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Description

This course will help directors optimize their performance on an audit committee and move beyond the traditional role of compliance oversight. Practical issues are addressed, such as the intricacies of the audit committee's relationships with management, internal and external auditors, and emerging national and global issues impacting audit committees

Who Should Participate?

This course is ideal for experienced directors currently serving or soon to be serving on an audit committee. C-suite executives with accountabilities that intersect with the audit committee would also benefit from attending.

Key Benefits

After completing all components of the course, participants will:

    • Define the competencies of an effective audit committee and committee Chair and their relationship with the board, management and stakeholders.
    • Identify key elements of public disclosure documents and how to provide effective oversight.
    • Understand the importance of the internal and external audit functions, including the audit committee's relationship with the external auditor and the Chief Audit Executive.
    • Qualify for 8 CEUs toward the annual requirement to retain their ICD.D designation
    Participants will obtain the necessary skills and insights to build enhanced working relationships with key stakeholders, such as auditors. Participants will also develop their capacity to effectively oversee the public disclosure process.

Format

This program uses a blended online learning structure that weaves together best practices in adult education with opportunities to engage with peers.


  • The structure includes:

    1. Independent online learning (four to six hours)
      This is a critical component of the course (and includes an e-learning module, videos, readings, and more). It introduces key concepts and will prepare participants for effective participation in the live session and ensure they are ready to apply learnings from the course to their board work. The required independent learning should be completed prior to the live session. It is meant to be completed at a pace that works best for each participant.

    2. Live, instructor-led session (approximately four hours)
      This instructor-led online session will focus on the application of concepts covered through independent learning. Attendance at the live session is required for successful course completion. The live session includes class discussions, breakout group discussions and exercises, Q & A with instructors and other experts, and live interactive panel discussions.

    3. Supplemental resources and tools
      Participants will receive supplemental resources to augment the required components of their independent learning packages.
       
    4. Learning sustainment and engagement opportunities
      Following course completion, participants will be invited to join an Alumni Portal, becoming part of a community where they gain access to tools and resources to help apply course learnings in real-life settings. They will also have opportunities to engage in discussion forums with course peers to exchange questions, ideas and experiences and apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills.

Current Offerings

  •  
    City Course Application Deadline Live session  Time
    Online ACE 014 September 26, 2023 October 17, 2023  10 am -2:15 p.m. ET 

Faculty

Peter Charbonneau Headshot

Peter Charbonneau

FCPA, ICD.D, National Academic Director and Lead Instructor

Director, Poet Technologies Inc., Surgical Safety Technologies Inc.

Peter Charbonneau

FCPA, ICD.D, National Academic Director and Lead Instructor

Director, Poet Technologies Inc., Surgical Safety Technologies Inc.
Peter Charbonneau, a CPA by training has spent most of his career working in the technology sector in the Ottawa area. After 10 years with Deloitte in public accounting, Peter joined Newbridge Networks Corporation (NYSE: NN and TSX: NNC) as Chief Financial Officer and spent 13 years in various roles including President and Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board until the Company was acquired by Alactel (now Nokia) in 2000. Peter then spent almost 15 years as a general partner at Skypoint Capital Corporation and was jointly responsible for the investment of $100 million of capital in early-stage telecommunications and data communication companies. In 2000, representing Sir Terence Matthews, he facilitated the purchase of the communications business systems division of Mitel Corporation, which has since operated as Mitel Networks. Peter was Lead Director of Mitel Networks Corporation (NASDAQ: MITL and TSX: MNW) until its recent acquisition. Mr. Charbonneau has been an audit committee chair and served on several audit committees in the forprofit and non-profit sector including: Telus Corporation TSX: T (Audit Committee member), Mitel Networks Corporation TSX: MNW and NASDAQ: MITL (Audit Committee Chair), Canadian Broadcast Corporation (Audit Committee Chair). 

He currently sits on the board of POET Technologies Inc. (TSXV: PTK and OTC: POETF) where he is Lead Director and Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. He also sits on the Board of Surgical Safety Technologies, Inc., a start-up headquartered in Toronto.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.
Peter Charbonneau Headshot
Alodie Brew, FCPA Headshot

Alodie Brew, FCPA

FCPA, FCA, External Auditor-in-Residence

Partner & National Insurance Leader, PwC

Alodie Brew, FCPA

FCPA, FCA, External Auditor-in-Residence

Partner & National Insurance Leader, PwC
Alodie Brew is an FCPA, FCA with over 29 years experience with PwC in the Financial Services industry. She is the National Insurance Leader overseeing the overall strategy of all lines of service, comprising Audit, Risk, Actuarial, Tax, Consulting and Deals. In that capacity, she is also a member of the PwC Canada Financial Services and PwC’s Global Insurance Leadership Teams.

Alodie is a recognized leader in the industry. She works collaboratively with her clients and leverages her broad relationships to bring to her clients the expertise of the entire firm. Alodie has extensive experience in working on large and complex global audits and has developed strong relationships over the PwC Network.

She is a member of the Board of Directors of PwC Canada and chairs the Governance Committee. Alodie previously was the Treasurer of the International Women Forum Canada, Canada's National Ballet School and Altruvest as well as served on the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. She is an alumni of the Judy Project (2013 Class).

