is learning and then breaking down the barriers, both emotional and structural that motivate employees to hold firmly onto their road maps. This in no way suggests that structure is negative. Rather, it is an argument for creativity and innovation playing a far greater role in an organization. All organizations can benefit from having employees seek new ideas and create opportunities for growth and development.Obviously the discussion of innovation is not new to everyone nor is it revolutionary...but the intention is to reawaken you to look at where you are resigned...that is where innovation is killed. Madonna once said, “I’ve always thought that my job was to wake people up. But it’s not enough just to wake people up. You’ve got to wake people up and give them a direction. You’ve got to wake people up and give them tools about how to deal with life. You’ve got to wake people up and give them solutions. Otherwise they’re going to fall back asleep again.”3 Perhaps the role of leaders of industry is not so very different than the role of one of the world’s most famous entertainers! How will you source innovation in your life and wake up those around you?

Innovation as a way of being [cont’d]

mike Thiessen, Cma Accountant

art & fashion Group Corp

Tammy Towill, Cma Owner

TD Taylor & associates

1 Encarta Dictionary2 Gary Hamel, Fast Company, Issue 65, December 2002, page 1153 I’m Going to Tell You a Secret. DVD. Dir. Jonas Akerlund Perf. Madonna Lucky Lou Productions. Warner Bros.

Records, Inc. 2005/2006

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In today’s marketplace, employers face skyrocketing costs for employee benefits. On average, premiums are increasing by 15% per year—effectively doubling every five years. Insurance carriers attribute this price hike to cutbacks in BC’s provincial health care system and increasing prescription and dental fees—all of which, in turn, result in higher group insurance claims by employees. To avoid paying the increasingly high premiums associated with traditional group insurance plans, employers should consider switching to health and welfare trusts.

“Insurance” is a misnomerWhen it comes down to it, half of the various benefits offered to employees—namely dental and extended health—aren’t really insurance at all. In truth, dental and extended health benefits are really just an amortization of the premium. Yet upon closer examination we know that 65 – 70% of the overall premium is paid for these two benefits alone. The average employee benefit plan has annual limits, co-insurance of 80/20% or 50/50%, deductibles, exclusions, and so on. Insurance carriers know how much the average single person or family of four will claim on an annual basis; they simply add their profit margin and average out the amount.

Take a look at your claims ratioYou can insist that your insurance carrier provide you with a “claims ratio,” which is a comparison survey of the premiums paid by an employer versus the claims reimbursed to employees over the previous few years. Simple arithmetic will yield the difference between these two amounts.

The important thing to remember is that this difference stays with the insurance carrier. In fact, most insurance carriers actuarially project a claims ratio of about 65%—in other words, for every $1.00 of premium paid out by an employer, the insurance carrier keeps at least $0.35. And there’s more. A year with higher than normal claims will result in substantially increased premiums at the next annual renewal—well beyond the 15% average increase for the employer (and if costs are shared, for the employees as well). This leaves employers with only two options: paying the increased costs or reducing the benefits offered. Right? Wrong.

Another option is availableSpecifically, remove the two most expensive benefits (dental and extended health) and set up a health and welfare trust. Should you decide to keep some of the other benefits like life insurance and long-term disability; most insurers will offer them on a stand-alone basis. This scenario offers several advantages: Removing the insurance company from the picture

Accounting Scope Financial Facts

& Money Mattersfinding a more Tax-Efficient solution for Employee Benefits

By John J. Robinson, Cfp, EpC Senior Advisor,

The Robinson Group inc.

creates an automatic increase of about 30 – 40% (depending on size), which can then be used to pay dental and extended health expenses claimed through the health and welfare trust. Moreover, employers enjoy immediate cost control and avoid future annual premium increases; they are now only obligated to contribute a fixed annual limit per employee, which is usually very similar to the previous cost of the group insurance. And when an employee doesn’t max out their annual limit, the unused funds will simply be carried forward and used for the next year’s claims. This gives employees a set annual spending limit with a dramatically increased list of redeemable expenses, and no co-insurance, exclusions, or deductibles. In fact, the list of redeemable expenses is 36 pages long (refer to the CRA’s Interpretation Bulletin IT519R2).

What are the costs?A health and welfare trust should run very smoothly once it’s set up, with only a fraction of the cost and administration of a group insurance plan. Most trustees have a one-time set-up fee of $200 –

Employers

• Get the ultimate cost control with a fixed limit per employee.

• Can carry forward unused contributions, potentially lowering future costs.

• Save money with tax-deductible contributions.

• Can select different benefits for different employee groups—i.e. owners , managers , and employees.

• Can reward key employees.

Who benefits the most?Employees

• Have no deductible on claims.• Do not have to pay for co-insurance

(i.e. a dental split is usually 80/20 or 50/50 in a traditional plan).

• Receive no taxable benefits.• Can spend their entire account on any

item, such as braces, for instance.• Can carry forward unused benefits at

the employer’s option.• Avoid delays—claims are refunded

within 3 – 4 business days via direct deposit to the employee’s bank account.

| 19accounting scope

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John Robinson, CFP,EPC is the senior advisor with The Robinson Group Inc. and a member of the Trusted Advisor™ Network in Vancouver. His practice specializes in tax-driven risk management tools for the business owner. A version of this article originally appeared on the company’s website at www.trustedadvisor.ca, where you’ll also find FAQs about health and welfare trusts and specific case studies.

