Focus on Members
Dr. Roger Russell, B.Sc., M.B.A., C.C.P., Ph.D.
Name: Dr. Roger Russell, B.Sc., M.B.A., C.C.P., Ph.D.
Born/raised: Life started in Weston, Ontario in 1960 when Roger was born to parents of Quebec and Nova Scotia roots. Roger enjoys his cross border ways to this day as he currently works in New Brunswick and lives in Nova Scotia … a foot in two provinces.
Education:
Roger is proud to have earned his Certified Credit Professional (CCP) designation in 1996! He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree (B.Sc.(Agr)) in Agricultural Economics & Rural Development from University of Guelph, a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in Management from Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, and a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Business from Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. Roger also has a Diploma in University Teaching from the University of New Brunswick.
Career: Roger has been a manager in the business world for over twenty-five years. His broad experience takes in the areas of sales, marketing, credit services, general management, research and product development, project management, human resources, and international management. Roger works with traditional undergraduate and graduate students taking business administration degrees and also with adult students in an organizational management degree completion program. Roger has taught numerous courses including Intercultural Management, International Management, Issues in Management, Human Resource Management, Marketing Management, Sales Force Management, and Advertising: Theory & Practice.
Interview Questions:
- What prompted you to enroll in the certification program to earn the Certified Credit Professional (CCP) designation and become involved with the Credit Institute of Canada?
I am proud to have earned my Certified Credit Professional (CCP) designation in 1996 while working for Gary F. Steeves (a former President and Dean of CIC) in the Credit Services Department of Co-op Atlantic in Moncton, NB. It was clearly Gary’s mentorship and Co-op Atlantic’s commitment to employee professional development that provided me with all the motivation I needed to enroll. Credit has been a common thread throughout my entire career and the reason I am now so pleased to have the opportunity to serve on the National Education Committee (NEC) of the Credit Institute of Canada.
- How has the C.C.P. education prepared you to succeed in your career?
The C.C.P. education provided me with the opportunity to be recognized as a credit professional as opposed to someone simply working in the field of credit. The knowledge gained was a very important ingredient in developing my career in management and in particular, as a business person with expertise in credit. Career-wise, it has helped me arrive into senior management ranks at Co-op Atlantic and it also has led to exciting new opportunities overseas in Indonesia with the Canadian Co-operative Association. In teaching, I frequently turn to my credit background and membership in the Credit Institute of Canada to inform students about the credit profession and its’ important role in business practice. So for me: credit = success!!
- In your opinion, why is it important to have a firm commitment to lifelong learning and, particularly, to continuous professional development?
It is intriguing to think I had previously thought my B.Sc. and M.B.A degrees were all I needed to succeed in my career! Instead, I found out the C.C.P. designation gave me additional, significant and transferable skills. This really enhanced my overall education experience and employment opportunities and has served to advance my career in a variety of ways. Most importantly this caused me to fully recognize life-long learning is essential to ongoing career success. It is absolutely essential to stay current in one’s chosen field and this means it is a must to embrace all professional development opportunities with nothing but enthusiasm.
- Finally, what advice would you give to our young credit professionals in their pursuit of a successful and fulfilling career?
Early in my credit career, I discovered a large network of like-minded credit colleagues at the Atlantic Chapter of the Credit Institute of Canada. This resulted in a productive sharing of the latest in credit thinking and practice and was most often mutually beneficial. My advice to young credit professionals is simply to get out there in your local credit community ideally by getting involved with your local chapter of CIC. It will earn you respect and will pay dividends as you work hard to establish your credit career. Not only does it provide knowledge-sharing opportunities with your credit colleagues, it will give you considerable insights into many of the businesses operating in your local area.
President's Message - 2008 Annual General Meeting
June 6, 2008
Tomorrow, a new chapter in my life begins…one in which, for the first time in 22 years, does not involve a seat on the Chapter, or National Board, of the Credit Institute. I am very pleased to have represented the Atlantic Chapter on the National Board during the past six years. What made that experience even more gratifying was the opportunity to serve as your Chairman, President and Dean this past year. It was a very great honor. Thank you.
The Atlantic Chapter is in very good hands, pumped with enthusiasm for getting on with the job. The same is true at National. The incoming Board and our new General Manager will waste no time before you see proof positive that we’ve been busy. Somewhere along the line we’re going to have to stop calling her our new G/M. But whatever we call her, I’m glad she’s here! Reggie is exactly what we needed at National Office and I am very pleased to have participated on the search committee that chose her.
The board has a real sense of where the Credit Institute has come from and is focused on getting it where it needs to go. Feedback from the recent member satisfaction survey will provide us with guidance for more success and even greater significance, for the CIC in future. We need to chart a new course now that many of the objectives of the strategic plan are within earshot. Where do we want to be in five years time and what can we do to get there? What do our stakeholders expect? In March, we commissioned InfoFeedback® to conduct a membership survey, designed to determine our members’ feelings on all aspects of our member offering and affinity partnerships. 39% of our members participated in the survey giving us a broad cross section of opinion from which to draw. Thanks to all who participated.
Credit has never been more in-your-face than it is today. Open any newspaper and look at what most columnists are talking about. Banks and investment houses are taking significant write-downs in profits, as a result of the proliferation of easy credit. If you walk, you talk and you breathe…you qualify for a loan, a credit card and a mortgage…with no money down. The fact that credit is so topical today is a blessing to the Credit Institute.
