News from CGA-Canada
FROM:
JAN-FEB 2006 ISSUE
CGA Appointed Chair of New International Committee
The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) re-appointed Sylvie Voghel, FCGA, to serve another three year term on their Board of Directors at their annual general meeting in New Zealand on November 17, 2005. In a move that recognizes the importance of the small and medium practices sector, the Board also established the
IFAC Small and Medium Practices Committee (SMPC) and appointed Voghel as its Chair. This new committee evolved from the SMP task force, struck in 2001.
CGA-Canada supports IFAC's goals, which include ensuring high-quality professional standards are in place throughout the world.
Voghel has been
CGA-Canada's technical advisor to the IFAC board and has served on IFAC's Board of Directors since 2003. As the
co-owner of Enveloppe Concept Inc., an envelope manufacturing business in Montreal, Voghel has
first-hand knowledge of the important role accountants play in SMEs. In her position as Chair of the SMPC, she will work to raise issues of the SMP/SME sector to the
decision-making levels of IFAC. For more information on how IFAC is supporting the SMP sector, see
SMP Issues Know No Borders in the
November-December 2005 issue of
CGA Magazine or visit IFAC's Web site at
www.ifac.org.
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CGA Elected to Lead Latin American Accountants
Pierre Barnès, FCGA, of Montreal, has become the first CGA to be elected president of the Interamerican Accounting Association (IAA). Barnès was appointed at the IAA's biennial conference in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil in October. He will serve a two-year term of office as president, representing more than a million professional accountants throughout the Americas.
Barnès has been
CGA-Canada's representative to the IAA since 1994, and served as first vice-president for the past two years. The IAA is a regional accounting association intended to promote development of the accounting profession by representing, training, and providing support to local associations. Formed in 1949, the Association includes 33 member bodies from 23 countries, most in Central and South America. The IAA brings issues to the attention of international bodies such as the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), where Barnès will represent the Association as an observer.
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2004-05 CGA Award Winners
CGA-Canada congratulates all the recipients of the
CGA-CanadaAwards of Excellence. These awards are given annually to the highest academic achievers for each level of the Program of Professional Studies, while the
Top Ten Recognition Awards acknowledge the achievement of candidates who have completed their certification requirements.
The $5,000 ENCON Group Inc. Insurance Public Practice Award is awarded to a newly certified CGA graduating from the public practice career option who achieves the highest average mark on the
Financial Accounting 4, Auditing 2, and Taxation 2 examinations. This year's winner is
Julie Charbonneau, B.Comm, CGA, from Île Perrot, Quebec. Charbonneau currently works as a manager in General Accounting at Schering Canada, a pharmaceutical firm, and says she appreciates the flexibility of the CGA designation. "As a working mother of two children, I was able to schedule my exams so that my family routine was minimally disrupted."
The winner of the new Porter Hétu International award is
Ruobing Sun, B.Eng., CGA. The award is given to a newly certified CGA graduating from the public practice career option who obtains the highest final course mark in
Auditing 2. Sun, who recently joined the firm of APP & Associate LLP in Edmonton, first learned of the CGA designation while living in China, and immediately enrolled upon immigrating to Canada. "This program is exciting and full of challenge," says Sun.
The Carswell Taxation Award was awarded to
Frank D'Abramo, of St. Leonard, Quebec. This award is granted to the student who achieves the highest mark in
Taxation 2 on the first attempt.
Susmita Dutta, B.Comm., CA (India), CGA, is the winner of the professional level award. Dutta, who earned the Level 4 Award of Excellence in
2002-03, won the Carswell Taxation Award last year. Dutta credits her high level of achievement to a flair for numbers, a focused mind and innate skill in translating ideas into action. "When I immigrated to Canada," she says, "I could foresee that the CGA curriculum would provide me with expertise and experience." Dutta is currently assistant Plant Controller at Amcor PET Canada Inc.
The Level 4 Award of Excellence was given to
Joanna Chow, B.AccS.,
CPA (Singapore), of Richmond, B.C. Chow currently works as program controller, Space Missions at MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. "The CGA program provides a well-rounded education and a solid foundation for a career in business, whether accounting or otherwise," she says of her decision to choose CGA.
Marlene Morell, BBA, is the winner of the Level 3 Award of Excellence. Morell has worked as assistant comptroller at Central Home Improvement Warehouse in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, since 2003. "The format of the CGA program allows for the integration of work and study, and is well suited to my current position," she says.
The Level 2 Award of Excellence goes to
Barry Cotnam, B.Sc., from Halifax. Cotnam works for the Nova Scotia Insurance Review Board regulating automobile insurance rates, and says his CGA studies are creating new and additional job prospects. Cotnam says one of the things he appreciates most about his CGA studies is the self-study approach.
The winner of the Level 1 Award of Excellence is
Aaron Olson, BA, who currently works as a junior accountant with Loblaws — Central Finance Services in Winnipeg. Olson says his long-term goals are to lead an accounting team in a company that offers continuing professional development and potential for growth.
