The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has selected  John Bober, Global Technical Controller for GE Capital, to receive its 2014 Distinguished Service Award. The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the association and the equipment finance industry. Bober will be formally recognized during a ceremony at ELFA’s 53rd Annual Convention in San Diego, Calif., in October.

“John Bober has played an instrumental role in representing the equipment finance industry in the decade-long effort to create a new lease-accounting standard,” said ELFA President and CEO William G. Sutton, CAE. “John’s tireless work on this issue has been essential to the success of our association’s advocacy and outreach activities. We are thrilled to present him with the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his dedicated service and outstanding contributions.”

“Being honored by your peers is a humbling experience, especially when you recognize your efforts have been supported by the ELFA membership and the staff,” said Bober.  “The accomplishments I am being honored for would not have been possible if not for the active engagement and support of the membership and the Financial Accounting Committee, which has been a great vehicle for the sharing of ideas and for the analysis of the lease accounting proposals.” 

Bober has been a major contributor to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)’s lease accounting project for a number of years. He is an active member of ELFA’s Financial Accounting Committee, as well as the association’s technical advisory group, which has been instrumental in analyzing issues related to the lease accounting project, providing input to the IASB, FASB and staff regarding the impact of these issues on the industry, and communicating to ELFA members.

In addition, Bober is a member of the joint FASB and IASB international working group on lease accounting, and he currently chairs the Accounting Committee of the Aviation Working Group and the Financial Executives International leases working group. He also has served on working groups of the FASB’s Emerging Issues Task Force and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ Accounting Standards Executive Committee (now known as the Financial Reporting Executive Committee).

Bober joined GE Capital in 1995 and has held various positions in finance, risk and general management within GE Capital. He has managed the group within GE Energy Financial Services responsible for the  analysis of economic returns from equity and debt investments, project financings, partnerships, and large ticket leases, including lease pricing. Currently as the Global Technical Controller for GE Capital, Bober is primarily focused on the company’s activities related to the leasing and financing of equipment and real estate. For the past several years, he has managed for the General Electric Company all aspects of the FASB/IASB lease accounting project.

Prior to joining GE in 1995, Bober was a partner with an international accounting firm, based in Jakarta, Indonesia and New York. He frequently speaks at industry conferences on matters related to current developments in finance and accounting.
 
Bober has a B.A. in history from Tulane University. He also holds an M.P.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the McCombs School of Business BBA-MPA Alumni Advisory Board and the Department of Accounting Advisory Council.