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Course Leader Profiles

Our instructors are committed professionals who lend their time and talent to these professional development courses. They are:

Paul Ambos, CA, a graduate of the University of Toronto, received his CA designation in 1980. With over 25 years experience in sales taxes, his career includes several years with international public accounting firms and a large public organization. Paul is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation and a frequent presenter of sales tax courses for the ICAO.

David Baker, CA earned his CA designation in 1981, receiving an award as a top UFE writer in the Waterloo Region. In 1983 he began his own public accounting practice in Elmira, Ontario serving local small and medium-sized owner-managed businesses. After 21 years as a sole practitioner, Dave retired from practice and now devotes his time to professional development activities. He has taught CA finalist students at the ICAO School of Accountancy annually since 1984 and has written numerous case studies and examination questions used in that program since 1988. In addition to teaching part-time at the University of Waterloo for 12 years, Dave has written and presented a variety of courses to CAs and CA students.

Tim Benson, CFA is a Principal of The Marquee Group with extensive experience in Investment Banking, Equity Research, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations. Prior to joining The Marquee Group, Tim was part of the senior management team at Retirement Residences REIT, a TSX listed real estate investment trust, with responsibility for business strategy, corporate finance and investor relations. Tim was also involved in negotiating the sale of the company to a private equity buyer (total value of the transaction was $2.8 billion). Previously, Tim worked in the capital markets for over ten years. While at a merchant bank he made private equity and mezzanine debt investments. At UBS Securities he was a sell side equity research analyst covering the Canadian oil and gas sector. As a member of the Investment Banking group at BMO Capital Markets, Tim was involved in a number of financings, mergers and acquisitions and securities valuations with clients in the oil and gas, utility and agriculture sectors. Tim received his Master of Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Haskayne School of Business. He has also attained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Dan Black, BA, LL.B. is Counsel in the Toronto office of Davis LLP, where he practices within the Employment and Labour Law Group. Previously, Mr. Black was a partner in the employment and labour law practice group of another national law firm where he practiced for 10 years until 2006, when he joined Closing the Gap Healthcare Group, an Ontario health care organization, as Vice President, Legal and Business Development. Mr. Black has extensive experience in workers’ compensation law, including assisting clients to deal with a wide variety of issues before the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal. He received his BA (English) in 1991 from the University of Toronto and his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1994. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1996.

Ward Blatch, CA is a Senior Associate with K2 Enterprises Canada. Since joining K2 Enterprises in 2005, Ward has provided consulting and training services throughout the United States and Canada. Ward also has his own practice in Nova Scotia which focuses on the issues of small accounting firms and professional businesses in Canada, providing training, support, and network evaluations.

Mark Blumberg is a partner at the law firm of Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto and works primarily in the areas of non-profit and charity law. He has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto, an LLB from the University of British Columbia and a LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School in Tax Law. Mark is on the Executive of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) National Charities and Not-for-Profit Law Section and is also on the Executive of the Ontario Bar Association Charity and Non-profit law section. Mark is also the editor of at www.canadiancharitylaw.ca – a Canadian charity law website and www.globalphilanthropy.ca – a Canadian website dedicated to legal and ethical issues for Canadian charities operating abroad.

Robert Boulton, CA, CBV is the Director of Professional Affairs at The Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators. Bob has practiced in the areas of business valuation, corporate finance and the quantification of economic damages. Bob has consulted on valuation matters concerning shareholder disputes, mergers and acquisitions, estate and tax planning, and minority oppression actions; damages quantification matters concerning commercial disputes, intellectual property infringement, professional negligence; and Competition Act matters relating to mergers and acquisitions.

Jane M. Bowen, FCA has been involved in professional development and education for CA’s for many years. Jane has been a seminar leader at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario's School of Accountancy and is currently the Co-ordinator for the Professional Practice portion of the School. She currently lectures in financial accounting and audit at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa. Jane has also been involved in the preparation and presentation of numerous professional development courses for chartered accountants including: Professional Practice Update, Auditing Refresher, Accounting and Auditing within the Not-for-Profit sector, and Accounting for Income Taxes. She also is on the development team and has presented at the In-depth GAAP course available through the CICA. Jane is also the co-author of two publications, Guide to Preparing Financial Statements, and Designing and Using Effective Analytical Procedures, published by Carswell.

Hartley Bricks, MBA, CA•CIRP is a Vice President in the Reorganization Services area of Deloitte and Touche Inc. Hartley is a licensed Trustee in Bankruptcy with over 13 years experience in corporate restructuring and reorganization situations. Hartley has experience in both mid-market and large, formal and informal restructurings, proposals, receiverships, bankruptcies, and business viability reviews advising lenders, creditors and debtors in a wide variety of industries including construction, real estate, health care, agriculture, franchising, manufacturing, retail and industrial services industries.

Paul A. Busch, B. Math, CA is a Chartered Accountant that has practiced as a sole proprietor for the past 22 years in Mississauga, Ontario after applying his skills in a manufacturing setting for two years. Paul serves Small and Medium Enterprises, offering assurance services, tax compliance and planning, succession planning and general business advice. Paul has lectured in accounting at Sheridan College and for the Federal Employment Opportunities program.

Anthony Canale, B.Comm, FCA has over thirty years experience in advising clients on taxation and related matters. In 2005 he co-founded Valcan Consulting Inc., a taxation and life insurance consulting firm. Prior to founding his firm, he was a co-founder and tax partner of a medium size accounting firm located in North West Toronto and later merged his practice with KPMG LLP where he took on the role of a tax partner for over ten years. Tony has lectured extensively with the CICA, ICAO and other professional organizations. As well he has been active in his community as chairman of a hospital and as a board member of a number of charities.

Christa Casey, CA joined Welch LLP in 1995 as a co-op student and obtained her CA designation in 1999. In January 2010, Christa was appointed as Welch LLP’s Director, Not-for-Profit Sector because of her extensive experience in auditing not-for-profit organizations. Prior to this, Christa was a Quality Assurance Manager for nearly four years. Her previous and current position require a high level of technical competence while staying informed of all developments in accounting and auditing standards. Christa also teaches various accounting and audit courses at internally at Welch.

Stephen Chesney, FCA is a partner in the firm Parker Garber & Chesney, LLP Chartered Accountants and currently specializes in the field of condominium corporations. Presently the firm is appointed as auditors for over 300 condominium corporations in Ontario and is well known in the condominium industry. Stephen has been teaching the subject of accounting and auditing of condominium corporations for many years and has previously taught accounting courses for the MBA program at York University. He has recently completed his position as chair on a task force for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario that revised the guidelines regarding the preparation and auditing of financial statements for condominium corporations.

Karen Cooper, B. Soc. Sc., LL.L., LL.B., TEP is a partner of Carters Professional Corporation and practices charity and not-for-profit law with an emphasis on tax issues from the Ottawa office, having formerly been a Senior Rulings Officer with the Income Tax Rulings Directorate of Canada Revenue Agency, as well as former counsel for the Department of Justice in tax litigation. Ms. Cooper also has considerable teaching experience, including presenting workshops for The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, as sessional lecturer at Carleton University School of Business teaching Business Law, and part-time professor at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Common Law, and is a contributing author to The Management of Charitable and Not-for-Profit Organizations in Canada (LexisNexis Butterworths). Ms. Cooper has been recognized as a leading expert in charity and not-for-profit law by Lexpert and The Best Lawyers in Canada.

Barry S. Corbin practises law through Corbin Estates Law Professional Corporation in the areas of income tax and estate planning, estate administration and mediation of estate disputes. Barry is certified as a specialist in Trusts and Estates Law and is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is the recipient of the 2008 Award of Excellence in Trusts and Estates presented by the Ontario Bar Association (OBA). Barry is the current chair of the Estates Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Civil Rules Committee.  Barry has been an instructor and author for the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) Bar Admission Course on Estate Planning and Administration and has developed and taught courses for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario professional development program for many years. Barry has presented papers at numerous LSUC and OBA continuing legal education programs, and has written articles for a wide variety of professional publications. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1982.

Patrick Delaney, CA - after successfully passing his C.A. exams in 1983 he became a member of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants. In 2004 he passed his C.P.A exams and is a registered member of the State of Illinois CPA Society. He spent ten years in public practice where he completed that phase of his career as a senior audit manager in a large C.A. firm. He is now a Senior Lecturer at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business in Montreal where he teaches and researches assurance standards as a full time faculty member. He teaches primarily in the Diploma in Chartered Accountancy Program. He conducts many professional development seminars for the Quebec Order of Chartered Accountants continuing education program and authored many case studies for their professional education program. He is active in consulting work where he performs external audit file monitoring activities and also offers in house training seminars for small and medium sized firms in the area of auditing standards and audit efficiency. He is an active member of many Montreal area C.A. firm’s Quality Control Department as an external specialist. He recently completed a World Bank financed training program for the Central Organization for Control and Auditing of the government of The Republic of Yemen.