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Top Ten Recognition Award
CGA-Canada's Top Ten Recognition Award honours newly certified members who rank as the highest performers from across the country. This year's top spot goes to
Susmita Dutta, who is also the professional level award winner.
Second place goes to
Weina Yuan, B.Eng., CGA, an auditor with Consulting and Audit Canada in Ottawa, where she conducts audits of Federal contribution agreements on behalf of various client departments. "My
long-term goals are to stay in the audit field and use my skills gained from the CGA program while continuing to develop professionally and take on challenges involved in more complex auditing assignments."
In third place is
Donald Hahn, CGA, who currently works for the Correctional Service of Canada in a financial management position. Hahn, who lives in Chilliwack, B.C., previously worked as an income tax auditor for the Canada Revenue Agency, and says he chose CGA as it would allow him to attain his designation while working full time.
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Other Top Ten Recipients
Lianna Aghabekyan, B.Sc., MBA, CGA, currently works as a project accountant for a large construction firm. Originally from Armenia, she now makes her home in St-Laurent, Quebec.
Stephanie Anderson, CGA, also holds a bachelor of applied business administration (Accounting). She is employed by Capital Health, in Edmonton, as a business analyst for Stollery Children's Hospital.
Subramanian Balakrishnan, B.Comm., CA (India), CGA, is last year's winner of the Level 4 Award of Excellence. He currently works for MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates in Richmond, B.C. as manager, Finance, responsible for review and documentation of disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting in compliance with SOX requirements.
Julie Charbonneau, also the winner of this year's ENCON award.
Lei Chen, B.Sc., CGA, is currently working as a SOX consultant at ABB (China) Ltd. in China. "In this job, I can fully apply all the knowledge I gained from my CGA studies to a real business situation," she says.
Qianwei Liu, BAccS, CGA, from Toronto. Liu, who currently works as an accountant for Transcontinental Media, feels the CGA designation provides a distinct edge in today's competitive job market.
Suresh Viswanathan, B.Comm., CGA, is currently a project accountant and cost controller with SNC-Lavalin in Toronto. Among his many accomplishments, he is an associate of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India and a graduate of the Canadian Securities course. He aspires to one day work for one of the "Big Four" firms.
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Top 40 Award Kick-off Sponsored by
CGA-Canada
CGA-Canada sponsored one of the kick-off breakfasts that mark the launch of this year's Top 40 Under 40 Awards campaign. Association President and CEO Anthony Ariganello, CPA (Delaware), FCGA, was one of the keynote presenters at the event, which was held at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa in
October 2005.
This national program celebrates the achievements of 40 Canadians in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors who have reached a significant level of success before the age of 40. Introduced in 1995, the Top 40 Under 40 is intended to promote mentorship and professional development among this group, and establish these individuals as role models for young Canadians.
Candidates are nominated in one of the following categories: Vision and Leadership; Innovation and Achievement; Impact Growth/Development Strategy; and Community Involvement and Contribution.
Award winners will be announced in May 2006. Additional information is available at
www.top40award-canada.org.
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Public Practitioners/SME Survey Update
The survey component of
CGA-Canada's public practitioner and small and medium enterprise (SME) research project was completed in late October 2005. The project aims to examine the impact of regulation on SMEs. Through the use of these survey instruments and focus groups,
CGA-Canada intends to solicit the perspectives of SMEs, the public accountants who serve them, and public bodies that influence compliance policy.
CGA public practitioners across Canada were asked about the recent changes to securities regulations, investor confidence, and the quality of financial reporting in Canada.
The project will also incorporate focus groups, to be held later this winter. Details on these forums will be available on the Association's Web site at
www.cga-online.org/canada.
CGA-Canada would like to thank the many CGA public practitioners and SMEs who participated in the survey for their comments, which are instrumental to the success of this project. The final report will be released mid-2006, and will be available on the
CGA-Canada Web site.
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First MBA Class Graduates from Laurentian
The first 20 CGAs to complete Laurentian University's new Online Master of Business Administration (MBA) program graduated in October. The 20 graduates of the program, which is available exclusively to CGAs, are from various communities in Ontario, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba.
Based on Laurentian's successful campus-based MBA program, online delivery through the CGA
edNET system opens the program to CGAs from all parts of the country and allows them to manage their academic commitments with their work and family responsibilities.
"With the MBA degree and CGA designation, there is no limit to the opportunities that lie ahead," said Djoura Abdelou of Saint John, New Brunswick, one of eight graduates who attended the ceremony at Laurentian's Sudbury campus.
"To succeed in today's complex world, businesses require leaders with a broad base of advanced business knowledge," says Lynda Carson, FCGA,
CGA-Canada vice-president, Education and Operational Affairs. "The Laurentian MBA recognizes the high level of business and financial expertise gained from the CGA Program of Professional Studies and expands on the business concepts examined in the program. A CGA designation and a Laurentian MBA form a powerful combination."
More information about the Laurentian Online MBA for CGAs is available at
www.cga.laurentian.ca.
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