$350. Claims are adjudicated for a 10% administration fee plus GST on the fee only—for instance: $1,000 claim + $100 fee + $6 GST= $1,106 total deducted from the trust account. Compare this with the 30 – 40% your insurance company retains as their profit margin on dental and extended health benefits, and you’re already ahead. Trustees provide a fairly detailed state-ment of account activity to the employer’s administrator (note, however, that new privacy legislation only gives an employ-er access to the dollar amount on each employee claim, not specific details such as the type of drug or service).

Where the wheels fall offIf you already have a traditional plan in place, you’d be well advised to schedule a transition period of 60 days before cancelling the plan and switching to a health and welfare trust. Then, during this transition period, you should strongly encourage employees and their dependants to visit the dentist and address any extended healthcare needs, and to claim these expenses from the group plan—this will prevent the health and welfare trust from being inundated with claims right off the bat.

Also, bear in mind that because health and welfare trusts are usually set up without spending limits for the owners or major shareholders, a large claim from either party could potentially exceed the amount of funds in the trust. However, this dilemma can be remedied by topping up the trust account to cover a large claim. These cautions notwithstanding, a health and welfare trust offers immense flexibil-ity because it basically lets employers set up all the rules and leaves them free to change the rules at any time in the future.

Why aren’t health and welfare trusts more popular?Professionals are slowly becoming aware of this vehicle, especially for their more progressive clients. Still, “slowly” is the operative word, and for three main reasons: First, group insurance brokers have not embraced the health and welfare trust option because it means getting rid of some or all of the insurance benefits—and when the insurance goes, so does the broker’s compensation. Second, it takes a paradigm shift to transition from traditional group insurance to a health and welfare trust. As a result, many companies default to traditional group insurance because it’s what they already know. Finally, health and welfare trusts have

also been ignored because professionals simply don’t know where to send their clients to get one.

The final analysisWith a little retooling, a business owner can achieve massive advantages for his company and employees by switching from a traditional group insurance plan to a health and welfare trust. Rules can be set up that reduce employee turnover, for instance, and give valued employees non-taxable raises, as claims reimbursed from a health and welfare trust are not considered taxable benefits to the employee. In the end, a health and welfare trust lets both the employer and employee win.

Financial Facts & Money Matters [cont’d]

notes from the Desk of Minister Rick thorpeSmall business just keeps booming in British Columbia. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of small businesses in British Columbia grew 7.2 per cent, while the national aver-age was just 0.2 per cent. Last year alone, British Columbia saw the number of small busi-nesses jump 1.7 per cent.

This is excellent news – for entrepreneurs, investors and their families, and for the more than one million British Columbians working in small businesses. Last year, sector employment grew at over four times the national average.

Since 2001, self-employment in British Columbia has increased every year, reaching 19.5 per cent of total employment

in 2005. What’s more, last year, 56 per cent of all businesses in the province were operated by self-employed individuals with no paid help.

The fact that one in five Br i t i sh Columbians has sufficient confidence in our economy to run their own enterprises, and more are succeeding, speaks volumes about the investment climate

we’ve created by seeking to be Canada’s most small business friendly jurisdiction.

It’s also encouraging to see more people succeeding regardless of whether their area code is 604 or 250. In the first five years of this decade, the Northeast saw nearly twice as much growth in self-employment as the Mainland/Southwest

region did – 42.6 per cent versus 23.2. The good news extends to the Thompson/Okanagan (up 17.3 per cent), the Kootenays (15.6) and the North Coast/Nechako region (13.6).

My thanks to all the CMAs who are working hard in support of small business and making British Columbia Canada’s number-one jurisdiction for small business. CMA British Columbia provides a monthly email notice of all Ministry of Small Business and Revenue – PST courses held throughout the province. These courses are free of charge and account as CPLD credits.

Best regards, Hon. Rick Thorpe, CMA

Minister of Small Business and Revenue Minister Responsible for Regulatory Reform

ManagementView

Mehb Jessa, CMA – First Vice Chair of CMA British Columbia; Rick Monk, CMA, FCMA – Vice Chair of CMA Canada; Colin Bennett, CMA, FCMA – President and Chief Executive Officer of CMA British Columbia; and Karen Botham, CMA, FCMA – Past Chair of CMA British Columbia.

Valedictorian John Wong, CMA – Director of Campus Planning at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, spoke of his personal journey to become a CMA, “I personally believe I’ve received more out of the CMA program than I can imagine being able to give back.”

“It taught us to be innovative, it taught us to be creative, it taught us to think laterally, it taught us to be prepared to adapt, and it taught us to work effectively in a team environment. We learned from each others’ experiences; experiences which I’ve adapted in my own personal environment. For that I’ll always be grateful.”

Convocation marked several accomplishments including Gold, Silver, and Bronze provincial medals presented to the graduates – David Oberg, CMA; Cameron Copeland, CMA; and Trevor McBride, CMA – who earned the highest combined grades on the CMA National Entrance Exam and the CMA Strategic Leadership Program. Awards of excellence were also presented to the team that achieved the highest grade in the Board Report Module of the CMA Strategic Leadership Program – Huijin Guo, CMA; Donna Potter, CMA; Shawn Venne, CMA; and John Wong, CMA – as well as the candidate who obtained the highest aggregate standing in the CMA Executive Program – Corey Medgyesi, CMA.