Karen Denega - after earning her designation as a Chartered Accountant and working for Ernst & Young for nearly a decade, Karen launched a boutique consultancy, specialising in training and development. A leadership and change management expert, Karen assists individuals, teams, and leaders to increase their effectiveness, helping them develop the skills they need to achieve their peak performance – at work and in life. She has taught over 2,000 individuals and led more than 200 training and coaching sessions on topics that focused on helping people thrive - personally and professionally. Karen currently offers training on topics such as leadership, change management, goal achievement, strategic thinking, business planning, problem solving, and communication skills. She has given talks on topics like how to build consensus and collaboration, stress management, empowerment, and personal mastery. Her clients have included government ministries, professional associations, small business owners, business leaders, busy professionals, and working parents. Recently, Karen has partnered with the ICAO to begin providing web-based learning, through her company Unlock Your Peak Potential, to accommodate the increasing demand for just-in-time webinars and live training over the internet.

Elizabeth J. Farrell, CA is an Adjunct Professor at the Schulich School of Business. In recognition of her excellence in teaching she was selected as the winner of the 1999, 2003 and 2009 Seymour Schulich Award for Teaching Excellence and nominated for the award in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2011. In recognition of her contribution to the Schulich School of Business she was selected as the winner of the John Peace Teaching Award in 2002 and 2012. Elizabeth has served as a seminar leader at the ICAO and currently as assistant coordinator. She has taught executive development courses for the Schulich School of Business, professional development courses for the ICAO and CA firms. Elizabeth is a co-author of Intermediate Financial Accounting. Her publications also include an accounting case analysis software package, study guides, IFRS Property, Plant and Equipment, Intangible Assets and Impairment and ASPE: A Comparison to IFRS professional development course, and a variety of case material.

Gail Fayerman MBA, CPA - CA is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accountancy at the John Molson School of Business. She received her professional CA designation in 1982 and her MBA from McGill University in 1989. She was the Director of the Graduate Diploma in Accountancy from 1991 until 2002. She is actively involved with continuing education and has developed a specialty in the area of Private Entity GAAP (ASPE). Her areas of interest are external financial reporting and not-for-profit accounting.

Mark Feigenbaum, Esq., CA, CPA is a US attorney and a US Certified Public Accountant and a Canadian Chartered Accountant. His practice specializes in assisting clients, and their accountants, lawyers and financial planners with cross border legal and tax issues facing individuals primarily in the sports, music, and entertainment industry and businesses in all industries expanding into the US, individuals moving to the United States and U. S. citizens who live in Canada. He also has specific expertise in the US estate, gift, generation skipping and trust taxation and represents clients in immigration petitions, naturalizations and renunciations and other legal matters including U.S. corporate, employment, and tax litigation before the IRS and the US Courts.

Neil Fettes is a teacher and writer who has been involved in education since 1991. He is currently teaching English, History and Business at AY Jackson Secondary School in Toronto.

Allan W. Foerster CA is currently a member of the accounting faculty at the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University where he teaches senior financial accounting courses in the graduate and undergraduate programs. A frequent commentator on the Business News Network, Allan has also participated in various CICA educational programs and was the co-author of the CA magazine article ASPE: What has Changed. Allan was a member of the inaugural task force of the CICA assisting in the development of the Accounting Standards for Private Enterprise.

Steve Fortin, CA, PhD is a professor at McGill University in Montreal. Steve practiced accounting with Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche before joining the McGill Faculty of Management in 1999. He currently teaches Financial Accounting at McGill and leads seminars on the subject of accounting and derivatives to finance and non-finance executives, at Canadian corporations.Steve’s main research interest is accounting for derivatives securities. He wrote his thesis on the subject, in which he successfully restated the financial statements of gold mining corporations to reflect their derivatives positions.

Ken Froese, CA·IFA, CFI of Froese Forensic Partners Ltd., a mid-sized forensic accounting boutique, has been involved in numerous fraud related cases, including investigating allegations of government corruption, management and employee fraud, third party fraud, cheque kiting, secret commissions, and organized crime activities. Ken has given expert testimony in criminal and civil courts in Ontario and Quebec. He also uses his fraud knowledge and professional standards experience to provide litigation support services in relation to auditor performance matters. He is a founding Director of the Association of Certified Forensic Investigators of Canada and past Regional Governor of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He is also the author of two ICAO courses related to fraud and fraud risk assessment.

Michael Fromstein, MSc, MBA, CA, TEP received his CA designation in 1980. Michael has been preparing and delivering instructional material since the mid-70’s for McMaster medical students. Michael has presented seminars for lawyers in Toronto and Montreal as well has being involved in professional development seminars for accountants. In addition to practicing in the area of tax and estate planning since the early 1980s, since 2008 Michael has been involved with the launching of an SaaS (software as a service) Practice Management version of BalaBoss.

Chuck Gallozzi lived, studied, and worked in Japan for 15 years, immersing himself in the wisdom of the Far East and graduating with B.A. and M.A. degrees in Asian Studies. He is the author of the book, The 3 Thieves and 4 Pillars of Happiness, 7 Steps to a Life of Boundless Joy. He is also a Certified NLP Practitioner, speaker, seminar leader, and coach. Corporations, church groups, teachers, counsellors, and caregivers use his more than 400 articles as a resource to help others. Among his diverse accomplishments, he is also the Grand Prix Winner of a Ricoh International Photo Competition, the Canadian National Champion in a Toastmasters International Humorous Speech Contest, and the Founder and Head of the Positive Thinkers Group that has been meeting at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto since 1999. He was interviewed on CBC's Steven and Chris Show, appearing nationally on Canadian TV. Chuck is a catalyst for change, dedicated to bringing out the best in others and he can be found on the web is at: http://www.personal-development.com./chuck/ and http://boundless-joy.com/.

John M Gardner, FCA, MBA, CDir. With more than sixteen years experience as a CEO of large corporations, Mr Gardner has successfully led corporations in achieving significant financial accomplishments through the proper development and execution of a strategic plan. Currently Mr Gardner focuses his time between corporate directorships and assisting companies achieve their competitive advantage through strategic planning. Mr. Gardner is a director of Alliance Grain Traders Inc. (AGT TSX) Canada’s largest processor and distributor of pulses. He is also a director of The Econo-Rack Group Inc., Canada’s largest manufacturer and distributor of intralogistical warehouse systems. Mr. Gardner is also Chairman of the Board of Habitat for Humanity Mississauga. Mr. Gardner is a member of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and Newfoundland and was awarded an FCA from the Newfoundland Institute. He has an MBA from Memorial University of Newfoundland and is a graduate of the Chartered Directors program from McMaster University.

Jim Gaston, FCA has retired from Pricewaterhousecoopers after a successful career spanning 40 years, 25 of which were as a partner. During his career Jim led the global risk management services in Canada and was chairman of the Global firm’s coordination committee for that service. He was also in charge for several years of continuing education for the Canadian Firm and served as the chairman of both the Professional Development Committee and the Audit Courses Committee of the CICA. Besides these activities, Jim was an active audit partner and served many of Canada’s top 100 companies. He served two tours of duty overseas, one in France for four years and another as a territorial leader in the Balkans for four years. During his career Jim led extensive due diligence work for major banks and companies seeking to buy companies located in the Balkans during the large scale privatizations in the decade following the fall of communism. Recently, Jim continues to provide due diligence services to the Ontario government for loans and grants the government is providing to stimulate the economy and create or retain jobs. He has been a lecturer at York University, University of Toronto, McMaster and Waterloo.

Laurence “Larry” Ginsberg, FCA is President of GinsOrg International Inc., a management consulting firm. He provides advice and counsel to directors and senior officers of various Canadian companies, generally working with the Chairman and/or CEO and their team. He provides advice in the areas of overall corporate strategy, growing a business, effective strategic implementation, family business and related elements including succession planning, corporate governance, corporate finance and various aspects of mergers and acquisitions. His experience includes a number of senior management and finance roles. He is currently or has been on a number of Boards including public Boards. As a part-time Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at the Schulich School of Business at York University he lectures on strategic management, family business, entrepreneurship and mergers and acquisitions. He facilitates the CFO Leadership Program and The Master Strategist Program. He is an author and media spokesperson on entrepreneurship, family business, governance and strategy.

John Granelli, CA received his designation in 1980. John’s entire professional career has been dedicated to providing tax advisory services to owner-managed businesses. John is a frequent presenter of courses on income tax and sales tax matters for several provincial institutes and the CICA. John has also presented papers at the Canadian Tax Foundation annual and prairie conferences. John was for several years a sessional lecturer on income tax at the University of Manitoba.

Karen Granville, Hons. BMath is a Senior Associate with K2 Enterprises. K2 Enterprises specialize in delivering customized courses specifically to accounting professionals. Karen has an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics degree in Operations Research and Combinatorics and Optimization from the University of Waterloo, a Teacher Training Certificate in adult teaching from Durham College and is also a Microsoft Office Specialist - Master Instructor. She has several years business experience in the oil industry and has taught at many educational institutions such as Seneca College, Durham College, Ryerson and other private educational institutions. Karen has been involved in software applications training and consulting for over twenty years. Computers have been in her life in various shapes and form for over 35 years. She has been working on spreadsheets since the days of Visicalc on an Apple 2e computer. Karen specializes in teaching all the Microsoft Office products at an Advanced level.

