Canada's new chair plans to focus on ethics.

• Author: Heffes, Ellen M.
• Position: M. Stephanie Coldwell of FEI Canada

If she could accomplish just one thing as FEI Canada Chair in 2003-04, M. Stephanie Coldwell says she wants to publicly position FEI as the most effective and dynamic organization for Canada's ethical financial executives. With the recent slew of high-profile corporate scandals, Coldwell sees the opportunity for FEI to step in and further shape the dialogue on corporate reporting and governance by expanding its advocacy role through a three-tiered strategy.

This task is part of a list of overall goals she envisions for FEI Canada -- all of which will go through discussions and implementation plans with the volunteer and staff leadership. However, it's certain that communicating ethics is the foundation for the coming year.

"We will 'inject' ethics into everything that we do," says Coldwell. The leadership is planning on referencing ethics in all its coverage and communications -- with members, prospective members and the press.

Coldwell says there are different ways in which FEI can actively advocate, and describes the three-tiered strategy. In the first tier, FEI can take a position on a small number of issues that will apply to all members. For example, ethical conduct, she says, is a "no-brainer," and something FEI has indeed taken a stand on.

The second tier relates to issues on which members hold strong opposing views. In these cases, FEI would not take a position, but would provide an objective forum to encourage discussion.

The third tier involves responding to issues. Sometimes, Coldwell explains, "We don't need to have a discussion about an issue, but there are organizations that want to know what CFOs think. This provides opportunities to survey the membership, and release statements such as, 'xx percent feel this way; xx percent feel that way."

Coldwell has other goals: 1) to become known as a "member-centric" organization -- one that understands its members' profiles, needs and interests; 2) to proactively associate FEI with its code of ethics, both with members and with CEOs and CFOs in the external business community; 3) to optimize the value of the technical committees to members; and 4) to increase member interaction opportunities, both in person and electronically -- through leveraging technology.

Coldwell has been an active member of FEI since 1990, when she joined the then less than 50-member Atlantic Canada Chapter, becoming its first female member; it now has 122 members. She joined primarily for networking -- for the...