While we celebrate 80 years of educating credit professionals, the Credit Institute continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of business and of credit professionals. Technological advances in computers and the Internet have allowed us to move forward in ways that no one could have imagined in the days of our founders. When I joined the Board six years ago, our focus was to strengthen our financial position to provide the capital needed to get the job done. The erosions of member equity have stopped and we are now generating consistent, positive financial results. It is a known fact that you cannot remain competitive in today’s economy without investing in the information technology (software and hardware). After a review of our core programs and member offerings your National Board made some key decisions and investments, without which we would have been unable to move forward. Our investment in technology alone amounted to almost $ 200,000.
We recognized the need to provide better support for our students by moving more of our service delivery to an online platform. Our acquisition of state-of-the-art software and hardware also enabled us to better protect our data and further improve service to our members and Chapters. All Chapters will soon have a new e-communities web access, similar to groups in Facebook®. This will provide seamless online access to the membership directory and allow members to update their personal information, including entry of P.D.P. credits. It will also offer expanded access to Chapter distribution list records by an individual authorized by the Chapter. Other enhancements will be added as quickly as possible. The initial version is currently in the beta test phase and is expected to be released soon.
Our members told us that they wanted greater awareness of the Credit Institute and our designation. We hired consultants and embarked on a new branding initiative, which is now largely completed. Today, our messages have the same look and feel, regardless of which chapter you’re in. Our ad content and photos are professionally done, making us more readily recognizable. We provide a marketing assistance program to Chapters, offering $ 2500 per year, to use our newly branded material. We also increased the national marketing budget. The budget this year is at an all time high, almost double the amount in 2002. Our allocation to marketing this year represents one quarter of our net assets. We need it because we have a lot to talk about!
These are the highlights of the past year:
- 2007 NATIONAL CONFERENCE: My sincere thanks to Dave Lundrigan, CCP, and the entire 2007 National Conference team for making our Go-For-The-Gold conference in Whistler an overwhelming success.
- CREDIT BASICS COURSE: Entered into a funding arrangement with the Canadian Credit Institute Educational Foundation (CCIEF) to overhaul the Credit Basics Course. The course is being re-written in both official languages and made available online for the first time. Delivery is expected by September 2008
- NEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: Our Board has forged new relations with the CCIEF, bringing a member of their Board to sit on our Board. Our closer relations are already having an effect. The CCIEF has announced a new Scholarship Program for CIC students. The scholarships are funded exclusively by the CCIEF. Three students in the FCI program will qualify for $ 2000 in funding assistance. One scholarship will be available for a student in the Credit Basics program. The deadline for applications for the first offering was May 31st. You can expect more on this very soon.
- CR1 & CR2 ONLINE: With the capable assistance of Gerry McFadden, online lectures and notes are now available for students in our CR1 & CR2 courses.
- EXPANDED WEBINAR PROGRAM: We have expanded the number and the frequency of Webinars (including two new French language offerings). For your convenience most Webinars have been archived and are now available for purchase after the session.
- UPDATED THE NATIONAL WEBSITE: In addition to a redesigned National Website we have provided funding and technical assistance for updates to Chapter websites. Every Chapter now qualifies for funding up to $2500 for CIC branded advertising initiatives (including Website development).
- IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS:
a) “To Your Credit” - Expanded the number of issues,
educational content and design of To Your Credit.
b) “Credit Express” - Introduced our new e-newsletter of
Chapter and National news happenings.
- NEW MENTORING PROGRAM: Announced a new Mentoring Program to support our students, which begins this fall. Applications are now being received from members wishing to participate in the new program as mentors.
- NEW SALARY SURVEY for the Canadian Credit Industry. The survey is now largely concluded and we expect the results to be released by the end of September.
- NEW CCP DESIGNATION: It is my distinct pleasure to announce that the Trademarks Office of Industry Canada has formally approved our use of the new Certified Credit Professional, CCP designation. The new designation was recommended, in conjunction with the branding initiative, commenced in 2005. It has been consistently promoted in our advertising campaigns and communications with members over the past two years. The incoming President & Dean will officially launch our new designation in the next few days. We will immediately begin to promote the new designation in media advisories and advertising campaigns, designed and recommended by WishArt®. The campaign will be funded with a special marketing allowance approved by the National Board exclusively for this purpose.
The Credit Institute of Canada is not resting on its laurels. We are actively involved in numerous service and membership upgrades that will better serve our stakeholders (students, members, and Chapter Boards) as we go forward. 80 years of history lies behind us but a lifetime of opportunity lies in front of us. The Credit Institute will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you for allowing me to take part in shaping its future.
Respectfully submitted,
Rodger D. Noel, B.Comm., A.C.I
Chairman, President and Dean
Members on the Move
Juan Fajardo, CCP, previously with Holcim/ St. Lawrence Cement Group, accepted a position as Senior Credit Manager with Johnson & Johnson.
Camelia Iliescu, CCP, previously with BMG Music Canada Inc. accepted a position as Credit Manager with Spin Master.
Rahul Kandalgaonkar, CCP, previously with General Electric, accepted a position as Credit Specialist with KIK Customs Product.
Urmila Mistry, CCP, previously with at Marmon – Keystone Canada accepted a position with Murfit-MBI
Loretta Salm, previously with Waste Management, accepted a position as Collections Specialist with Open Text Corporation.
Deceased Members
The following members passed away. We remember them for their contribution to the profession and to the Credit Institute of Canada and extend sympathies to their families and friends.
Jacqueline Romano, CCP – Hamilton Chapter
Denis Blais, CCP – Hamilton Chapter