Daniel Gray, CPA, a US-Canadian dual citizen University of Maryland alumnus and Maryland CPA, is the founder and practice leader of www.ustaxservices.ca, a Toronto-based US tax boutique firm opened in 2005 rooted by many years in management positions at an international public accounting firm. His practice specializes in cross-border aspects of Canadian corporations’ (large multinational or smaller) new or ongoing US operations, US tax compliance for US citizens abroad and Canadian citizens with US filing or tax planning requirements such as those who rent or sell US buildings/houses/condos or who require refund claims on over-withheld amounts. His clients are either direct or clients of local and international accounting and law firms needing US tax expertise and preferring a local option and one who is familiar with cross-border issues. His many years of separately achieved experience in each of US tax law consulting and US tax compliance preparation distinguish him from practitioners schooled on the more common, but inhibiting, track, whose experience has been in only one or the other area. This combination allows him to utilize unique perspective in viewing and acting upon tax law whereby the convergence of the two can offer, to those who look from such perspective, tax opportunities for clients. He is also officially recognized by the IRS as a Certifying Acceptance Agent which designation is posted within www.irs.gov.

Marcus Guenther, B. Comm., M.B.A., C.A. is the Vice-President, FocusROI, a company that provides consulting, coaching and training services in: internal audit, risk management, CEO/CFO certification, IFRS implementation, accounting and auditing. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto, as well as Masters in Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. Marcus works with corporations and accounting firms to improve their corporate governance, workflow, internal controls and risk management practices. FocusROI is currently developing its IFRS implementation methodology and training programs to assist firms and corporations with meeting their January 1, 2011 IFRS implementation deadline. Prior to joining FocusROI, he was a Senior Manager at BDO Dunwoody LLP, where he was responsible for audit, tax and accounting engagements for clients ranging from municipal government, manufacturing, high-tech to distribution. During his career, Marcus also spent several years working for a large multinational automotive parts manufacturer as the Manager of Financial Reporting. He is the co-author of the CICA Professional Engagement Manual and teaches Accounting, IFRS, Auditing and Assurance courses. FocusROI has recently authored the Guide to Using International Standards on Auditing in the Audits of Small- and Medium-sized Entities for the International Federation of Accountants to be used world-wide.

Michael Gunns, FCA is Managing Principal of the Gunns Group, a professional services firm assisting boards, executives and other leaders in achieving better governance, strategic focus and risk management. He also has extensive experience in consensus-building and conflict resolution in corporate and customer/supplier relationships. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program and has held executive positions at Zurich Canada and Sun Life. Michael is a former Chair of the Risk Oversight and Governance Board of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and also chaired the CICA’s Task Force advancing the role of CFO’s in Risk Management and Corporate Governance. In those capacities he oversaw and contributed to the development of numerous CICA publications and has twice been a judge for the CICA’s annual Corporate Governance Awards.

Stanley Guttman, CA has been actively involved with technology for over 25 years and has significant consulting, teaching and systems implementation experience. Stan maintains an active Excel consulting practice and has had an ongoing consulting relationship for many years with one of largest REITs in Canada. He has a B. Sc. in Computing Science and a Masters Degree in Library Science where he specialized in the field of library automation. He is a Chartered Accountant and is currently the Chief Financial Officer of a real estate developer/property manager. Stan has taught the Advanced Excel course for the ICAO since 2008.

Terry Hainsworth is a senior partner in the London law firm Harrison Pensa LLP. Over the years he has taught at the University of Western Ontario's law school and the Ontario Bar Admission course. He is a frequent lecturer at continuing education programs for the Canadian Bar Association and the Law Society of Upper Canada. He is the author of several textbooks on Family Law widely used by Family Law lawyers throughout Canada.

Stuart Hartley, FCA, CA.IT is the President of FocusROI Inc., a specialized consulting firm that is dedicated to helping accounting audit and finance professionals learn the ever changing professional standards and regulations and then turn that learning into practical cost effective action. Services include training courses and accounting firm monitoring. He is also a founder of SmartPDonline, a firm that provides online training courses. Prior to joining FocusROI, Stuart was a senior audit Partner with BDO Dunwoody LLP. During that time, he was the National Director of Accounting and Auditing and a member of the CICA's Auditing Standards Committee. He helped develop BDO's international audit methodology and has trained extensively on auditing practice and CaseWare implementation around the world. Before BDO, he spent two years with the office of the Auditor General of Canada where he developed methodology for performing value-for-money assignments. Stuart is the author of the CICA’s Canadian Professional Engagement Manual, and the CICA’s Quality Assurance Manual. He is also the author of the Guide to Using International Standards on Auditing in the Audits of Small- and Medium-sized Entities, published by International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the booklets Risk Management Primer for Directors of Not-for-Profit Organizations and Risk Management Toolkit for Not-for-Profit Executives published by the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE). Stuart also writes many training courses, has published many articles and is a popular instructor at professional training courses.

Jules Hawkins, CA is an associate at Howie and Partners LLP, Chartered Accountants. He received his CA in England and Wales in 1996, and his Ontario CA in 2005. Prior to joining Howie and Partners, Jules spent 15 years with Big 4 firms, and has spent significant time developing and teaching internal training courses in both the UK and Canada. He is a part-time practice inspector for ICAO, teaches accounting and auditing courses at the University of Windsor, and has sat on CICA task forces advising the AASB and developing practice guidance on reporting implications of new auditing standards. He is also Chief Financial Officer of Essex Angel Capital Inc., a TSX-Venture Exchange listed investment company.

Michael R. Hayward, CA, CPA (Illinois) obtained his CA designation in 2000 and his CPA designation in 2004. Michael completed the CICA In-depth Tax Course in 2006. For the first fourteen years of Michael’s career, he worked in increasingly senior roles in a big four accounting firm, focusing on cross-border tax matters, with a focus on employees working on temporary assignments throughout the world, particularly in Canada and the US. In 2011, Michael joined Collins Barrow Ottawa LLP as a Principal where he now oversees the firm’s cross-border tax practice. Michael specializes in Canadian and U.S. income tax matters, as well as providing commodity tax, estate planning and financial planning advice to proprietorships, partnerships and owner-managed corporations. A well-rounded public accounting professional, Michael provides a number of tax, wealth, retirement, and financial management planning services, with the added benefit of understanding the impact of such planning in a cross-border context.

Darrell Herauf, CA is a professor in accounting at the Eric Sprott School of Business, Carleton University where he has received numerous teaching awards. He is the co-author of the market leading advanced financial accounting textbook in Canada and author of other teaching supplements. Darrell has been involved in professional accounting education at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and other professional accounting associations for over 25 years in a variety of roles, including teaching, developing cases, examinations and other program material, and serving as a member of the Examinations subcommittee.

Mr. David Hiscock, CA, CMA, CPA, B.Math is the principal consultant of CA Success Inc. He assists over 40 CA firms by advising them in areas such as the File Quality Control, improving their Auditing Standards to meet the ongoing changes in the CICA Handbook, and improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of their Audits and their Audit documentation. He also assists these CA firms and their clients, with customized in-house training programs on a variety of topics. He has also assisted several CA firms on a long term basis as a Senior Assurance Consultant. In those roles he has performed the detailed review and provided supervision of the staff on the audit of both Publicly Traded and Privately Held companies, Hedge Fund Limited Partnerships, Municipal Audits and various Non – for Profit Organizations. He has assisted some Privately Held Companies in their Initial Public Offering and the evaluation of their Internal Controls. He has conducted reviews of Internal Control for Service Organizations on behalf of various Chartered Accounting Firms. He is currently an Adjunct faculty member of the University of Guelph in their business Program and has lectured at a variety of Universities in Ontario over the past ten years in the areas of Accounting, Auditing and Tax, and other General Business Topics. He currently teaches a number of professional development courses for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and has assisted in teaching the Strategic Leadership Program for the Society of Management Accountants of Ontario.

Dr. Marc Hurwitz, PhD MBA MS MS CEBS is an insightful and engaging polymath with a doctorate in psychology, specializing in neuroscience, and graduate degrees in physics, applied mathematics, and business. He is co-founder and Chief Insight Officer of FliP skills, an HR innovation company that specializes in unlocking more potential in people, their partnerships, and their organizations. Using the Generative Partnership™ Model, Marc works with organizations all over North America to enhance creativity and innovation, build better partnerships, invigorate teams, strengthen leadership, and become better equipped for change. Marc has over 15 years’ corporate experience as an executive in marketing and HR, cultivating growth in individuals and teams. His core areas of expertise include team building, leadership, followership, performance management, and partnership development. Marc is also an accomplished facilitator of creativity tools and techniques, and on the Organizational Behaviour faculty in the School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. An award-winning communicator, actor, and poet, Marc crafts messages that people can relate to, from frontline staff to senior management.

