Short Bio

Results-driven strategic leader with 25+ years of experience driving business transformation and operational excellence across professional services, financial services and diverse industries. Proven track record in translating executive vision into measurable outcomes while building resilient operational infrastructure. Expertise in digital business transformation, process optimization, and cross-functional leadership, with deep understanding of professional service firm operations and regulatory environments. CPA, CMA with extensive board governance experience and demonstrated success managing enterprise-wide change initiatives. Specialized in emerging technology integration, risk management, and developing comprehensive change management programs that drive organizational success across multiple industries and complex operational environments.

Detailed Bio

Career achievements:

Spearheaded strategic business model transformation at Credit Union Central of Canada (CUCC), successfully transitioning organizational funding structure from cost recovery to sustainable fee-for-service model within 12 months. Led cross-functional initiative to reposition from traditional not-for-profit operations to purpose-driven profit model, designing and operationalizing new revenue frameworks, pricing structures and service delivery processes. This comprehensive transformation established diversified revenue streams, enhanced financial sustainability, and positioned the organization for strategic growth, while preserving core mission objectives.

Other professional accomplishments:

Hold multiple professional designations including CPA, CMA, Organization Development Certified Consultant (ODCC), Accredited Canadian Credit Union Director (ACCUD), Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and Project Management Professional (PMP), demonstrating commitment to professional excellence and continuous development.

Other voluntary service and recognition:

From 2009-2015, I was on the Board of Directors for Luminus Financial Credit Union. I successfully increased my contribution to the board and moved up from Board Member to Corporate Secretary, to Audit Committee Chair, and eventually, Vice Chair, prior to my departure.

Candidate statement

Why are you interested in joining Council?

My experience in professional services and multiple industries have shown me how essential it is for professional bodies to truly understand the challenges and opportunities shaping their members' work. The CPA designation has opened doors throughout my career, and now I want to give back by helping ensure the profession remains relevant and essential. Currently, I'm at CUCC navigating significant changes in credit union financial services – open banking, real-time payments, regulatory shifts and mergers. This experience has reinforced a key belief: professional organizations must stay ahead of industry changes, not just react to them.

The timing feels right for me to contribute. I bring operational experience, previous board service, and a deep understanding of both business operations and governance. What sets me apart is practical transformation experience – not just discussing change but implementing it across large organizations. I've guided 2,000+ people through new ways of working, managed budgets during uncertainty, and kept operations running while everything shifted around us. My background in operational transformation and emerging technology gives me practical insight into how this kind of change works on the ground. Most importantly, I'm passionate about ensuring CPAs remain indispensable as the business world evolves around us. I'm ready to bring this experience to Council and help shape our profession's path forward.

How do your experiences align with the following skills, attributes and experiences that have been prioritized for incoming members of Council?

• Strategic and Transformational Leadership
• Emerging Technologies
• Future of Learning and Work
• Business Acumen

My progressive leadership directly aligns with CPA Ontario Council’s priorities. As Vice President at CUCC, I lead enterprise-wide transformation with full P&L accountability for a $10M operational budget, driving strategic growth initiatives across all core business functions. At Grant Thornton, I spearheaded cross-functional transformation impacting 2,250+ employees across 100+ locations nationally, managing a $50M+ operational budget while creating unified governance structures across 15 business units. 

In Emerging Technologies, I actively drive adoption of cutting-edge financial technologies including open banking, real-time payments, and digital verification systems. My leadership of Microsoft D365 enterprise implementations and PowerBI analytics platforms at Grant Thornton unified disparate business units under integrated technology solutions. I developed educational technology solutions including e-learning modules and PowerApps applications, demonstrating practical experience in emerging tech integration that directly supports the profession's digital evolution.

My expertise in Future of Learning and Work focuses on outcome-based deliverables that identify skill gaps and develop strategies to close them through experience, education, coaching, and automation – including AI and process automation. At Grant Thornton, I gained valuable insight into the challenges professional service firms face: meeting evolving client demands while growing their practice and leveraging tools to optimize resource allocation and scheduling. 

My business acumen is demonstrated through direct P&L responsibility and experience across diverse industries – financial services, professional services, manufacturing and aerospace. Throughout my career, I've consistently been recognized for approaching business challenges through a critical problem-solving lens, whether driving operational improvements, managing growth initiatives, or implementing transformational change. This broad background in business operations, combined with my financial expertise and understanding of risk frameworks, positions me well to contribute meaningfully to Council's strategic decisions.

What is the greatest opportunity and challenge facing the accounting profession and CPA Ontario?

The greatest opportunity I see is that AI has the potential to make CPAs more valuable, not less – but it's critical we're proactive in shaping that outcome. Through my work implementing analytics platforms and integrating technologies, I've observed organizations struggling with a fundamental challenge: they can access all the data and automated reports they want, but they need someone who understands the business context, how they can influence decisions and knows whether they can trust the results. That's where CPAs come in. We're trained to look at numbers with professional skepticism, understand business context, and spot when something doesn't make sense. AI can process transactions and generate reports, but it can't tell you if underlying assumptions are sound or if results pass the common-sense test. Organizations will need CPAs who can work alongside AI systems – validating outputs, interpreting complex patterns, and making strategic connections that technology misses.

This is also our opportunity to attract new talent to the profession. When we position CPAs as AI-savvy professionals who provide the critical thinking and judgment that technology can't replicate, we make the profession more appealing to the next generation. The challenge is evolving our skills before AI replaces routine activities and rethinking how we educate CPAs.

From my experience managing technology transformations, the organizations that succeed help their people adapt rather than just implementing new systems. CPA Ontario has the same opportunity – we can lead this transition and help our members become AI-savvy rather than AI-displaced, ensuring we lead the AI transition, rather than simply react to it.