Convocation 2006 highlights

Congratulations to the 2006 CMA Graduates.

The graduates included 132 new CMAs from the CMA Strategic Leadership Program, 22 new CMAs from the CMA Executive program, 7 new CMAs from the joint CMA/MBA program at Queen’s University, and 5 new CMAs from the joint CMA/MBA program at Simon Fraser University.

Keynote speaker Jane Peverett, CMA, FCMA – President of the British Columbia Transmission Cor-poration directed her congratulations, “As I met some of the grad-uates today, I saw in your class the same mix of people at dif-ferent points in their lives that I experi-enced in my own class, 14 years ago.”

“Some of you are relatively new in your careers and looking to accelerate your advancement by significantly increasing your qualifications. Some of you are mid career and looking to make a change to a new industry or launch yourself into senior management. Some of you are intending to use the CMA designation to gain independence and to strike out on your own. And graduates, I am so thrilled for you! I am thrilled because you have achieved a professional designation that is prestigious, because you have succeeded in pursuing a designation that is difficult, and because you have opened so many doors for yourselves.”

Other Platform guests included Fred Zdan, CMA – Chair of CMA British Columbia;

Jane Peverett, CMA, FCMA, shared her experiences about how the CMA

designation interfaced with her career progress.

Valedictorian John Wong, CMA, spoke of differentiation as a CMA

and life long learning.

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on november 18,

2006, Cma British Columbia welcomed 166 new members to our designation here in B.C. during the Convocation ceremony at

Vancouver’s fairmont

Waterfront hotel.

CMA

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Convocation 2006 Highlights [cont’d]

Life Membership was granted to five CMAs – Gim Huey, CMA, FCMA; Clifford Kraft, CMA; Judy Lloyd, CMA; Alan A. Mann, CMA; Robert F. Venema, CMA – who have been members for more than 20 years and have substantially contributed to the CMA designation and Society or made a significant contribution of new knowledge to the accounting profession or business management.

five members who demonstrated excellence in management accounting, a commitment to the Cma designation and the society, and a civic-mindedness that enriches their community were inducted as fellows of the Certified management accountants of Canada – the highest honour granted by Cma Canada:

Platform Party guests rise to welcome the 2006 CMA Graduates.

Karen Botham, CMA, FCMASince earning her designation in 1997 where she was also that year’s graduation class valedictorian, Karen has been an active supporter of the CMA Society. She is currently the Chair of the Accreditation Review Committee, and a member of both the CMA Canada Nominating Committee and CMA Canada Governance Committee. She also most recently completed a two-year term as Chair of the CMA British Columbia Provincial Board and prior to that, she held various roles on the Vancouver Chapter including serving as Chair in 1999-2000. Karen has also participated in a number of CMA volunteer events including SLP board presentations, CMA networking events, and the 1998 Whistler National Conference. Karen is currently the Director, Process Management at TELUS as well as

the Managing Partner at JW Auto Group. Allan Cobbett, CMA, FCMA

S i n ce e a r n i n g his designation in 1975, Allan has greatly contributed to the profession of financial management w i th in the educational forum. In his 31 years at BCIT, he has held responsibilities in a variety of areas including academic quality, consistency of delivery,

faculty selection and development, marketing and promotion of the Financial Management programs. Allan has also strongly supported the Society in the coordination through their

program with BCIT, involvement in the Society’s programs, and promotion of the Society’s program with BCIT’s student body through information sessions and other events. Allan is currently the Program Head of the Bachelor of Technology Accounting Program at BCIT and a lawyer.

Peter Herz, CMA, FCMASince earning his designation in 1981, Peter

has been very involved in the CMA Society. He was on the provincial board in 1984-1986, at an exciting time when the BC Society implemented the AAT Diploma

Program and the start-up of the Hong Kong Chapter. He was also on the first executive of the Pacific Northwest Chapter and remained actively involved by making presentations, volunteering at career fairs, and helping at other events throughout the years. His contributions in the Pacific Northwest Chapter include but are not limited to the start-

up of a CMA mentoring program for students needing help with specific courses, and initiating annual cash awards to students who obtained the highest marks in CMA courses. He also suggested a phone help line for students having difficulty with correspondence studies, which the BC office then implemented. More recently, Peter was awarded a Life Membership in 2002 – after which he has served on that Task Force for the past 3 years.

Wayne Jefferson, CMA, FCMASince earning his designation in 1975, Wayne has significantly contributed to the promotion and application

of management accounting. Thi s i s par t i cu lar ly demonstrated in his career path at the Surrey School District. His election as School Trustee following his retirement as Secretary Treasurer,

demonstrates the respect , trust and

popularity Wayne has earned from the public and his peers. Wayne has been a tireless promoter of CMA and contributed in various activities encouraging CMA as a career path, serving as volunteer and mentor through chapter/committee involvements. Wayne has also served many years on the Board of the Trustee’s Pension Plan and the BC Pension Corporation. His other volunteer activities are varied and in most cases involve the demonstration of his accounting/management body of knowledge, expertise and experience. Wayne is currently the President of PMC – Pinnacle Management Consultants Inc.