Samantha Kerr Hurwitz, CMA CHRP is both a certified HR professional and a professional accountant, leveraging her analytical strength with a passion for all things talent management. She is co-founder and President of FliP skills, an HR innovation company that specializes in unlocking more potential in people, their partnerships, and their organizations. Using the Generative Partnership™ Model, Samantha works with organizations all over North America to enhance creativity and innovation, build better partnerships, invigorate teams, strengthen leadership, and become better equipped for change.As a corporate leader for over 20 years in HR, IT, Accounting, Finance, and Operations - with teams of up to sixty staff in three cities - Samantha consistently received excellent 360 degree evaluations as "an energetic, results-oriented business leader","a high degree of strategic thinking", "an engaged communicator" and "an excellent people manager and coach". As Controller of a $6 billion organization, she established a track record of motivating teams to achieve results through times of high growth, acquisitions and deep expense cuts enabling her transition into IT leadership and then into HR leadership.

Karim H. Ismail, MBA, is the founder of Blueprint Programs, a series of group coaching programs focused on self-leadership. He is the author of the Amazon best-seller Keep Any Promise: a blueprint for designing your future, based on the thinking, tools and techniques he developed over 20 years of managing multi-million dollar architecturally unique buildings and five years of personal search. Karim has more than 20 years of executive-level experience in hospital management and the development of complex health care and cultural facilities worth some $750 million, overcoming major hurdles to see his vision become reality. He also has 25 years of volunteer management experience, leading senior executive teams in strategic planning, strategic execution and project management. Karim is a serial entrepreneur, having started, grown and sold a number of businesses. He January 2009, he sold a profitable family business to allow him to focus on helping individuals set and achieve huge goals. He graduated with an MBA from University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Rosa Maria Iuliano, M. Acc., CA received her Honours Bachelor of Arts -Co-operative Education, Deans Honours List in May of 1998, and her Master of Accounting - Specialization in Public Accounting and Tax in October of 1998 from the University of Waterloo. She obtained her CA designation in 2000. Rosa completed of the CICA In-depth Tax Course in 2001, the CICA GST In-Residence Course in 2003 and the CICA Corporate Reorganization and International Taxation Course in 2004. As a partner at Collins Barrow Ottawa LLP, Rosa specializes in providing income tax, commodity tax, estate planning and financial planning advice to proprietorships, partnerships and owner-managed corporations and not-for-profit organizations. A well-rounded public accounting professional, Rosa provides a number of tax, wealth, retirement, and financial management planning services. She has direct experience helping clients deal with complex compliance and succession planning issues. Rosa also assists in identifying and quantifying claims for eligible scientific research and experimental development activities. An excellent speaker, Rosa regularly conducts presentations in the areas of small business start-up, employment versus self-employment, goods and services tax, general tax and financial planning for small businesses. Rosa was the recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal's 2009 Top Forty under 40 Award and the recipient of the 2011 ICAO Award of Distinction.

Vijay Jog Ph.D. is the Founder and President of Corporate Renaissance Group (CRG) - a global firm that specializes in improving enterprise performance through innovative solution. Dr. Jog is a consultant to many government departments, crown corporations, and private sector firms around the world. His area of expertise covers value based management, executive compensation, ABC/ABM and designing of enterprise performance platforms. He is also a Chancellor Professor at Carleton University where he teaches corporate finance and value based management at the Sprott School of Business. He is a recipient of many national and international awards including the Moulton Gold Medal and has been recognized by National Post as a “Leader in Management Education” in Canada. He has published over 100 research papers and books/monographs. He is a chemical engineer with M.Eng., MBA and a Ph.D. in finance from McGill University.

Melanie Joseph, CA is a senior manager at BDO Canada LLP’s National office. She specializes in ASPE, ASNPO and PSAB. Melanie provides accounting advice and training to all the partners and staff within the firm. Melanie was seconded for a year to the CICA to assist in the development of the Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises. With all the technical changes in the industry, she works hard to maintain a high level of technical knowledge and be involved in the development of new standards. Melanie is a member of a number of advisory committees.

Shawn Kelso, CA is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and obtained his CA designation in 1996. He is the Director of Professional Standards at Welch LLP and in this capacity is responsible for the firm's ongoing development and monitoring of quality controls as well as for the co-ordination and delivery of the firm's professional development program. In addition to his public accounting experience, Shawn has several years of experience in industry.

Cindy Kottoor, CA is President of Neverest Inc. Neverest provides training, consulting and quality assurance services in the areas of audit, accounting and risk management. Cindy works with public accounting firms to design multi-year, tailored, professional development plans to improve individual and team job performance. With a focus on improving effectiveness and efficiency, Cindy delivers in-house, fully customized, professional development courses on a variety of technical and professional skill topics. She also performs efficiency/effectiveness file reviews and provides monitoring services to her clients.

Damian Laflamme is a Tax Manager at Welch LLP where he specializes in personal tax compliance and planning, estates and trusts, and small and medium enterprise corporate clients. Damian has ten years of tax experience in both Big 4 and local accounting firms. Damian has completed Level I, II, and III of the CICA In-Depth tax courses.

Rosanna Lamanna, CA is a Senior Manager at Grant Thornton LLP Chartered Accountants. She brings over 10 years experience in providing assurance, accounting, financial reporting, taxation advisory services to both private and public companies in various sectors, including manufacturing and distribution, retail, software companies, development stage companies and not-for-profit entities among others. Rosanna has worked in conjunction with various Grant Thornton offices in Canada and around the globe on a number of multi-location audit engagements to serve both national and international clients. Rosanna instructs a number of professional development courses for Grant Thornton employees across Canada. She also worked in the national professional standards group where she was responsible for developing course content and technical updates.

Michel C. Lavigne, CA is a Chartered Accountant since 1987. He is member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and the Ordre des Compatables Professionnels Agréés du Québec and L'Ordre des CPA du Québec. He is also a founding partner of the firm Vaillancourt, Lavigne and Associé LLP/s.r.l. In addition to provide income tax, accounting and business consulting services to individuals and owner-manager clients, he is a professional development instructor for OCAQ and ICAO. He also has been a lecturer at the University of Ottawa and Université du Québec en Outaouais. For several years, Mr. Lavigne has actively participated in professional and community activities as a volunteer. He is presently a member of the Canada Revenue Agency/Tax Practitioners Committee (Ottawa), Board of Governors of The Ottawa Hospital and past chair of the Small Practice Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Milan Legris, B.Sc., LL.B., LL.M. is Director of the Tax and Estate Planning Group (TEPG) of London Life and Great-West Life where he provides tax and estate planning support to the life insurance companies TEPG Consultants as well as Wealth and Estate Planning Group (WEPG) advisors across Canada. Previously, Mr. Legris was a Senior Manager with a Canadian Schedule I bank and a regional accounting and advisory firm in Hamilton, as well as Vice President - Tax and Estate Planning, with a private mutual fund company and securities and mutual fund dealers in Burlington. Mr. Legris has extensive experience in tax and estate planning issues for owner-managers of closely held private companies as well as senior executives and key employees. He received his B.Sc. (Biology) in 1980 from the University of Guelph, his LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in 1984 and his LL.M. from the University of Miami (Florida) in 1996 in US Taxation. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1986.

Glenn MacKinnon, HBBA, CA is a manager with Ford Keast LLP. Prior to joining the firm in November 2010, Glenn had nine years experience with another accounting firm in London. Glenn is a part-time practice inspector through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. Glenn completed the CICA In Depth Tax course in 2011.

Shari Mann, CA is an educational consultant who has been involved in professional development and education for a number of years. She is involved in the preparation and presentation of numerous professional development courses in accounting and assurance. Shari authors a number of courses including the Professional Practice Update, IFRS – Update, IFRS – A Survey of Standards, Analytical Procedures, and the Audit Reporting Model. Shari is the author of The Guide to Review and Compilation Engagements (Carswell) and co-author of Preparing Financial Statements (Carswell). She is also a seminar leader for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario's School of Accountancy and is adjunct faculty at the University of Waterloo.

Joe Marchello, CA, CFP, TEP, Vice President of Finance for Edenshaw Developments, has been in the real estate industry for over fourteen years. Joe is a member of the Chartered Accountants of Ontario, a Certified Financial planner and a Trust and Estate Practitioner. Joe obtained his accounting designation specializing in accounting and tax with the accounting firm Horwath Orenstein (now known as MNP). He then ventured into industry holding various positions with the real estate development company Tridel Corporation. After nine successful years with Tridel, Joe held positions in the Wealth Management and Manufacturing industries before returning to real estate development and property management as Director of Finance for Condor Properties,developers and property managers for Industrial, Commercial and Retail real estate as well as CountryWide Homes, a developer of residential real estate. Joe has completed the Canadian Securities Course, and is a member of the teaching faculty of the Chartered Accountants of Ontario. Joe has been Vice President Finance and Administration with Edenshaw Developments since early 2012.

