CENTENARY SNAPSHOT

2000 -

Presidents:

2000-2001 Charles (Chuck) Chandler, FCA

2001-2002 Frank Barr, FCA

2002-2003 Robin Elliott, FCA

2003-2004 John Cowperthwaite, FCA

2004-2005 Barb Carle-Thiesson, FCA

2005-2006 Amed Naqvi, FCA

* So far this decade, membership has already grown from 8,000 to over 9,000.

* The year 2000 saw the launch of the CA School of Business, which replaced the separate educational delivery systems of the four western provinces with one unified program.

* In 2003, BC Institute members voted in favour of adopting universal continuing professional development.

ICABC Chronicles: Presidents

The president of the ICABC sets the direction for our organization, determining, with the help of Council, which policies the Institute will adopt. The president also serves on committees at the national level.

It wasn't always this way. One hundred years ago, the Institute's president was most concerned with encouraging accountants to become members. Our first president-William T. Stein, FCA-led fewer than ten members during his first year in office, and most of the issues he faced as leader involved finding enough members to support the fledgling organization.

Stein's efforts were successful, but as the number of ICABC members increased over the years, so too did the number of issues faced by ICABC presidents and their respective councils; some of these issues-like providing students with quality education, protecting the public interest, and staying current with business developments-are still key issues today.

91 presidents in 100 years

Despite being 100 years old, the Institute has only had 91 presidents (Amed Naqvi, FCA, is the 92nd). Of these 91 presidents, five served multiple terms.

William T. Stein was both the first and the longest-serving president, occupying the position from his 1905-06 term until 1911-12. The following ICABC members also served multiple terms as president: George F. Gyles, FCA (1921 -22 and 1937-38); J. Haydn Young, FCA (1923-24 and 1940-41); William R. Carmichael, FCA (1924-25 and 1931-32); and William G. Rowe, FCA (1935-36 and 1939-40).

John B. Woodthorpe, CA (1920-21 and 1922-23) served one-and-a-half terms, resigning in the middle of his second. In his resignation, Woodthorpe was accompanied by the Institute's then secretary, Alfred L. C. Chalk, CA. Both men were among several Institute members to leave BC during the early 1920s in pursuit of success elsewhere. Following their departure in late 1922, then vice-president Hall C. Chiene, FCA, assumed the role of president. Chiene stepped down six months later, however, after Hayden Young was elected president in the subsequent election.

Succession planning

Looking back over the past 100 years, the Institute's executive roster reveals that several vice-presidents did not ultimately serve as president. In fact, the succession pattern we follow today did not actually emerge until the early 1940s-the 1941/42 Council to be exact. Since then, each first vice-president has gone on to serve as president.

Opening the door

Of the Institute's 91 past presidents, only three are women: Heather Shannon, FCA, the first woman to serve as ICABC president (1987-88); Alison Morse, FCA, the Institute's second female president (1997-98); and Barb Carle-Thiesson, FCA, the immediate past president.

As an interesting aside, discussions about a potential merger with the CMAs took place during the terms of two of these three women: Shannon and Carle-Thiesson.

Looking forward

It's impossible to predict what the next century will bring. What is certain is that the BC CA profession will continue to evolve with the times, and future ICABC presidents will continue to help the Institute address any market, technological, and global developments as they arise.

A personal thank you

As the Institute's centenary year comes to a close, I'd like to thank those of you who contributed stories to our centenary website. This website will remain online at www.ica.bc.ca/100, and additional stories and recollections are still welcome.

I'd also like to thank those of you who attended one or more of our centenary events. Thank you for helping us celebrate this milestone for the CA profession in BC!

[Author Affiliation]

By Sarah Stephen, Communication Coordinator