Tom McInulty, CMA, FCMASince earning his designation in 1981, Tom has provided strategic and leadership expertise to various community groups in British Columbia. This includes his current service as Board Member of the United Way of Kamloops and Treasurer of the Kamloops Brain Injury Association as well as previous service as Treasurer of the Thompson Rivers University Alumni Association where he served on for 12 years. He has also held various positions within the CMA Kamloops chapter including Chair, Director, and Auditor. In addition, Tom conducts an annual income tax update course, which has the best attendance of any Kamloops Chapter function in the year. Tom is currently a Principal at BDO Dunwoody LLP. Members who would like additional information about ordering photographs from the 2006 Convocation Ceremony should contact Jay Shaw Photography at 604.464.8850.

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We are pleased to announce that the 2007 Convocation will be held on saturday, october 1�, 2007 at the hyatt hotel in Vancouver.

For more information about the CMA – DAP Bridging Program, contact Rob Driscoll at 604.484.7024, 1.800.663.9646 ext. 7024, or rob@cmabc.com.

CMA Brit i sh Columbia is pleased to partner with

the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of

Business to offer the new CMA – DAP Bridging Program.

Commencing in May 2007, this new and challenging program enables UBC Diploma of Accounting (DAP) graduates to complete the remaining requirements of the CMA syllabus to challenge the CMA National Entrance Exam in less than two months.

Given that the UBC DAP provides a solid foundation in accounting and finance, the CMA – DAP Bridging Program focuses on advanced management accounting, operations and strategic management, international business, human resources, and marketing.

new CMa – DaP Bridging Program for UBC Diploma of accounting Graduates

Students will be challenged on these topics through two comprehensive exams and must earn a minimum overall average of 60% to qualify for the CMA National Entrance Exam. Classes will be held at the UBC Point Grey campus during weeknights to allow students to work full-time while completing the program.

“CMA British Columbia is pleased to launch this new program,” said Colin Bennett, CMA, FCMA – President and CEO of CMA British Columbia. “We recognize the excellence of the UBC Diploma of Accounting Program and we are excited to offer these students the opportunity to develop strategic financial management skills to compete in today’s global marketplace.”

CMA

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What is the CMA Elite Employer Program?With the consistent growth in the BC economy and the requisite changes in business methodology that coincide with this unprecedented level of economic performance, organizations are finding themselves in a position of low labour supply and the need for new strategic thinking. For this reason, CMA British Columbia has developed the Elite Employer Program, an opportunity for ‘select’ BC employers to have direct and preferred access to this province’s top leaders in management accounting and business strategy. The Elite Employer Program in conjunction with cmabcjobs.com provides employers a higher level of interaction and visibility to CMAs and CMA candidates looking for exceptional career opportunities. The value that an Elite Employer gains is particularly substantial since cmabcjobs.com is typically the first place that CMAs and CMA candidates look when searching for career options and opportunities.

What can I as an Employer benefit from the Elite Employer Program?As mentioned above, Elite Employers benefit greatly in that they get a higher level of exposure to CMAs and CMA candidates reviewing their employment options via cmabcjobs.com. However, Elite Employ-ers also gain further, longer term ‘brick and mortar’ advantages such as: Exclusive invitations to participate in CMA British

Columbia recruiting and networking events such as the CMA Executive Speaker Series

Opportunity to host CMA candidates and students in your offices through the very popular “Afternoon with a CMA”

Participation in CMA Career Days, the CMA society’s popular on-campus work-force recruit-ing week for university and college students

VIP discounts on CMA activities such as CMA Career Connections

Solid advantage for recruiting the best account-ing talent since the Elite Employers will be an exclusive group

How do I qualify as an Elite Employer?CMA British Columbia has had a long history of partnering with many of BC’s top companies, associations, and government agencies. The nature of these partnerships includes mutual sponsorships, educational collaborations, joint recruitment events, and many other affiliations. With the Elite Employer Program, we now have the opportunity to acknowledge the effort and support from some of our strongest partners. Those companies that hire a significant proportion of CMAs, that participate in CMA British Columbia activities such as CMA Career Connections, the CMA Co-op Program and recruitment through cmabcjobs.com will now not only be designated as Elite Employers, but also get the additional benefits of public recognition of their companies through the various CMA British Columbia web portals and events.

How can my company be designated an Elite Employer?If you feel that your company is a strong partner with CMA British Columbia and would like to gain from what being an Elite Employer can offer you, we would like to hear from you. To learn more about this program and your opportunities within it, please contact Rob Driscoll at 604.484.7024, 1.800.663.9646 ext. 7024 or rob@cmabc.com.

Cma Elite Employer program – new opportunity for top Employers

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another successful

Career ConnectionsWith over 400 participants and 20 exhibitors, CMA British Columbia is pleased to report a successful 2nd annual Career Connections. This career and networking fair – held at the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 – provided a forum for employers and recruiters to meet CMAs, CMA students, and other business leaders exploring career opportunities.

“Ever yone is unanimous that Career Connections was an extremely successful event,” stated Danley Tip, Division Director at Robert Half Management Resources. “We were impressed with the professionalism and grandeur of the event as well as the amazing response from both career fair exhibitors and attendees.”