Keith Martin, MBA, CA obtained his professional designation in 1990 and practiced in the area of Recovery and Insolvency Services until 1998. As the Ontario economy rebounded, and utilizing the skills learned from that discipline, Keith developed a practice assisting investors in reviewing acquisition targets, as well as becoming entrenched in business planning for entrepreneurs. Keith moved to industry first as Chief Financial Officer and then as Chief Operating Officer of a large, privately held ICI contracting firm, where his time and efforts were equally focused on all aspects of the business, including HR, strategic planning and operations. In January 2011 Keith established H•M Advisors Inc., a business advisory practice focusing, again, on providing critical business planning and development for entrepreneurs. Keith is a contract Instructor in Accounting at Wilfrid Laurier University. Very active within the community, Keith is a member of the Board of Directors of Cambridge Memorial Hospital and chair of the Audit Committee as well as a Partner with Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region, a philanthropic organization which focuses its funding and efforts on increasing capacity in community based non-profit organizations.

Arun K. Mathur, CA is a partner with Gerald Duthie and Co. LLP, in charge of the firm's Toronto area office. Mr. Mathur has been involved for over three decades in the Not for Profit sector. He audited many Not For Profit entities and served on the following boards: Trillium Gift of Life Network (Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee), York District Chartered Accountants Association, Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce, Markham Board of Trade. Currently serves on HealthForce Ontario Marketing and Recruitment Agency board, CMA Ontario Review Committee and Markham Theatre Board. Mr. Mathur is Executive Director at UltimQuest Knowledge. He prepares and delivers corporate training on accounting, finance, budgeting and governance. He delivers a course on “Improving Governance in the Not for Profit Sector” for ICAO and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba. He has extensive training experience with Ernst & Young’s Toronto office. He taught at UOIT, Durham College, University of Windsor and Ryerson University. More at www.ultimquest.com.

Jennifer McCann, CA is a manager with RSM Richter working closely with the assurance group and the professional standards department. Jennifer is an IFRS Team Leader and assists companies in their transition to new reporting standards in addition to running the in-house training program.

Jim McConnery, CA, TEP received his CA designation in 1997 and has been practicing in the area of tax since that time. He specializes in the area of tax planning for high net worth individuals and private corporations. Has expertise in the area of shareholder planning for both early stage and mature companies with both a view to minimizing tax and implementing succession plans. Jim has been an instructor at the ICAO's School of Accountancy and has been a group leader in the CICA's In-depth Tax Program. Jim is a Tax and Estate Practitioner and has a wide range of tax expertise. Jim provides assistance to individuals and private companies with a particular focus on estate and succession planning. He has been involved in educational programs for both the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Julie McDonald, CA, a Chartered Accountant since 1991, owns and operates Mitcham Consulting, an independent consulting company based out of Mississauga. The Company specializes in Internal Audit and Financial Controls compliance, specifically for large public companies. She has an extensive internal control background in a wide variety of industries with a focus on financial institutions. Julie also has a strong teaching background. She teaches Financial Accounting at Seneca College, has been a Seminar Leader at the School of Accountancy and has been involved in the counseling and marking for several UFE preparation programs for a number of large accounting firms.

Ronald McFadyen, CA, CLU, CFP, TEP obtained his designation in 1975 and practised with Durward Jones Barkwell and Company in the Niagara region chairing the Firm’s Taxation Committee. He wrote and presented numerous taxation courses and papers for the ICAO and the Canadian Tax Foundation. In 1997, Ron left Canada for the Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI where he was CEO of Temple Trust, Chairman of the TCI Branch of STEP, and President of the TCI Association of Licensed Trustees. He returned to Canada in 2002 to develop his own consulting practice advising on matters of taxation, estate planning, and insurance, domestic and foreign.

Ingrid McLeod-Dick, FCA is currently an adjunct professor at the Schulich School of Business. Ingrid was in public practice for 16 years as an employee and partner prior to teaching full time for the past fourteen years. In recognition of her excellence in teaching she was nominated for the Seymour Schulich Award for Teaching Excellence in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and 2012. Ingrid has served as a seminar leader at the ICAO for many years, in addition to teaching executive development courses for the Schulich School of Business. She has also been involved in the preparation and presentation of IFRS – Financial Statement Presentation and Note Disclosure course for the ICAO.

Matt Mersereau, CA obtained his CA designation in 2007, and is a senior manager at McCay Duff LLP. Specializing in assurance services for the not-for-profit industry, he is a leader in the firm’s quality assurance department, responsible for the firm’s ongoing development and monitoring of professional standards. He is also responsible for developing the content, training facilitators, and co-ordinating the delivery of the firm’s professional development program.

Leslie Milton, CA, CFP received her Bachelor of Mathematics degree (Honours Co-operative Program) from the University of Waterloo in 1985 and her designation as a chartered Accountant in 1987. As a principal with the Ottawa firm of Ginsberg Gluzman Fage and Levitz, LLP, she provides assurance and advisory services to owner-managed businesses, high net worth individuals, and a large number of charities and not-for-profit organizations. She is a past treasurer of Family Service Ottawa, Volunteer Ottawa, a league in her local curling club, and has served two terms on her condominium corporation’s board.

Daryle Moffatt, CA earned his CA designation in 1994 and has 20 years of experience first in the area of assurance but for the past 14 years, he has been working in the area of taxation. Daryle is a Director in a professional services firm with a focus on taxation for personal and small to medium sized corporate clients. Daryle has taught internally with a Big 4 firm, was a tutorial leader for the CICA In-depth tax program and most recently has instructed in Seneca College’s continuing education program in the area of taxation. Daryle is a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation. Daryle also participates in the ICAO Articles Program.

Bruce M. Morrison, CA is presently serving as the Chief Financial Officer of The Stronco Group of Companies. He has been the Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Development Officer for a number of well known Canadian Companies. He also had his own firm which specialized in providing advice on business valuation, corporate finance and mergers/acquisitions/divestures. He has negotiated, structured and secured financing for over 75 transactions both in Canada and the United States, including the largest management/ employee buyout in Canadian history.

Dr. Jim Murray is CEO of optimal solutions international, a firm dedicated to helping people and organizations achieve their full potential. He has been teaching members of the accounting profession through provincial institutes since 1982 and his courses have always received rave reviews. He is the architect of three residential programs in ICAO’s Leadership Series – The Optimal Negotiator, Smart Leaders, and Becoming CEO (and staying there). Jim holds four degrees, has authored three best-selling books and provided his strategic counsel to over 600 organizations during an exemplary career. His courses, based largely on his personal experiences, have been formally recognized for “excellence in the design and delivery of life-long learning” and he has been nationally honoured for his many accomplishments in university continuing education. For more information, check out his bio on www.SmartLeaders.ca .

Lionel W. Newton, FCA received his CA designation in 1972 and elected a Fellow in 2003. He has served on the Professional Conduct Committee, Applications Committee and on the Editorial Review Board for CA Magazine. Lionel is the past Chairman of the International Network of Accountants and Auditors, a member of the Estate Planning Council of Toronto and a Certified Valuation Analyst. He taught for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia; the Bar Admission Course of the Law Society of Upper Canada and Osgoode Hall Continuing Legal Education.

Chi Ho Ng, CA, CPA(IL), MBA is a principal with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants - Auditing and Assurance Standards. In this role, Chi Ho is responsible for identifying complex auditing and assurance issues, recommending solutions and drafting new and revised auditing and assurance standards. In addition, Chi Ho speaks frequently on accounting and audit matters and has written many articles in the CA magazine. Chi Ho is also currently serving as Treasurer of a Legal Aid Ontario clinic and has formerly taught advanced accounting and auditing courses at York University.

Richard J. Nixon, MBA, LL.B. is a partner with Davis LLP practicing in the Employment and Labour Law Group in Toronto. His practice focuses on employment and labour law, acting on behalf of private sector employers. In 2010, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a guide to the leading law firms and practitioners in Canada, identified Mr. Nixon as a “repeatedly recommended” lawyer in employment law - management. In 2006, Mr. Nixon was listed in the Lexpert Directory as as a “repeatedly recommended” lawyer in the area of labour relations and also named one of the “Best Labour and Employment Lawyers in Canada” in Canada’s National Post. Mr. Nixon is a popular Lecturer for the Advanced Program in Human Resources Management—HRPAO program at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Mr. Nixon regularly chairs and speaks at conferences on labour and employment law. Mr. Nixon received his BA (Economics) in 1973 and his MBA in 1975 from the University of Western Ontario, and his LLB from the University of Toronto in 1980. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1982.

Massood Oroomchi specializes in implementation, optimization and in-house training for internal control programs, SOX/CSOX compliance, corporate governance practices, accelerated close processes, spreadsheet controls and shareholder reporting requirements. He also specializes in designing and evaluating internal control environments for governmental organizations, pre-IPO and private companies, and not-for-profit entities. He is a founding member of FinEx Group and with 35 years of experience has worked extensively in a cross section of industries and in public practice internationally. Mr. Oroomchi is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, a past-member of the Board of Trustees of Canadian Financial Executives Research Foundation, a past- member of the Board of Directors of the Financial Executives International Canada and Past-Chair of FEI Canada’s Audit and Finance, National Technical and Corporate Reporting Committees. He is also a past-member of the Accounting Standards Oversight Council of the CICA.

