Financial Accounting Foundation
Request for Nominations for FASAC Chairman Candidates
The Financial
Accounting Foundation is seeking candidates for the role of Chairman of the
Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC).
The Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council
The Financial
Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC) was formed in 1973 concurrent with
the establishment of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). The FASAC
is the FASB´s principal advisory group.
The Board of Trustees of the
Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) appoints the members of FASAC, including
the chairman, and broadly oversees its operations. The FASAC comprises
approximately 35 members who are drawn from the ranks of CEOs, CFOs, senior
partners of public accounting firms, executive directors of professional
organizations, and senior members of the academic and analyst communities, all
with an interest in the integrity of full and complete financial reporting and
disclosure. FASAC members are appointed for an initial one-year term and are
eligible to be reappointed for three additional one-year terms.
The
primary function of FASAC is to advise the FASB on issues related to projects on
the FASB´s agenda, possible new agenda items, project priorities, procedural
matters that may require the attention of the FASB, and other matters as
requested by the chairman of the FASB. FASAC meetings provide the FASB with an
opportunity to obtain and discuss the views of a diverse group of individuals
from varied business and professional backgrounds. FASAC´s role is not to reach
a consensus or to vote on the issues that it considers at its meetings. Rather,
FASAC operates as a window through which the FASB can obtain and discuss the
representative views of the diverse groups the FASB affects. FASAC provides the
forum for two-way communication. For this reason, it is important to convene
the FASAC members as a group so that the FASB can hear the individual views of
those members and so that the members can hear and respond to each other´s
views.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate for the position of FASAC Chairman
would be a current or recently retired senior officer of a public or private
company who currently sits on one or more public or private company boards,
preferably on the audit committee. The candidate should be a "financial expert"
but does not necessarily have to be an accountant. The candidate should have an
in-depth knowledge of the financial reporting process for public and private
companies and should be a recognized thought leader in the field.
An
excellent candidate also could come from other backgrounds or have other
experience, such as a senior leader in the auditing profession, a senior member
of the investing (or other financial statement user) profession, a senior member
of the accounting or finance academic community, or an individual with a
background in accounting, securities, or financial regulation, as long as his or
her entire experience profile is consistent with the position requirements.
The Role of FASAC Chairman
The role and responsibilities of the FASAC
Chairman include:
- Consulting and collaborating with the FASB Chairman on the FASB´s needs in
the planning of FASAC´s agenda and work, and establishing the FASAC´s agenda
and work plans accordingly.
- Presiding at FASAC meetings and guiding the discussion so that comments
and views can be presented to the FASB effectively.
- Ensuring that FASAC is prepared to discuss effectively and in a timely
manner the issues on which it is consulted by the FASB.
- Providing quarterly and annual reports on the activities of FASAC to the
FAF Board of Trustees and the FASB.
- Encouraging FASAC members to provide comments on proposed standards, as
well as on broader policy questions and other matters referred to FASAC, and
encouraging FASAC members to speak and write publicly on the work of the FASB
and FASAC.
- Organizing and appointing committees or other groups of FASAC members as
appropriate.
- Advising the Trustees on the representation of the FASB´s stakeholders on
FASAC and the effectiveness of FASAC members, including assessing members for
reappointment.
- Leading the process to recruit highly qualified candidates for FASAC
membership, ensuring that diverse stakeholder viewpoints are represented.
Summary of Qualifications
The FASAC Chairman ideally would have the
following qualifications:
- Experience as a senior finance or accounting executive, such as a
controller, chief accounting officer, or chief financial officer, at a public
or private company, with experience working and interacting with public or
private company boards of directors. (This experience does not preclude
consideration of those with other relevant backgrounds, as more fully
described below.)
- Experience as a member of the board of directors of a public or private
company, preferably with experience as a chair or member of the audit
committee.
- Experience with public forums and visibility, including experience
chairing meetings, giving speeches, speaking with the media, and similar
activities.
- The ability to be independent and portray objective integrity, even if
actively employed as a member of any FASB stakeholder group (preparer,
auditor, user, or other).
Time Commitment
The FASAC Chairman must spend the appropriate time in
order to perform his or her duties. The FASAC Chairman will have substantial
support of the Executive Director of FASB Advisory Groups and other members of
the staff.
The FASAC Chairman must attend the four quarterly FASAC
meetings (one is a two-day meeting). The FASAC Chairman also is encouraged to
attend the four quarterly meetings of the Financial Accounting Foundation Board
of Trustees each year. These commitments would total approximately 9 days
annually and be scheduled well in advance.
The FASAC Chairman also is
encouraged to become familiar with the inner workings of the FASB and to develop
personal relationships with the FASB Chairman and members.
The FASAC
Chairman may be appointed to a term of up to four years, or a shorter period of
time as agreed upon at the time of appointment. The FASAC Chairman serves
without remuneration but will be reimbursed for actual out-of-pocket expenses
incurred in connection with FASAC activities as he or she may request, provided
that those expenses comply with FAF travel and expense reimbursement
policies.
Interested and qualified candidates are requested to
submit a CV and a letter of introduction via email by November 30, 2013, to: FASACchair@f-a-f.org.
Alternatively, candidates may submit materials by mail to Financial Accounting
Foundation, c/o Robert H. Kalina, Vice President, Human Resources, Financial
Accounting Foundation, 401 Merritt 7, Norwalk, CT 06856