Sean Fanning, Senior Consultant at David Aplin Recruiting, said “We definitely saw immediate value in the CMA students we met, and know that we will continue to see dividends from Career Connections going forward!”

As part of the event, there were motivational sessions featuring keynote speakers the Honourable Rick Thorpe, CMA – Minister of Small Business and Revenue and Minister Responsible for Regulatory Reform, and Kevin Blucke, CMA – President of Summerhill Pyramid Winery providing insight about how the CMA designation has become instrumental in their careers.

Keynote Speakers the Honourable Rick Thorpe, CMA and Kevin Blucke, CMA share their stories as CMAs in government and industry.

Exhibitors and participants engage in conversation at CMA Career Connections

CMA

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The CMA Accelerated Program will replace the existing CMA FastTrack Program. The CMA Accelerated Program is a 10-month process that combines in-class study and self-directed learning and includes a more in-depth coverage of the fundamental CMA Syllabus Topics. The program will also include an Entrance Exam simulation to prepare students to write the CMA National Entrance Exam.

The CMA Entrance Examination will consist of a four-hour multiple choice exam. The exam will test candidates on the technical skills required to enter the Strategic Leadership Program, including financial and management accounting, corporate finance and taxation. This exam will be offered twice per year, in June and October. CMA Canada and the provincial and territorial societies will continue to offer preparation programs prior to the exam. Candidates will be allowed three attempts for the CMA National Entrance Exam.

Successful candidates will enter the Development Phase of the Strategic Leadership Program (SLP). The renewed SLP will build on the foundational prerequisites by integrating the comp etenc ies that def ine and differentiate a CMA - competencies that employers expect from a strategic management accounting professional.

Cma Canada has announced

changes to the Cma program

in view of the new Cma

Canada Competency map.

This Competency map

identifies the skills Cmas

acquire, hone and ultimately

master over the course of

their careers to perform

in industry, government,

and public practice. as a

result of this document, the

accreditation process was

reviewed to ensure alignment

with the new competency map.

Changes to the Cma programTo help understand how these changes will impact students as they move forward in the program, we have prepared the following summary:

Up on comple t ion o f the SL P Development Phase, candidates will be required to pass the CMA Case Exam. This four-hour exam will test a candidate’s understanding of the competencies and the higher order skills of strategic thinking, analysis, integration, judgment and written communication introduced thus far in the program. This exam will be offered twice per year, in May and September.

Candidates wil l then enter the Application Phase of the SLP. Fostering group development as well as focusing on communication, leadership, decision making, ethics and problem solving skills will be at the core of this Phase.

The final evaluation component of the SLP remains the CMA Board Report. Here candidates will demonstrate, both orally and through a written submission, their mastery of the knowledge and competencies to join the profession - and become Certified Management Accountants.

The time-line for completion of the program elements remains unchanged at two years.

The practical work experience for the program remains unchanged at 24 months of relevant full-time practical experience, with a minimum of six months in a managerial environment.

CMA Canada and its provincial partners are committed to an accreditation process that is rigorous and meets the rapidly changing needs of business. By adopting a competency-based approach to accreditation, the Society can meet this important objective while heightening the profile, influence and image of CMAs as the leaders in strategic management accounting.Note: The CMA Canada Competency Map is available at www.cma-canada.org.For more information, please contact 604.687.5891 or info@cmabc.com, or visit our website at www.cmabc.com.

announcing

Changes to the Cma programKudosstaff RecognitionCongratulations to Colin Bennett, CMA, FCMA - President and CEO of CMA British Columbia, on his 10th anniversary with the Society.A CMA since 1975, Colin worked in the manufac-turing industry for 30 years in various positions including VP Finance and CFO at CAE Industries, VP Finance at Sheldons Companies, VP Finance and CFO at Freightliner of Canada, and COO at Freightliner Vancouver Dealerships.In 1996, Colin joined CMA British Columbia as a senior staff Director before he was appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer in 1999. In addition to serving on various boards and committees in the business community, he has volunteered his time and leadership to a number of charitable organizations. In recognition of Colin’s long & successful career in financial & management accounting, his commitment to CMA Canada and CMA British Columbia, and his ongoing business & community volunteer activities, Colin became a Fellow of CMA Canada with the awarding of the FCMA designation in 2003.

Top studentsCongratulations to the top 3 out of 110 students who challenged the October 2006 CMA National Entrance Exam in British Columbia. 2 are graduates of the CMA FastTrack Program (now CMA Accelerated Program) while 1 is in the UBC Combined CMA/MBA Program, and all 3 are first-time writers of the CMA National Entrance Exam.Lina Duong, Portfolio Manager at the Ministry of Economic Development, achieved the highest mark of 86%; Richard Hsu, Office Clerk at ATT Trading Corporation, achieved the second highest mark of 81.5%; and Anni Cao, student in the UBC Combined CMA/MBA Program, achieved the third highest mark of 79.5%.

Kudos Members on the Move

Congratulations to these CMA British Columbia members who have been promoted or accepted a new career opportunity:

Richard Lancaster, CMA, has established a new boutique winery on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan – Black Widow Winery (www.blackwidowwinery.com) – specializing in wine made from his family-run vineyard. Concurrently, Richard continues to work in his own professional capacity as Vice President, Finance & Administration at Imasco Minerals Inc.

