We begin 2017 by celebrating the 13 BC students who made the national honour roll for the common final examinations ( CFEs ) held in May and September 2016 . You ’ ll find their profiles on pages 28-39 . We also congratulate all of the successful exam passers in 2016 — 158 BC writers in May , and 548 BC writers and four Yukon writers in September ! This issue also features a recap of the final CPABC legacy convocation ceremony , held on November 26 to celebrate our 1,690 newest professionals ( pages 62-63 ). Other major events during the fall included CPABC ’ s sponsorship of the BC Business Summit , which you ’ ll find recapped on page 11 . The sold-out event , which was attended by leaders from the business community , First Nations , and government , featured keynote speeches and panel sessions focused on creating a sustainably successful future for BC ’ s economy . CPABC ’ s executive also spent considerable time meeting with members during the Member Engagement Tour ( MET ) in October and November 2016 . Over the course of 21 stops across BC and one in Hong Kong , my colleagues and I provided an update on the profession to 1,400 + members ( see recap on pages 12-13 ). For those of you who weren ’ t able to attend a MET event , a recording of the presentation shared at each stop on the tour has been posted online at bccpa . ca / met-presentation-2016 . We also brought the profession ’ s leaders together at the Past Chairs ’ Dinner held on October 25 . Twenty-two past chairs joined CPABC leaders to hear about the current issues affecting the profession and how CPABC is addressing these challenges . Over the coming months , CPABC will continue to celebrate achievement . On February 15 , we will recognize our newly elected fellows and our award winners for early achievement , lifetime achievement , community service , and service to the profession at the CPABC Member Recognition Dinner . We were extremely impressed by the calibre of nominations received , and I encourage you to think about who you might want to nominate for next year ’ s awards . Nomination forms will be available in the spring , with a submission deadline of September 15 , 2017 . Other events on the horizon include CPABC ’ s Spring Pacific Summit , which is being held in Vancouver from May 17-19 , and Business in Vancouver ’ s CFO of the Year Awards in late spring , which CPABC will once again be sponsoring . Registration for the Spring Pacific Summit opens in late January , and nominations for BIV ’ s prestigious awards are now being accepted , with a submission deadline of March 6 , 2017 . Lastly , I ’ d like to provide an update on the search process for CPABC ’ s new president & CEO . I ’ m pleased to say that the process was highly successful . Many accomplished individuals were put forward for consideration , and we expect to make an announcement in the near future . In the meantime , I ’ d like to acknowledge the contributions of our current president & CEO , Richard Rees , FCPA , FCA ( profiled on pages 46-47 ). It ’ s fair to say that Richard has had an indelible impact on the profession here in BC , nationally , and internationally . In particular , he has been a driving force throughout the unification process over the past five years , creating a positive environment that welcomed collaboration and co-operation . He has guided and stabilized the profession through seismic change and has been a strong voice for BC at the national level . He will be missed by the board and his entire team at CPABC . Thank you Richard for everything you have done for us ! On behalf of the board , I ’ d like to wish you all the best for 2017 , as CPABC enters its next phase of development and growth .

David B . Hallinan , FCPA , FCMA CPABC Chair

CPABC in Focus • Jan / Feb 2017 9

CPABC in Focus January/ February 2017 | Page 9