Jim C. Otar, CFP, CMT, M.Eng. is an expert in retirement income planning. He gives workshops on advanced retirement planning across the country to advisors and financial professional. His expertise stems from applying his engineering and technical analysis background to retirement planning. His article series won him the prestigious CFP-Board Award for 2001 and in 2002. Jim completed both his B.A.Sc. (Mechanical Engineering, 1975) and his M.Eng. degrees at the University of Toronto. After spending several years in engineering and investing for his own account, he started his financial planning career in 1995. He is the author of several books; “Unveiling the Retirement Myth – Advanced Retirement Planning based on Market History” (2009), “High Expectations and False Dreams – One Hundred Years of Stock Market History Applied to Retirement Planning” (2001), where he first pointed out the devastating effects of the sequence of returns, market cycles, the luck factor and the time value of fluctuations. In 1996, he wrote “Handbook of Canadian DRIPS”. He also contributed content to advanced Canadian Securities Institute courses. He has written over a hundred articles internationally since 1996 and is quoted frequently in the news media on retirement and financial planning issues.

Lois Ouellette, CA is a senior manager with KPMGLLP in St. Catharines Ontario and has thirty years of experience serving municipal and school board clients. Lois has written PSAB Financial Reporting course material for the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants. She is a PSAB instructor for the Institutes of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Lois is a PSAB resource within KPMG for the Ontario offices serving the public sector. She provides PSAB training to staff of the firm and its clients. She is a member of KPMG’s National Public Sector team.

The media have described Dave Paradi as a "presentations expert" and a "presentation training guru". His book, "The Visual Slide Revolution", was selected as one of the Top 10 Business Books of 2008 by The Globe and Mail. His ideas have been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft, Harvard University and many others. His clients range from municipalities to Fortune 500 corporations and he consulted on a presentation used to brief one of President Obama’s cabinet ministers. Dave helps presenters communicate more effectively using persuasive PowerPoint presentations. Dave is a Professional member and past National Director of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.

Douglas M. Parker, CA, CFP is a retired tax partner with Wilkinson and Company LLP. He has been extensively involved with income tax education, as a professor of taxation at the University of Ottawa, seminar leader at the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants Summer School for over twenty years and a preparer of material for that school. He has presented a tax seminar at the CICA National Tax Conference on Income Tax. He has co-authored the Income Tax Update course for the CICA for several years. He is past President of the Quinte Estate Planning Council.

Eileen Pease, BA, B.Ed., M.Ed., CHRP loves to work with you and your brain. She has 25 years of experience teaching Speed Reading and many courses related to thinking and interpersonal skills in the workplace. Recently she tapped into the most up to date knowledge on brain research to write a book called “Get More Power from Your Brain”. Eileen knows how to help you get the most value out of your own reading time, concentration, memory and thinking as well as that of your employees. Eileen also has a particular interest in mental health in the workplace. She has been certified by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario branch, to teach their Mental Health Works programs. She knows that a psychologically healthy work environment supports employee engagement, worker health and well-being, recruitment and retention, productivity, effective risk management and corporate social responsibility.

Cindy Pinkus, LL.B. has carried on her law practice for more than 20 years. In the late 1990s, Cindy served as a faculty member and then faculty lead for the Law Society of Upper Canada. In 2002, she served as Director of Bar Admission. Since returning to private practice, Cindy has lectured with the University of Toronto and York University, as well as provided extensive communication and negotiation training across Canada. Her current law practice has an emphasis on estate planning.

Tom Pister, B.Comm, LL.B., CA is a tax lawyer and chartered accountant specializing in domestic and international income taxation and estate planning with particular emphasis on tax and estate planning in the private corporation and owner/manager contexts and the tax-effective use of corporate reorganizations. He also represents clients on a variety of tax issues involving the CRA (including tax litigation, voluntary disclosures, taxpayer relief submissions, tax audits, objections etc.). He has taught tax courses through the ICAO and the Ontario Bar Admission Course and has been a tutorial leader at the CICA's In-Depth Tax Courses.

Dennis Plum has over thirty years’ experience as an IT Manager, Business Systems Analyst, Database Application Developer, Microsoft Systems Engineer, plus Technical Trainer and Consultant. His current training and consulting practice is focused on Microsoft Excel, specializing in Excel Macros and VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). Since creating the “Excel with Macros and VBA” workshops, more than 1,000 Excel end-users have learned to automate repetitive Excel processing to boost their Excel productivity. As President and Principle Trainer at Willis Plum Holdings Inc., Dennis is dedicated to helping individuals significantly enhance the efficiency of their data processing tasks and projects.

Douglas Plummer, CA obtained his designation in 1979 while practising with a national accounting firm in Windsor. He completed the CICA In-Depth course in 1981. Doug has practised almost exclusively in the tax field over the years, providing advice on a broad range of matters, primarily to owner-managed enterprises. He is also involved in commodity tax issues, US tax matters, estate planning, dispute resolution and family law matters.

Kevin R. Porter, CA received his CA designation in 1986. He is a Sole Proprietor, running and managing his own full-time practice as a Chartered Accountant since 1993. He has been an instructor at the School of Accountancy for the integrated case weeks since 1988. Kevin has instructed the ICAO course on Review Engagements and authored/co-authored and taught the CICA “Auditing Refresher” course. He also coordinated the UFE preparation program for a mid-size firm of 54 offices (1988 to 1992).

Steve Prentice, B.A. Communications (Hons.), B.A. Psychology is the president of Bristall Morgan Inc., a consulting firm with offices in Toronto and New York City. Steve's expertise is in Time Management and Productivity. His ten-year study on the impact of technology and stress on the working person resulted in two books entitled Cool Time: A Hands-On Plan for Managing Work and Balancing Time, and Cool Down: Getting Further by Going Slower, both published by John Wiley and Sons. His third book, Work Like a Wolf was published in the Spring of 2012. Steve has delivered workshops, retreats, "lunch 'n' learns" and keynote addresses to hundreds of well-known organizations across Canada and the U.S., and is also in high demand as a personal coach and mentor. He is a frequent media guest, and was also producer of a television series focusing on best practices in management. In his spare time he is manager and guitarist for the charity rock band Absolutely Jack.

Stephen Priddle, CA, CMA is Vice-President, Finance and Corporate Secretary of SureWx Inc. After working with KPMG for five years, Stephen moved to industry and has worked for several companies, including small and medium size, public and private companies. He has extensive experience in financial reporting, treasury management, merger and acquisitions and other areas. Stephen teaches at the Ontario School of Accountancy and has taught a number of professional development seminars for various Institutes of Chartered Accountants, as well as teaching at the University of Toronto, Carleton University, and in the CMA and CGA programs. He is a prolific author of published business cases.

Kimberley Richardson is the President and Co-founder of Imagemakers International, a leadership training and personal development company that specializes in the creation of genuine leaders. Over the past eighteen years, through keynote speeches, leadership training seminars and executive coaching programs, she has inspired thousands of individuals to reach their full potential. Audiences and individuals have described her as, ‘enlightening’, ‘thought-provoking’ and ‘life changing’. Formerly a top sales representative with Xerox Canada and Oracle Corporation, Kimberley has appeared on national television and her expertise has been sought out for both radio and newspaper interviews. By inspiring people to be authentic and to lead from a place of compassion and respect, she has inspired both people and organizations to make a difference and leave a lasting legacy.

Margaret Riggin, CA obtained her CA in 1980 and completed the CICA In-Depth Tax program in 1984. She is a sole practitioner providing tax consulting services to small firms and sole practitioners. She has extensive experience with estates and will planning, corporate reorganizations, real estate, acquisitions and divestitures, and corporate and personal tax planning. Margaret has been a frequent instructor and lecturer for York University and the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants, and is an accomplished author on various tax subject matters.

Kurt Rosentreter, CA, CFP, CIMA, TEP, FCSI, FMA, CLU is a "Family CFO" and Senior Financial Advisor with Manuliufe Securities Incorporated in Toronto. Kurt is the past co-founder of the National Wealth Management Practice at one of Canada's Big Four CA firms, where he assisted to grow the practice to $2 Billion dollars of assets under management. He is a national best selling author on wealth management with seven published books and a regular contributor on money matters in the national press. Kurt is into his ninth year as an instructor at the Institute and he also teaches in the BC and Manitoba institutes. Kurt has his own wealth management practice helping Canadian families reach their financial goals, is married and has two daughters. Learn more about Kurt at www.kurtismycfo.com.

Sona Ruparelia, CA, CPA, MAcc is a graduate of the University of Waterloo. She is a Senior Manager at BDO Canada LLP in the National Accounting Standards group.

Melanie E. Russell, CA.CBV, CFE, CIM, TEP – her current practice focuses on business valuations, litigation support and dispute analysis, financial/forensic investigations, corporate finance and education. She has qualified as an expert witness in the areas of valuation, forensic accounting, income analyses and loss of income calculations in a number of cases in the Ontario Court of Justice and in the Ontario Superior Court. She has also acted as an accounting expert in arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings (e.g., collaborative family law), and negotiated a number of buy/sell transactions. She has taught at various institutions, authored various articles and professional material, and has had a number of years marking, authoring and co-ordinating professional examinations including the CA Uniform Final Examination and the CBV Membership Entrance Examination.