Kayoko Takeuchi, CMA, BBA was promoted from Controller - Finance and Administration to Director – Finance and Administration at the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

Cheryl Wenezenki-Yolland, CMA, has been appointed BC Comptroller General. She brings over 20 years of public sector experience, including 18 years in areas of financial and strategic management. Her most recent posts include Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance responsible for Corporate and Ministry Support Services and Executive Financial Officer for the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labour & Citizens’ Services, the Premier’s Office and the BC Public Service Agency.

New Members of CMA British Columbia

Welcome to these CMAs who have transferred their membership to CMA British Columbia:

Michelle Carman, CMA – Port MoodyRuth Christensen, CMA – VancouverJenkins Chu, CMA – Hong KongDavid Clifford, CMA – ChilliwackGreg Grunerud, CMA – KamloopsDavid Howell, CMA – VancouverGabriel Sanchez, CMA – North Vancouver

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CMA

as part of Cma British Columbia’s 2006 Executive Tour, we traveled around the province to recognize Cmas who have held their designation for 25, �0, �5, 40, 45, and 50 years. The presentation included the awarding of a commemorative, dated pin – along with bios read for each of the award recipients that attended.

“on behalf of Cma British Columbia, i would like to express my heartfelt thanks to this special group of dedicated members,” Colin Bennett, Cma, fCma – president and CEo of Cma British Columbia said. “Without exaggeration, you have been the worthy ambassadors of the designation, representing our capabilities in the marketplace, supporting our recruitment efforts, and providing us your wise counsel over the years.”

Congratulations to these 207 CMAs:2006 Executive tour

25 Years:Mr. Zeone Andrijaszyn, CMAMr. Denis J. Berube, CMAMs. Margaret Irene Borthwick, CMAMs. Carol J. Bruvall Einarson, CMAMr. David Lawrence Burke, CMAMr. Louis K. Chan, CMAMr. Ting Sun Edward Chan, CMAMr. David Edward Clifford, CMAMs. Joyce Coleman, CMAMr. Thomas Connaughton, CMAMs. Dorothy Mae Couch, CMAMr. John A. Cruise, CMA Mr. Gerard P. Dillon, CMAMr. Gordon D. Dixon, CMAMs. Diane L Drapala, CMAMr. Tony Drescher, CMAMr. William D. Evans, CMAMr. Richard Anthony Folka, CMAMr. W. Gene Francke, CMAMr. Gregoire E. Gaumont, CMAMr. John Anthony Greiner, CMAMr. Poul S. Henriksen, CMAMr. Peter G. Herz, CMA, FCMAMr. Edward C. Higham, CMAMs. Karen J. Humphreys, CMAMr. Christopher R. Isemonger, CMAMr. Robert Wesley Janzen, CMAMr. John W. Jardine, CMAMr. John Y. Kan, CMAMr. Larry R Kemp, CMAMr. Werner J. Krampl, CMA

Mr. Ted S. Kuzminski, CMAMr. Philip A. Laing, CMAMs. Georgina R.O.M. Lam, CMAMr. Winston Lee, CMAMr. Edmund Leung, CMAMs. Pansy Sau-han Leung, CMAMs. Barbara Ann Little, CMAMs. Diana E. Lokken, CMAMs. Caroline Joyce Luptak, CMAMr. Kenneth James McDonald, CMAMr. Mark J. McInnes, CMAMr. Thomas E. McInulty, CMA, FCMAMr. Wayne C. McLuckie, CMAMr. Art R. McQuade, CMAMr. Glen R. Mohr, CMAMs. Karen C. Morrison, CMAMr. Ted W. Myrah, CMAMs. Kitty Y.K. Ng, CMAMr. Don B. Nilson, CMA, FCMAMrs. Mary F. O’Callaghan, CMAMr. Karl A. Ray, CMAMr. John Gordon Reith, CMAMr. Carey Reithaug, CMAMr. Robert Riddell, CMAMr. Velji R. Shah, CMAMr. Allan M. Sze, CMAMr. Herbert Thoem, CMAMr. Garry W. Wagner, CMAMr. S. Wayne Wagstaff, CMAMr. Gerald A. Wahl, CMAMs. Judith J. Watson, CMAMr. Hing-Ip Wong, CMAMs. Helen Wong, CMAMr. Albert K.P. Yu, CMAMr. King Yin Yu, CMA

�0 Years:Mr. Carl R. Anderson, CMAMr. Douglas J. Atchison, CMAMr. Johann J. Bank, CMAMr. Thomas G. Barley, CMAMr. Paul Bateman, CMAMr. Barry J. Bergstrom, CMAMr. Robert Charles Blanchard, CMAMr. Donald J. Butcher, CMAMr. Alan Charles Cartwright, CMAThomas Barley, CMA (left) is recognized as a member who has held

his designation for 30 years; Fred Zdan CMA (middle); Colin Bennett,

CMA, FCMA (right)

