Global BV education debate

International BV players gathered recently in Toronto for a panel discussion on global BV education that was webcast live, reports BVWire. “There’s a global warming of the BV profession toward the ideas of valuation standards and education, and we need to be ready to respond to them,” said Bob Morrison, chair of the ASA Business Valuation Discipline Committee. “CICBV members are already asking for an international education and certification,” countered Pierre Maillet, who is with PwC in Montreal and is on the CICBV board. He warns that it takes years to develop these things, so the route is to support country-specific standards via the VPOs rather than a new international organization.

“Young people in our profession need a certification that’s global, portable, and recognized,” agreed Doug McPhee, global head of BV education at KPMG. “Otherwise, they’re struggling to align their training with their careers or with the regulators.” To prepare individuals as the profession changes, you need “entry education, continuing education, minimum work experience, standards probably around the IVS from the IVSC, and you need disciplinary procedures,” Maille says. Ben Elder, global director of valuation at RICS, points out that his organization takes a proactive approach to discipline by scrutinizing its members’ work and taking enforcement action where it sees fit.

“If external trends move faster than internal actions, you’re on the road to disaster,” says April Mackenzie, COO of the IVSC, quoting a business leader she’d heard earlier. “Education is what you have at a point in time, but competency is an ongoing commitment over time. What we need to do is find a way to recognize the right levels of competency. That’s where we have to start for the answer.”

The panelists agreed that, generally speaking, education should be standardized internationally. “But at the national level, and at the level of practicing internationally, you need to demonstrate an additional international competency,” said Morrison. “What good is the market approach in a local economy with no secondary market? Knowing that is a key part of international competency.” One route is for the IVSC to weigh in on whether VPOs meet the minimum standards of an international body for common, high standards.

While it’s unclear what tangible actions will be taken in the short term, it’s important to keep this dialogue going in order to move forward with a global unification of the BV profession.

BVWire subscribers (free registration required) have access to a free recording of the webcast.