MeMBeRS IN FoCUS
~ HoNoRARY CAs ~
The Honorary CA designation recognizes non-CAs who have made outstanding contributions to the accounting profession.
Colin Bennett, CPA, FCMA, CA (Hon.),
LL.D (Hon.)
Colin worked with the Certified Management
Accountants of British Columbia (CMABC)
for 15 years—two years as staff director and 13
years as president and CEO. A strong proponent
of the unification initiative, he played a vital
role in moving the current initiative forward,
though he retired in 2012.
Before joining CMABC, Colin held a variety of senior roles in financial
management with manufacturing companies; these included controller &
CFO of CAE (Welmet) Industries, VP finance/CFO of Sheldon’s Group
of Companies, and VP finance & CFO of Freightliner of Canada Ltd.
Colin is currently a board member of the BC & Yukon Arthritis
Society and The College of Licensed Practical Nurses. He has contributed his leadership to numerous other organizations as well, including
the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Association; Financial
Executives International (BC board president in 2002-2003); the
Leadership & Management Development Council of BC (board president in 2005-2006); and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Colin became a CMA in 1975 and an FCMA in 2003. In 2010, he
received an honorary doctorate from Capilano University for his
contributions to the business sector and the community.
Susan K. Burns, CA (Hon.)
Susan is a public representative on the ICABC’s
Discipline Tribunal, which she joined in 2008
following a seven-year tenure on Council. In
recognition of her service, which also includes
roles on the Recruiting & Training Task Force,
the Task Force on the CA Life Cycle of Professional Learning, and the board of governors of
the Chartered Accountants Education Foundation of BC, she received
the ICABC’s Ritchie McCloy Award in 2009.
Prior to her retirement in 2002, Susan was the executive director of the
Executive MBA Program for the faculty of business administration at
Simon Fraser University (Harbour Centre) for 11 years. She’d previously
worked as a sessional lecturer for SFU and the University of British
Columbia, and as director of the real estate division for UBC’s faculty
of commerce and business administration.
Susan’s diverse resumé also includes three post-secondary degrees,
roles as a consumer affairs commentator for CBC Radio and a corporate
affairs officer for Vancity Savings Credit Union, and service on the board
of examiners of Canada Lands Surveyors and the Consumers’ Association
of Canada. In addition, she has volunteered with the United Church
for more than 30 years.
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CPABC in Focus • Feb/Mar 2014
Ross Fraser, MA, CA (Hon.)
Ross served on the ICABC’s Act Changes Task
Force and was a public representative on the
Institute’s Council and Discipline Tribunal. He is
currently a lay member of the ICABC’s Practice
Review & Licensing Committee.
Ross serves on the board of the Vancouver Island
University (VIU) Foundation, an entity he helped
create. He has been involved with Mala