Why Become A CBA?

Profiles in CBA Success: Bill W. - The Midwestern Certified Public Accountant

Bill is a highly accomplished financial consultant serving a broad array of middle market clients for valuation and litigation support. Bill earned his CBA through the Institute’s Professional Accomplishment Program. His career goal was to break-out of the market’s perspective of him as a technical expert and forge a new path into Corporate Directorship.

After being granted his CBA, Bill sprang into action, using the announcement that he had been granted the CBA designation as a direct marketing tool. He gathered a list of the 1000 or so most influential professional business, financial and legal firms as well as a select group of well-known corporate C-Level executives in his area. Using his list, launched an effort to make a direct appeal to gain a Board seat or a role as a Trusted Board Advisor for for-profit and/or prestigious not-for-profit organizations.

The results were tremendous, in less than two months, Bill found himself being solicited for Directorships with several for-profit as well as not-for-profit organizations. Along the way, he also gained several new clients, an unanticipated but very pleasant outcome. Doors are opening for Bill and he continues to use his CBA for both career advancement and to make a real difference in Corporate Directorship.

Are You Ready to Serve on a Board?

The Certified Board Advisor (CBA) credential is a powerful statement that you are capable of competent strategic vision and decision making, have the gravitas for corporate oversight, and can lead in a crisis. It tells the hiring Board that you have what it takes to join the team and make a difference. The abilities and talents needed to be a good Board Member or Advisor are not exactly the same as those for a C-level executive. Executives execute, Boards direct; it sounds obvious but there is a profound difference: Board Members and Advisors need broader and longer range vision. They must keep an eye on executive management to ensure they are doing what they should, no more and no less.

“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”

- Oprah Winfrey

Good Board Members and Advisors are always on the lookout for crises in the making whether it’s a new competitive product, a discontinuous product innovation that will upend the company’s business model, or something more nefarious like fraud, theft, hostile competitor actions or the breakdown of integrity (for example, GM’s ignition switch failure, Enron’s business model failure cover-up, Blue Bell Ice Cream’s listeriosis outbreak.) Have you considered searching for a Board position as either a Director or a Trusted Advisor? Are you actively looking for a Board position? Do you have the talents and experience to join this elite group? Are you ready to make a real difference? Are you ready to promote your talents as a potential Director or Trusted Board Advisor? Go here to learn how to apply for the credential based on your qualification. Sitting for the CBA exam is not currently required but may be required after 2023.