Exemplary CFOs need more than sound technical skills and financial management experience to stand out in today’s market. They need to be outstanding communicators, have well-honed people skills and possess the ability to think and learn outside the finance box.
Celebrating their seventh anniversary, the BC CFO Awards recognize the province’s top financial leaders. This year, five judges reviewed more than 30 applicants and were tasked with the challenge of picking the most outstanding individuals in seven company categories: large public, large private, small public, small private, publicly accountable, transformation agent and emerging leader.
Winners were selected based chiefly – though not exclusively – on their record in helping their companies grow through effective strategic decision-making, business principles and financial reporting.
Valerie Mann, a corporate lawyer and partner at Lawson Lundell LLP, has been an awards judge since 2011.
Mann said she was impressed with not only accomplishments such as significant financings, strategic pivots, and mergers, but also how much the candidates give back to their profession and their communities.
Hugh Notman, managing director of CCC Investment Banking, has also participated as a judge since 2011. He said the selection process has become more challenging as judges considered multiple strong candidates in each category.
“The quality and calibre of the CFOs is greater every year,” said Notman. “We’re getting better and better applicants.”
John Crawford, CFO and senior vice-president at Pacific Blue Cross, has been an awards judge for the last few years. He agrees the job is getting harder.
“We have the best year I have seen in three years with great depth and high quality of candidates from all categories,” he said.
2016 BC CFO Award winner William Hallett, who is the Vancouver Foundation’s vice-president of finance and operations, experienced the selection process this year as a judge.
“It was rewarding to see such a variety of possible award winners from many different businesses,” he said. “And the accomplishments of some of the candidates were impressive and inspiring.”
This was also Michael Madsen’s first year as a BC CFO Awards judge.
“It was pretty inspiring to read the submissions, which went beyond the candidate proclaiming greatness,” said Madsen, BDO Canada LLP’s Vancouver office managing partner and international liaison partner. “One thing that stood out was the humility of the candidates as many downplayed the significance of their contributions.”
Join us June 1 when Business in Vancouver celebrates the 2017 BC CFO Awards at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. For further information or to register for the event visit the events page at www.biv.com/cfo.
