Montreal, May 11, 2011 – Nearly 1,000 people attended the annual CMA Graduation Ceremony held on April 30 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal to celebrate the accreditation of 312 new members.
As the Honorary President of the event, Yvon Charest, President and Chief Executive Officer, Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services, declared "the new CMAs will have an opportunity to show how their ability to structure, analyze and use financial information makes a difference in organizations."
The Chair of the Board of the Order, Marie-Andrée Giroux, FCMA, Vice President, Finance and Administrative Services, Roche Ltd, Consulting Group, reminded the new CMAs that they are entering the profession at a time when the greatest challenge worldwide is to reconcile social, economic and environmental needs. "You have chosen a profession that has the credibility, status and recognition to match your ambitions. Society expects no less from you than to be models of excellence and integrity, true leaders in other words."
Prizes and honours
During the ceremony, several prizes and honours were awarded by the Foundation of the Ordre des comptables en management accrédités du Québec, including the Fernand Cloutier Award. This award was presented to the team of candidates from the regular path that earned the best results in the final step of the CMA accreditation process, the Report to the Board of Directors. The winning team included Marie-Noël Corriveau, CMA, Financial Analyst, Quad Graphics Inc., Isabelle Cuillerier, CMA, Financial Analyst, L'Oréal Canada, Jonathan Labrèche, CMA, Senior Financial Analyst – Commercial Finance, Molson Coors Canada, Marc Rioux, CMA, Director, Management and Cost Accounting, Kruger Wines and Spirits, and Philippe Roy-Bélisle, CMA, Financial Analyst, Public Service Labour Relations Board, who received a medal of honour and divided up $6,000 equally among them.
The Foundation of the Order also highlighted the contribution of three master's degree students to the advancement of accounting knowledge. Accordingly, Alexandre Beaulieu, Maurice Bouchard Thomassin, and Christine Gilbert, CMA, all students in the Master's of Business Administration (MBA) - Accountancy program at Université Laval, shared fellowships for research in accounting totalling $9,000.
The CMA Graduation Ceremony also provided an opportunity to honour the recipients of the CMA World Passport Scholarships worth $2,000 each. As a result, five university students who have opted to become CMAs and want to improve their knowledge in a study abroad program, including Anne Gagné-Guimont, of Université Laval, Caroline Garneau, of HEC Montréal, Ariane Guay, of Université Laval, Jérémie Hrycak Leclaire, of HEC Montréal, and Joanne Seminara, of Concordia University, will be able to do so with the Foundation's support.
Five young or future CMAs who care about practicing their profession in their regions and are engaged citizens involved in their communities were the very first recipients of the CMA University Scholarships for Regional Youth, which are also worth $2,000 each and presented in partnership with Place aux jeunes en région. They are: Jeanie Caron, CMA, Director of Operations and Development, Biosphère Television (Baie-Comeau), Alexandre Côté-LeBlanc, CMA, Financial Director, and Mona Doucet, CMA, Accountant and Vice President, both at Gescobec inc. (Chicoutimi), Vincent Perron, CMA, Financial Analyst, Tafisa Canada (Lac-Mégantic), and Sébastien Rocheleau, Financial Analyst, Fonds régional de solidarité FTQ Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Rouyn-Noranda).
The stage at the CMA Graduation Ceremony also put the spotlight on the winners of the Entrance Examination Grand Prize, Hongguan Li, a graduate of HEC Montréal, and the Case Examination Grand Prize, Sophie Beauregard, a graduate of the Université de Sherbrooke. Both winners obtained the top grade in Quebec on these national examinations with 93% and 95% respectively and earned $1,000 and $2,000 scholarships as a result.
Finally, the Order officially presented public accountancy permits to the CMAs who have obtained one since the new regulation came into force and may now use the title of CMA auditor. They are Ghislain Bélanger, Claude Bernard, Louis-M. Doyon, Hélène Émond, Pierre D. Fauteux, M.A. Ginette Giroux, Hubert Laberge, Serge Leblanc, Jacques Morin and Roland Naccache.
The Ordre des comptables en management accrédités du Québec, which has 9,600 members and candidates to the profession, provides leadership to the CMA profession through the enforcement of high standards intended to enhance the performance of organizations. CMAs create value within organizations through an integrated and systematic approach to strategic and financial management.
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Photos available upon request
Source:
Quebec CMA Order
Contact:
Ginette Bourbonnais
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