Dave Sabina, B.B.A, M.B.A., C.A. Since 1994 David has been a frequent lecturer of R+D tracking methodologies to both professional accounting bodies and industry research personnel. Through his firm (MEUK Corporation) and its on-line knowledge management software (rdbase.net), he co-ordinates teams of engineering, development and accounting staff in the documentation of projects to earn income tax credits. For more information about David go to www.meuk.net.

Alan Salmon BSc, PHF is President and CEO of K2 Enterprises Canada. K2E provides technology CPD training for accountants across Canada. He has over 25 years of management, systems and training experience in the fields of consulting, business and education. He has provided software design and marketing consulting services to a number of computer software companies. He has published 6 books on accounting software; and wrote for the Bottom Line accounting newspaper for 24 years. In addition, his columns have appeared regularly in various business and technology publications for over 25 years. For the last 15 years he has been the Chairperson for the Accounting Technology seminar series which provides public accountants with up to date information on the technology that they and their clients use. He is recognized as an expert in Microsoft Office and has delivered over 1,000 seminars to in excess of 25,000 CAs.

Ian Schnoor, CFA is Principal and Founder of The Marquee Group. He started the business in 2002 to provide Excel-based financial modeling and valuation training to professionals in the financial community. The Marquee Group has become Canada’s leading provider of financial modeling training, offering programs at dozens of banks, pension funds, corporations and business schools. Over the years, Ian has taught thousands of business professionals and university students in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico. Ian is passionate about teaching and brings a hands-on, interactive approach to every course. He has developed a framework and discipline for building models and analyzing companies which he teaches during sessions. As a result of this approach, students learn to build models that will serve as powerful communication tools and which will add tremendous value to a decision-making process. Prior to establishing The Marquee Group, Ian spent a number of years in the Investment Banking industry. Ian completed his Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree with academic distinction from the University of Manitoba and has also attained the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Garth Sheriff, CPA, CA, CPA (U.S.), MAcc is the founder of Sheriff Consulting which specializes in the development and delivery of accounting, auditing and professional skill courses and workshops. Garth has extensive experience teaching and facilitating at private and public institutions and at all levels of educational programming. As a faculty member with the Sprott School of Business from 2009-2012, he was responsible for designing and delivering undergraduate and master level business courses. During his time at the Sprott School of Business, he received several awards for teaching including Professor of the Year (in 2009 and 2010) and a Professional Achievement Award. He has also held managerial positions at Deloitte and Touche in Canada and the US, facilitating training seminars in leadership and communication, and technical accounting and auditing skills. He earned a Master of Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours - Accounting) from the University of Waterloo, Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Garth has also branched out into the field of acting, and as a member of ACTRA (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) has performed in various stage and film productions. As well, he is a graduate in improvisation from the Second City Training Centre.

Jeffrey D. Sherman, MBA, CIM, FCSI, FCA is a director or chief financial officer of several public companies. He is also the CEO of Anagram Services which focuses on helping companies optimize operations and governance. Mr. Sherman is a popular speaker who has conducted seminars for many organizations including institutes of chartered accountants across Canada, the Law Society of Upper Canada, was an adjunct professor at York University, and has written many magazine articles on finance and treasury. He has written 21 books including: Finance and Accounting PolicyPro, Information Technology PolicyPro (guides to governance and internal control, co-published by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants – CICA), Financial Instruments: A Guide for Financial Managers, and Canadian Treasury Management ( both published by Carswell). His most recent book is Cash Management Toolkit for Small and Medium Businesses (CICA).

Laura Simeoni, CA, CIA is a self-employed Professional Development and Education consultant practising primarily in Ontario. Laura teaches professional development courses as well as a student training program for The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. She has taught at the Ontario School of Accountancy for over twenty years and is involved with preparing students for their professional examinations. Laura has provided training for internal auditors and has advised on internal audit practices. Laura is a part-time instructor for the Schulich School of Business at York University. From 2005 – 2007, Laura worked for RBC – Internal Audit where she assumed the role of Director- Professional Audit Standards. During this time Laura earned her Certified Internal Audit designation and was instrumental in the application process for the training of CA students. Laura has edited an accounting textbook, and co- authored the "Guide to Preparing Financial Statements".

Kent Smith, CA is an associate partner in the Tax Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He leads the Ottawa Research and Development Incentives Practice. Kent has more than fourteen years public accounting experience where he has enjoyed a progressive career focusing his practice of tax on the complexities of the SR+ED program. Kent has developed a deep technical knowledge of the SR+ED legislation as well as extensive experience interfacing with tax authorities and working with companies of all sizes in the preparation of their SR+ED claims. Kent has recently been involved in some of the most complex technology and manufacturing claims filed across the country.

Isabelle St-Jean, RSW is a Registered Social Worker, a Solution-Focused Professional Coach, a Certified Retirement Coach, professional speaker and author of Living Forward, Giving Back: A Practical Guide to Fulfillment in Midlife and Beyond. For several years, Isabelle has helped countless people to successfully chart their way through life transitions including career change and retirement. As an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Practitioner, she also provides tools and practices that serve to optimize brain functions and to achieve excellence at work, in life. A thought leader, Isabelle has initiated, co-authored and published two award-winning, best-selling anthologies: Einstein’s Business: Engaging Soul, Imagination and Excellence in the Workplace and Audacious Aging. She resides in Vancouver, B.C.

Garth Steele, CA is a partner with Welch LLP in Ottawa where he leads the commodity and payroll tax practice. Garth provides advice to a variety of clients including owner-managed businesses, NPOs and foreign entities operating in Canada. Garth has been a speaker at several of the CICA’s annual Commodity Tax Symposia and is a tutorial leader at the CICA’s In Depth GST course. Garth has also recently spoken on the Top 5 GST Issues facing SME Advisors at the CICA SME Advisors Conference.

Christopher J. Steeves is a partner with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. His tax law practice focuses on corporate restructurings and acquisitions involving Canadian businesses. He also provides advice with respect to the special corporate tax requirements of financial services, products and institutions. He regularly advises on the income tax aspects of complex domestic and cross-border financings and financial instruments including derivatives, securities lending and collective investment funds. Christopher also has specialized expertise with respect to transfer pricing and the successful resolution of disputes with Canadian tax authorities. Christopher graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Arts (1989) and a Bachelor of Laws degree (1992). He was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1994. He is a frequent speaker and author of numerous articles dealing with cross border tax matters. Christopher is co-editor for the Corporate Tax Planning feature of the Canadian Tax Journal and he is a member of the Editorial Board for the International Tax Newsletter (CCH Canadian Limited) and for Corporate Structures and Groups (Federated Press). Christopher was also co-editor for Canadian Transfer Pricing (CCH Canadian Limited), 2002. Christopher was recognized as one of Canada’s leading tax lawyers by The Best Lawyers in Canada 2011. In addition, the Practical Law Company’s "PLC Which Lawyer?" has identified Christopher as a recommended tax partner in Ontario.

Cathy Steiner MSc, MBA, CA has over twenty years of experience in investment banking and consulting. She is Managing Director of Nucleus GC, a professional services boutique that advises life sciences companies. Cathy provides capital markets and strategic advice, with a focus on financings, mergers and acquisitions, business development, and growth strategy. Previously, Cathy was head of Healthcare Investment Banking for CIBC World Markets and Yorkton Securities (now Macquarie Capital Markets), and was a tax specialist at Deloitte.

Cal Sutliff is a trainer and consultant based in New York City. He has been leading seminars and participating in management events for the ICAO for the last 18 years. In 1981 he founded Cal Sutliff Associates, a training and consulting firm. Prior to that, he held senior administrative positions in business, concentrating his career in service industries. He is a writer and public speaker. As a sideline he works with amateur athletes on the mental side of their sport (golf, tennis, figure skating, etc.) helping them perform better under pressure. His seminars Enhancing Your People Skills For Accountants and one for Attorneys are given across North America. His trainings focus on developing skills and changing behaviors. His most recent book is entitled People Skill Nuggets (in press).

Soheil Talebi, CA is a partner at Lipton LLP with extensive public practice experience with National firms in both Canada and the United States. He graduated from Brock University with a Bachelors of Accounting degree in 2001 and obtained his CA designation in 2002. Soheil’s broad experience extends to various sectors and industries, including real estate, professional services, technology, manufacturing and distribution, entertainment, publicly traded entities, and not-for-profit organization, with working knowledge of U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. Soheil provides advisory services in such areas as due diligence and litigation support, IFRS conversions, and accounting for complex transactions. Soheil has served as a part-time inspector with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and is now a seminar leader at the School of Accountancy.

Robert C. Taylor B.Sc. (Hons) LL.B. practises employment and labour law with Levitt LLP and is an experienced litigator who has appeared before all levels of the Ontario Courts, as well as the Federal Court of Canada Trial Division, Federal Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Canada, British Columbia Supreme Court and New Brunswick Court of Queen's Bench. Robert has spoken and written on a variety of topics related to his practice. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association (Labour and Employment, Civil Litigation, Constitutional, Civil Liberties, Human Rights), Advocates’ Society, Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers Association and American Bar Association. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Bellwoods Centre for Community Living. Robert is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto.

