Background on Canada’s CFO of the Year™ Award Program

The Canada's CFO of the Year™ Award (CFOY) was founded in late 2002 and is presented annually by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Financial Executives International Canada (FEI Canada) and The Caldwell Partners International.

The annual award honours the quality, insight and direction of an outstanding candidate among Canada's senior financial leaders. It also aims to further public understanding of the important role CFOs play in the stewardship of a business and in reinforcing public trust. To set apart the CFOY from other award programs, we strive to position it as an equal celebration of individual achievement and collective contribution.

Candidates may be nominated in any business sector by CEOs, members of boards of directors, financial analysts and other senior executives. An independent Selection Committee composed of some of Canada's most prominent business leaders selects Canada's CFO of the Year. (Selection Committee listed below). The criteria by which nominees are judged centres around five key areas: Vision and Leadership, Corporate Reporting and Performance, Social Responsibility, Innovation and Global Competitiveness.

The award program culminates each spring with a gala award dinner. Last year, on May 6, PwC and FEI Canada hosted more than 600 guests at a first-class, black-tie event at The Carlu. Attendance was comprised of senior leadership from many of Canada's leading companies and organizations.

The recipient of Canada's CFO of the Year Award for 2004 was Peter H. Rubenovitch, Senior Executive Vice-president and CFO of Manulife Financial Group. The 2003 award recipient was Peter W. Currie, the former Vice Chairman and CFO of RBC Financial Group.

The award program is sponsored through the generous support of American Express Corporate Services, Certified Management Accountants of Canada (CMA Canada), the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), Fasken Martineau, Marsh Canada Limited and Scotiabank Group. The media sponsor is The Globe and Mail.

Selection Committee

Full biographies for our Selection Committee members can be found on this site:

• Peter Dey, Partner of Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP, 2005 Selection Committee Chair;
• Bev Briscoe, Former President, Owner Hiway Refrigeration Ltd.
• Denis Desautels, Executive Director, Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa
• Fred Gorbet, CIT Chair in Financial Services and Director, Financial Services Program, Schulich School of Business, York University
• Tom O’Neill, former CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP from 1998 to 2001.
• Dr. Elizabeth Parr-Johnston, Former President and Vice Chancellor, University of New Brunswick
• Peter Rubenovitch, Senior Executive Vice-President and CFO, Manulife Finanical (one-year term as 2004 Award winner)
• Guylaine Saucier, Chair of the Joint Committee on Corporate Governance;
• Bruce Waterman, Agrium Inc. Canada's CFO of the Year™ for 2008

Further information

About PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 163,000 people in 151 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. In Canada, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (www.pwc.com/ca) and its related entities have more than 5,300 partners and staff in offices across the country.

“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate legal entity.

About Financial Executives International Canada (FEI Canada)
FEI Canada (www.fei.org/canada) is a cross-industry professional association for senior financial executives. With 11 chapters across Canada and more than 1,500 members, FEI Canada is an integral part of the larger 86 chapter, 15,000-member organization based in the U.S. Together, the members of FEI Canada and FEI represent 8,000 of North America's leading and most influential corporations. FEI Canada provides many valuable services to its members including peer networking opportunities, emerging issues alerts, personal and professional development opportunities, and advocacy services. FEI Canada members are Chief Financial Officers, Controllers, Treasurers, Tax Executives, Finance and Accounting Professors. Other typical titles held by FEI members include Assistant Controller, Subsidiary CFO or Controller, Assistant Treasurer, Director of Tax and CEO.

For more information regarding FEI Canada, please visit the Web site: http://www.fei.org/canada