FEI Announces 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees

MORRISTOWN, N.J., June 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Financial Executives International (FEI), the association of choice for CFOs and other senior-level finance executives, today announced the selection of three new members to the 2014 Class of the FEI Hall of Fame: Robert T. Blakely, Gaylen N. Larson and Robert L. Ryan. Now in its 9^th year, the FEI Hall of Fame recognizes highly-respected financial executives for their performance, leadership and integrity.

Mr. Blakely, Mr. Larson and Mr. Ryan will receive a formal induction into the FEI Hall of Fame on November 17, 2014 during a celebratory black-tie gala in their honor at Gotham Hall in New York City, held in conjunction with FEI's 33^rd Current Financial Reporting Issues Conference. Since the FEI Hall of Fame was established in 2006, 26 financial executives from across the country have been honored.

"We are excited to induct Mr. Blakely, Mr. Larson and Mr. Ryan into our Hall of Fame and look forward to celebrating their achievements, which have set an excellent example for our profession," said John Wulff, past Hall of Fame inductee and 2014 Chair of the FEI Hall of Fame Selection Advisory Council.

"Leadership and mentorship are attributes which have remained at the cornerstone of our organization for more than eight decades," said Marie N. Hollein, CTP, President and CEO of Financial Executives International. "This year's inductees are outstanding professionals, representing a wide range of industries, who have effectively led their companies in the face of adversity.  Moreover, they have also contributed to the profession through their services on various boards, associations and advocacy groups. We commend these individuals on their accomplishments and look forward to officially welcoming them into the FEI Hall of Fame."

"We are honored to be a returning premier sponsor of one of the industry's most prestigious awards programs," said Frank H. Brod, Corporate Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Accounting Officer of Microsoft Corporation. "The cumulative roster of inductees represents some of the most respected financial leaders and this year's class is no exception.  We join in congratulating the 2014 Hall of Fame honorees."

This year's inductees will join the existing Hall of Fame members which include the 2013 class – Earnest Edwards, William Parfet and Frederic Salerno – as well as William Ihlanfeldt, Hans Storr, Robert Wayman and John Wulff (2012), Robert Butler, Judy Lewent, and David Rickard (2011), Karl von der Heyden and Ulyesse LeGrange (2010), Dennis Dammerman and Donald Nicolaisen (2009), Susan Schmidt Bies and John Ruffle (2008), Thomas Jones and Samuel Siegel (2007) and Dennis Beresford, Frank Borelli, F. Gorham Brigham, Jr., Robert Moore and Charles Noski (2006).

Professional career accomplishments of the 2014 FEI Hall of Fame class follow:

Robert T. Blakely serves on the board of Ally Financial Inc., Westlake Chemical Corporation, Greenhill & Co., Inc. and Natural Resource Partners, LP and was a former trustee of the Financial Accounting Foundation, the oversight board for the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).  He has more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance, notably serving as the CFO of WorldCom/MCI and the former executive vice president and CFO of Fannie Mae, where he led the financial restatement and implementation of SOX controls.  He previously held the position of executive vice president and CFO of Tenneco Inc., and of Lyondell Chemical, and as a managing director of Morgan Stanley.  Mr. Blakely received his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Cornell University.

Gaylen N. Larson served on the FASB Board from 1996 to 2001. Mr. Larson's extensive financial career includes positions with Coopers & Lybrand as a director and more than 15 years at Household International, Inc., where he served as group vice president and chief accounting officer.  He was also a partner at Deloitte, Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte & Touche LLP) for nearly two decades. In addition to FASB, Mr. Larson is a member of FEI and has served as chairman of its Committee on Corporate Reporting; as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council, as chairman of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission on Fraudulent Financial Reporting and as a member of the AICPA's Special Committee on Financial Reporting. In his post retirement, he has served as director of a private company that used the "publicly-held company" governance model. Mr. Larson received his BS in Accounting from Northern Illinois University. 

Robert L. Ryan is a retired financial professional with a professional career spanning nearly three decades. He most recently served as senior vice president and CFO of Medtronic where he was responsible for overseeing the treasury, tax, controllership, internal audit, investor relations, corporate development, public and media relations, IT, facilities, and strategic sourcing functions. Mr. Ryan was previously a vice president and CFO at Union Texas Petroleum Corporation, a vice president at Citicorp and a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. He is currently on the board of directors of Citigroup/Citibank, General Mills, and Stanley Black and Decker.  Mr. Ryan received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, a Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, where he is a Trustee Emeritus, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

The FEI Hall of Fame inductees were nominated by their peers and were selected by a committee comprised of corporate leaders that include current and past FEI leadership as well as previous Hall of Fame inductees. The nominees were evaluated on their exceptional attributes in categories considered essential to executive excellence, including individual and organizational performance, leadership, integrity and respect for others, innovation and community involvement. Additional information on the FEI Hall of Fame and the Gala can be found at www.feihall.org.

About FEI  
Financial Executives International is the leading advocate for the views of corporate financial management. Its almost 11,000 members hold policy-making positions as chief financial officers, treasurers and controllers at companies from every major industry. FEI enhances member professional development through peer networking, career management services, conferences,  research and publications. Members participate in the activities of 74 chapters in the  U.S. and a chapter in Japan. FEI is headquartered in Morristown, NJ, with a Government Affairs office in Washington, D.C. Visit www.financialexecutives.org for more information.

SOURCE Financial Executives International