Jan Thatcher, FCA is an educational consultant, involved in the preparation and presentation of numerous courses and course materials for professional accountants, accounting students and university students. She is also involved the evaluation of candidate performance, including the preparation of examination and evaluation material, for various accounting organizations. Jan is Professor Emeritus at Lakehead University, having retired after many years of teaching financial reporting and assurance courses. She has also served the CA profession through membership in various provincial and national committees.

Dave Thomas is a Principal with The Marquee Group. He has extensive experience in the financial services industry including Investment Banking, Capital Markets and Private Banking. Prior to joining The Marquee Group, Dave was CEO and Director of a Caribbean-based private bank providing asset management, trust and corporate services for high net worth and corporate clients. Previously, Dave worked in Investment Banking for over ten years at BMO Capital Markets. While at BMO, he was a Director in Equity Capital Markets where he oversaw prospectus-offered retail structured products for the firm as well as numerous equity financings and initial public offerings. Prior to that role, he was a member of the Utilities Group and was involved in numerous financing and mergers and acquisition transactions including significant work in the renewable and alternative power sector. Dave received his Master of Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designations.

Peter Thomas, CA has been an instructor for more than 15 years. He is a part-time instructor at the University of Toronto, as well as serving as a seminar leader at the School of Accountancy for many years. He has taught various PD courses for the ICAO.

David Trahair, CA is a speaker and author of Smoke and Mirrors: Financial Myths That Will Ruin Your Retirement Dream, Enough Bull: How to Retire Well without the Stock Market, Mutual Funds or even an Investment Advisor and Crushing Debt: Why Canadians Should Drop Everything and Pay Off Debt. David has made many television appearances, including CBC NewsWorld and CTV, and has also been featured on many local and national radio programs. He currently operates his own public accounting firm and gives seminars on his books to CAs in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and NWT. He is currently working on a new book on the simplest personal finance strategy you'll ever see.

Patrick E. Uzan, BA, CA, TEP is a National Tax and Estate Planning Consultant with Canada Life. Throughout his career in taxation, including his time as a tax partner in public practice, Patrick’s focus has been primarily in the areas of succession and estate planning, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations. He has assisted many general CA practitioners in advising them on tax matters and providing specialty tax planning solutions for their clients. Patrick has also worked in industry as a CFO for a junior oil and gas exploration company. Throughout his career, he has been very involved in educational and academic endeavours, including authoring papers and articles on taxation matters for such organizations as the Canadian Tax Foundation and Ontario Petroleum Institute. He has acted as a Groupstudy leader and In-Residence tutorial leader in the CICA’s In-Depth Tax program and the CICA Income Tax Practice Course. He continues to facilitate a number of professional development courses in taxation offered by the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Ontario and has presented various talks on tax topics of interest to a variety of industry and special interest groups. Patrick is also a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation and is a registered member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Alan Vale, CA started his public accounting career in 1972 and received his C.A. in 1975. Alan then specialized in income tax and continues to practice tax, specializing in owner-manager and entrepreneurial situations. Alan has worked as a partner in both medium and large public accounting firms. Alan has extensive teaching experience, including the ICAO, a tutorial leader at Parts I and II, as well as the Corporate Reorganization Course and the School of Accountancy.

Glenn Ventrcek, CA is a Partner at BDO Canada LLP and has over 17 years of experience in public accounting providing auditing, accounting and taxation services to a broad client base including owner-managed businesses, pension plans, municipalities and other not-for-profit sector clients. Glenn has also worked for BDO Australia as an audit manager in Melbourne servicing various not-for-profit, winery and public company clients. Glenn has instructed courses at Ryerson University for individuals obtaining their Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation and is an active Board member of a national charity. He has also been a speaker at various NFP and IFRS sessions for the ICAO.

Kate Ward, MBA, CA joined the Accounting Standards Department as a Principal in January of 2003. She is currently responsible for implementation guidance for the new Financial Instruments standards. Prior to joining the AcSB staff, she worked for many years in the banking industry holding positions in Accounting Policy, Controllership, Risk Management, Training and Account Management. She has extensive experience with valuing and accounting for financial instruments as well as estimating contingent exposures.

Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FIBP is an award-winning author, speaker and professional development consultant (and former management consultant for Price Waterhouse) in Vancouver, Canada. His specialty is web productivity consulting for accountants. Garrett is the author of two books, World Business Resources.com (published by McGraw-Hill in New York) and How to Conquer the World (published by Government Institutes in Washington, D.C.). He is co-author of Using the Web to Compete in a Global Marketplace (published by John Wiley and Sons in New York). Garrett has also published more than 100 articles on Internet and global trade topics for scores of leading business magazines and media outlets including NBC News Chicago, the Financial Post, Business in Vancouver, Backbone, World Trade, Trade and Commerce, Access Americas, Pacific Coast Trade, Global Production and Expansion Management. Since 1995, he has delivered more than 1,000 in-person presentations and webinars on Internet topics to leading corporations, industry associations, and business events across North America, Europe and Asia. His clients are leading accounting organizations around the world. These include Thomson Reuters Audit Watch, CPE Link, CPE Credit, Western CPE, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda, Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba, Chartered Accountants Education Foundation of British Columbia, Chartered Accountants Education Foundation of Alberta, Tax Executives Institute, Avant Resources, Certified General Accountants of Canada, Certified General Accountants of British Columbia, Certified General Accountants of Alberta and many more.

Daniel R. Weisz, CA•CIRP, CIRP is a Partner of Deloitte and Touche LLP and Senior Vice President of Deloitte and Touche Inc., its Reorganization Services area. Daniel is a Trustee in Bankruptcy and has over twenty four years of experience in corporate reorganizations, business investigations, receivership assignments, proposals, bankruptcy matters and liquidations. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Professionals. In addition, Daniel has authored articles and given presentations on insolvency related matters.

Greg Wells, Ph.D. is a scientist and physiologist who specializes in health and performance in extreme conditions. Most recently, Dr. Wells was the host of the Gemini-Award winning “Superbodies” segments for Canada’s national Olympic broadcast and the on-camera sport science and sport medicine analyst for the CTV Broadcast Consortium, ABC News and ABC’s 20/20 during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Canada's 2012 Olympic broadcast for London 2012. Dr. Wells is also a regular contributor to CTV’s Canada AM, CTV News, and has appeared on TSN’s Off the Record and CBC News. Dr. Wells is currently an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto where he directs the Human Physiology Research Unit. He is also an Associate Scientist in Physiology and Experimental Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children. As a researcher, Dr. Wells is working in a field of investigation called ‘exercise medicine’ where he uses specific exercise protocols to test the limitations of the human body in various diseases – mostly related to muscle and lung conditions. He has been using advanced MRI technologies to measure these limitations, as MRI does not require any radiation or drugs and can offer a look inside the human body without the use of needles or other invasive measures with the ultimate objective of creating exercise interventions that are targeted to specific diseases. Previously, Dr. Wells served as the Director of Sport Science at the Canadian Sport Centre where has had the opportunity to work with dozens of athletes who have won medals at Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Olympic Games. Dr. Wells also taught Canada's elite sport coaches at the National Coaching Institute. From 2002-2010 he has served as the Exercise Physiologist for the Royal Canadian Golf Association and is a regular contributor to Golf Canada and Fairways Golf magazines.

Helen Wilkie is a professional keynote speaker, workshop leader and author, specializing in the area of communication in the workplace. She has spoken across North America to a range of clients from international corporations to professional associations, accounting and law firms and more. She is an active member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and Past President of its Toronto chapter. Over the past several years, she has worked with hundreds of accounting professionals, delivering business writing courses and workshops as well as other communication programs. She has written seven books on communication, the latest of which is "Make Your Words Count: a short painless guide to business writing for accountants". She also has a growing list of titles on Amazon's Kindle platform.

Marion Williams, a Senior Associate with K2 Enterprises Canada since 2009, provides consulting and training services throughout Canada. With a background in the insurance industry, Marion earned the FLMI designation with a specialty in Information Systems. As the owner of a computer consulting company in Ontario for over twenty years, Marion develops custom databases for a variety of business sectors, using Access, Excel and VBA. In addition, Marion specializes in training all the Microsoft Office products at an advanced level.

Jon Zelman is a Principal of The Marquee Group. Prior to joining The Marquee Group, Jon was an investment banking professional who advised clients on a wide range of transactions and opportunities including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, restructurings and liability management. For over seven years, Jon was with Citi's investment banking division in Toronto, where he held the position of Director, focusing on media and telecommunications companies including Quebecor, BCE, Rogers and CanWest. Prior to that, Jon worked as an investment banking Associate at Citi's New York headquarters covering communications companies. Jon began his investment banking career with BMO Nesbitt Burns, spending three years in the firm's Montreal office working on a number of financing and advisory transactions. A native of Montreal, Jon is fluent in English and French. Jon holds a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School, where he served as a Teacher's Assistant in Corporate Finance. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Vermont.