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CMA

Mr. Norman W. Clarke, CMAMr. Douglas Peter Cole, CMAMr. R. Dennis Cooney, CMAMr. Colin Lloyd Crabbe, CMAMs. Karen Croll, CMAMr. John M. Da Silva, CMAMr. Patrick C. Devlin, CMAH. G. Dimsdale, CMAMr. Brian M. Dolsen, CMAMr. Bruce Dunn, CMAMr. David Terence Fremantle, CMAMr. Steven R. Hansen, CMAMr. Allan R. Hanson, CMAMr. Gim H. Huey, CMA, FCMAMr. Frank Hunaus, CMAMr. Robert A. Kipp, CMAMr. Wayne R. Koch, CMAMr. Rodney M. Kray, CMAMr. Dennis Lam, CMAMr. Kenneth W. Larson, CMAMr. Eric Ho-Man Lee, CMAMr. Ralph Leverton, CMAMr. John R. Logan, CMAMr. Gary J. Lotochinski, CMAMs. Karen Low Ah Kee, CMAMr. Clifford A. Malish, CMAMr. Alan A. Mann, CMAMr. J. Andrew McEwen, CMAMr. Douglas Edward Meredith, CMAMr. Ron Meszaros, CMAMr. Donald B. Miller, CMAMr. Robert J. Moon, CMAMr. Gerald W. Moore, CMAMr. James A. Moreshead, CMAMr. Donald Bruce Munroe, CMAMr. Roy K. Natsuhara, CMAMr. Daryl Fredrick Nelson, CMAMr. William C. Neufeld, CMAMr. Clifford W. Neufeld, CMAMr. Veryl M. Nouch, CMAMr. George L. Nyman, CMAMr. Edward Pielak, CMAMr. David L. Pohl, CMAMr. Vincent H. Poon, CMA,FCMAMr. Anil R. Popatia, CMAMr. Richard A. Proulx, CMAMr. Thomas G. Ratcliffe, CMAMs. Adrian B. Redford, CMAMr. Gerald E. Rosenquist, CMAMr. D. G. Roth, CMAMr. Robert L. Rutherford, CMA

Mr. Cecil N. Samsonoff, CMAMr. Gregory Victor Sheldon, CMAMr. Nester Slywka, CMAMr. Dale R. Smith, CMAMr. Richard G. Strachan, CMAMr. Edward A. Surry, CMAMr. Kwok Wai Tam, CMAMr. Robert D. Taylor, CMAMr. Lawrence Gilbert White, CMAMr. Albert Kin Fu Wu, CMAMr. Chai-Him Yee, CMA

�5 Years:Mr. Bruce M. Behling, CMAMr. Leonard J. Berg, CMAMr. William Harvey Blair, CMAMr. Saul A. Blant, CMAMr. Bayne Edward Boyes, CMA, FCMAMr. James Campbell, CMAMr. Harold W. Decksheimer, CMAMr. Larry P. Doran, CMAMr. Donald E. Edlund, CMAMr. Gordon H. Farrell, CMA,FCMAMr. Edward Farrier, CMAMr. Dale Kenneth Foxall, CMAMr. Gary John Jackson, CMAMr. Jan Lok, CMAMr. Roderick MacKenzie, CMAMr. Malcolm Alexander MacPherson, CMAMr. Terry M. Malanchuk, CMAMr. Bruce T. Martin, CMAMr. Robert B. McCrea, CMAMr. Douglas J McKinnon, CMAMr. Wayne K McMahon, CMAMr. Paul D. Meginbir, CMAMr. Peter G. Meredith, CMAMr. Hubert A. Miles, CMAMr. Phillip Allan Mix, CMAMr. Dirk Ottens, CMAMr. Anthony C. Pickering, CMAMr. Ian J. Puchlik, CMAMr. Robert A. Remple, CMAMr. Ed A. Robinson, CMAMr. Peter G. Rook-Green, CMAMr. Donald G. Salter, CMAMr. Gary Angus Stewart, CMAMr. Robert S. Tanner, CMAMr. Melvin R. Tupper, CMAMr. Svein W. Urdahl, CMAMr. Edward Joseph Valka, CMAMr. Barry G. Ward, CMA

40 Years:Mr. Charles D. Crozier, CMAMr. Alexander Dancs, CMAMr. Bernard W. Dogterom, CMAMr. William C. Easton, CMA, FCMAMr. Clarence J. Granholm, CMAMr. Ronald A. Haack, CMAMr. Denis A. Heppelle, CMAMr. James J Hewitt, CMA, FCMAMr. K.E. Holden, CMAMr. Savo Lazarian, CMAMr. Dexter Clayton Lindberg, CMAMr. James E. McLennan, CMAMs. J. Nagy, CMAMr. C. Frank Olson, CMAMr. Russell J. Parker, CMAMr. Kenneth Redman, CMAMr. L. J. Rougeau, CMAMr. Henry Stephen Savard, CMAMr. Osmond Smith, CMAMr. J. Hans Vandermey, CMA

45 Years:Mr. Desmond G. McKillop, CMAMr. E. Donald Hoops, CMAMr. Victor H. Hildebrand, CMAMr. William B. Teasdale, CMAMr. Henry Grammetbauer, CMAMr. E. T. Blaauw, CMAMr. Jack L. I’Anson, CMAMr. Alfred R. Lockwood, CMAMr. John T. McMullan, CMAMr. William G. Rodden, CMA, FCMA

50 Years:Mr. James D. Jecks, CMAMr. Lionel J. Walsh, CMA

Members congregate at the Kamloops Executive Tour held at the Hoodoos Bar & Grill Restaurant on October 26, 2006

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CMA British Columbia Chapters are an essential link in the Society’s relationship with its members and the local community. For each Chapter, an executive committee of CMAs is responsible for organizing and promoting activities to encourage member involvement, networking and professional development throughout the year.

