Ritchie McCloy, FCA

Past Institute CEO Ritchie McCloy, FCA, was a local boy who made his name as a CA and then spent years giving back to his profession. Born in New Westminster, and a graduate of Magee Secondary School in 1954, he articled with the firm of Helliwell, MacLachlan and Co. (a predecessor firm to Peat Marwick Thorne and now KPMG LLP), and became a CA in 1960.

Ritchie’s successful career as a chartered accountant involved work in industry as well as public practice in Victoria and Vancouver. He was a partner with Peat Marwick Thorne for 12 years before becoming an FCA in BC and the CEO of the Institute. His tenure as CEO ran from 1990 to 1999. He became only the fourth person to receive an FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Yukon Territory in 1999.

ICABC president for 1989-90, Rick Acton, FCA, remembers being “delighted when Ritchie was announced as the CEO at the end of my term. He was a fine individual, always the epitome of professionalism, and perhaps his finest quality was how much he cared for people.”

Shortly after his retirement in 1999, McCloy reflected on his years as a CA: “I would not trade my career for anything,” he said. “I treasure the opportunities it has afforded me in public practice, in industry, and, most recently, in the leadership of the profession. I have enjoyed it all, but the last chapter I enjoyed the most because it offered contact with such a diversity of people, the chance to lead by example, and to be proactively involved in the inner workings of the profession.”

He also offered some advice to new CAs starting out: “Never stop learning. Keep your options open. Use your designation to gain an advantage,” he said. “But, just as importantly, don’t forget your personal life. [There] really is nothing more important than your family and your health. Make sure you make time for those priorities as well.”

Ritchie McCloy died in May 2001 after a short battle with cancer. In 2002 his family established the Ritchie McCloy Award for CA Volunteerism to recognize the value of integrity and service to the profession, either through a project, a committee, or a series of activities.

This article was adapted from a piece in the June/July 2001 issue of Beyond Numbers.