To recognize the efforts of these committees and to learn about their upcoming initiatives, Update Magazine spoke with Barbara Vanderlinden, CMA – Chair of the Victoria Chapter.Update Magazine will be profiling a local Chapter in every subsequent issue.

Can you give us a brief description of your role as a Chapter Chair?As Chapter Chair, my role is to coordinate and facilitate the Chapter meetings, to organize the AGM, to ‘host’ the holiday social, and to liaise with CMA BC in their efforts to support the Chapter activities. While those are my official duties, I am also often asked to represent the CMA brand at leadership conferences, educational institutions and professional associations.

What are your impressions of the level of CMA brand awareness in Victoria?People often think of Victoria as a ‘company town’ with the Government as the main employer. However, Victoria is actually a surprisingly dynamic city with a diverse number of businesses and organizations; from government to cutting edge IT start-ups, to TSX listed to not-for-profit. There are tremendous opportunities for CMAs who are looking for the breadth of work for which our designation is known. And best of all, the CMA designation has a strong and well-respected reputation in the city. There are a number of CMAs who are CFOs,

Controllers or COOs of innovative private sector companies. There are several CMAs who are in high profile senior government positions. And there are a large number of independent consultants who are CMAs, offering consulting services ranging from cost accounting to strategic planning, to human resource planning, to information technology solutions.

What are some of the upcoming Chapter initiatives in 2007?The Victoria Chapter is very active in supporting its members by organizing networking and professional development events throughout the year. Each month, the Chapter coordinates a breakfast session by booking a local restaurant and inviting Chapter members by email. Three times a year, we organize larger events, specifically the golf tournament in June, the Annual General Meeting in September and the Holiday Social in December. These events are excellent for meeting up with other local CMAs to network about topics that are relevant to our designation, or just to get to know people with similar goals. In addition, we work with the FMI group and the CGAs to host a three day professional development session each February.

This year, 2007, we are also building a network with a wide variety of other professional organizations to create a Greater Victoria professional development calendar. This will enable our members to have access to the PD courses offered throughout the city. Also, after piloting our networking lunches, we are considering implementing those to take place every second or third month. And finally, due to increased demand, we are considering offering a second professional development opportunity for our Chapter members.If you are interested in getting involved with the Victoria Chapter, please contact Barbara Vanderlinden at 250.414.6635 or bvanderlinden@telus.net.

Chapter Profile

victoriaour members in MemoriamWe wish to extend our sympathies to the families and friends of the following members who have recently passed away:

Bruce A. Buchannon, AAT (1999), NelsonMr. Buchannon worked as Secretary-Treasurer of the Kootenay School District. In July 2006, Mr. Buchannon passed away, having been a valued AAT member for 7 years. Warren J. Felsterman, CMA (1998), KelownaMr. Felsterman worked as a Controller at Gulf International Minerals Ltd. In August 2006, Mr. Felsterman passed away, having been a valued CMA member for 8 years. Sandra L. Hanson, CMA (2004), Courtenay Ms. Hanson worked as an Accounting Technician at Garry Murdock. In Oc-tober 2006, Ms. Hanson passed away, having been a valued CMA member for 2 years. Robert S. Jones, CMA (1966), SurreyMr. Jones was self-employed prior to retiring on October 6, 1989. On September 20, 2006, Mr. Jones passed away, having been a valued CMA member for 40 years. John B. Ramsden, CMA (1963), KelownaMr. Ramsden worked as an Accounting Manager at Domtar Packaging Ltd. before retiring on November 30, 1982. On November 14, 2006, Mr. Ramsden passed away, having been a valued CMA member for 43 years. Heather Louise Reiter, CMA (2005), KelownaMrs. Reiter worked as an Auditor at the Canada Revenue Agency. On October 8, 2006, Mrs. Reiter passed away, having been a valued CMA member for 1 year.If you’d like to send a note of condolence to families and friends of these members, contact Rick Lightheart at 604.484.7004, 1.800.663.9646 ext. 7004, or rlightheart@cmabc.com.

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CMA

Chapter Profile

victoria

Executives holding a CMA designation

Executives

Announcing the CMA Executive Program on Vancouver Island

CMA British Columbia is proud to announce a partnership with University of

Victoria Business, Executive Programs, to deliver the prestigious CMA Executive

Program on Vancouver Island starting in September 2007. As a Professional

designation, we recognize the high quality and reputation of the University of

Victoria. Together with the CMA Executive Program delivered at Simon Fraser

University, this offering provides expanded access to the CMA designation in

British Columbia.

For more information or to refer a business colleague with five or more years of

senior level experience in the management accounting space, please contact

Rob Driscoll at 604.484.7024, 1.800.663.9646 ext. 7024 or rob@cmabc.com.

www.cmabc.com

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