Born and raised in Belgium, Alodie moved to Toronto in 1997 where she currently lives with her husband. She regularly practices yoga and enjoys sailing and skiing with her family.
Alodie Brew, FCPA Headshot
Shannon G. Ryhorchuk, FCPA, FCA Headshot

Shannon G. Ryhorchuk, FCPA, FCA

External Auditor-in-Residence

Assurance Partner and Partner Responsible for Independence, PwC
 

Shannon G. Ryhorchuk, FCPA, FCA

External Auditor-in-Residence

Assurance Partner and Partner Responsible for Independence, PwC
 
Shannon Ryhorchuk is a FCPA, FCA with over 37 years experience with PwC as a trusted business advisor providing assurance services to many Alberta, Canada, and US-based companies. Shannon leads the National Independence Office and sits on PwC's Global Network Independence leadership team. She is the former Managing Partner of the Calgary Assurance Practice.

Shannon has been an active volunteer throughout her career, serving on boards of not for profit and community organizations. She currently sits on the Board of Governors of Mount Royal University, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the Board of Directors of WINS (Women in Need Society), For many years, she served the United Way of Calgary and Area, being on the Board of Directors including chairing the Audit and Finance Committee and the Community Investment Committee. In 2018, she was awarded the Distinguished Service award by CPA Alberta for her many contributions to the community. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan and has completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program.
Shannon G. Ryhorchuk, FCPA, FCA Headshot
Steve Spooner Headshot

Steve Spooner

ICD.D, FCPA, FCA, Director-in-Residence

Director: Jamieson Wellness Inc., Docebo, E Automotive, Key DH Technologies,
Wellness Natural Inc.; Past CFO, Mitel Networks

Steve Spooner

ICD.D, FCPA, FCA, Director-in-Residence

Director: Jamieson Wellness Inc., Docebo, E Automotive, Key DH Technologies,
Wellness Natural Inc.; Past CFO, Mitel Networks
Steve Spooner is a Corporate Director, advisor to leadership teams and private equity firms and a seasoned tech industry leader.

Steve is a Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of Jamieson Wellness (JWEL.TO), one of Canada’s most respected consumer product companies. He is a Director of Docebo (DCBO-T, DCBO-Q), a leading learning management software company, as well as E-Automotive Inc. (EINC-TO) a leading provider of digital sales & marketing solutions for the automotive industry, where for each company, he chairs both the Audit Committee and the Compensation, Nominating & Governance Committee. He is also a director of privately held Key DH Technologies, a leader in the deuterium and hydrogen industries and Wellness Natural Inc., a plant-based protein company.

Steve is a past director & Audit Committee Chair of TSX-V listed Magor Corporation, an enterprise video software company and a past director of privately held Stream Intelligent Networks, a metropolitan area network services provider. Steve is also a former Director of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation where he served for 9 years, including as Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee and member of the Governance Committee and Executive Committee.

Steve serves as a coach to CEO’s and also an advisor to leadership teams on such matters as going public, M&A, corporate strategy, governance, raising capital and driving operational excellence, in both SaaS and traditional business models. He is also a consultant to private equity firms on existing or potential portfolio investments and their leadership teams. As a former public company CFO and in his past and current audit committee chair roles, Steve has extensive experience with both IFRS and US GAAP reporting.

Steve has over 35 years of operational leadership experience, having particular expertise in negotiating, structuring, financing and integrating complex acquisitions. He has developed and executed strategies to drive global growth as well as transforming companies to address business challenges and capitalize on changing market opportunities.

As CFO for Mitel Networks for 16 years, a $1.7B, 4000-person company, he had global responsibility for Finance, Legal, Information Technology, M&A and Investor Relations, until his retirement in 2019. Steve prior experience includes roles as CEO, COO and CFO of both emerging and established technology industry players, including tenures at Digital, Wang, SHL Systemhouse, CrossKeys Systems, Stream Intelligent Networks and Wysdom.

Steve is a past member of the Sprott School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and holds the ICD.D designation (2009) from the Institute of Corporate Directors. In 2018, Steve was chosen as the inaugural “CFO of the Year” in Ottawa.
Steve Spooner Headshot
Nancy Russell Headshot

Nancy Russell

CPA, CA, CIA, ICD.D, Internal Auditor-in-Residence

Senior Vice-President and Chief Internal Auditor, Great-West Lifeco
Director: YMCA of Southwestern Ontario, Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes
(Community Member, Finance Committee)
 

Nancy Russell

CPA, CA, CIA, ICD.D, Internal Auditor-in-Residence

Senior Vice-President and Chief Internal Auditor, Great-West Lifeco
Director: YMCA of Southwestern Ontario, Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes
(Community Member, Finance Committee)
 
Nancy Russell is the Senior Vice-President, Chief Internal Auditor, Great-West Lifeco. As the Chief Internal Auditor, Nancy leads the independent Internal Audit function with the primary objective of assisting the Boards of Directors, through the Audit Committees, in carrying out their corporate governance responsibilities. This is aligned with also assisting management and staff in the achievement of their goals and objectives in a way which is adequately controlled and effectively managed.

Nancy started her career with London Life as Manager of Internal Audit in 1999. Other roles she has held since that time include Senior Vice-President/Chief Compliance Officer, Great-West Lifeco; Senior Vice-President of New Business, Individual Insurance for Canada Life; Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer for the former Quadrus Investment Services Ltd (a mutual fund dealer firm and previous subsidiary company of London Life and Great-West Life); Vice-President, Internal Audit, responsible for the audit of the companies’ European and Reinsurance operations; and Leader of New Business, Client Service and Claims in the Individual Life Operations area.

Nancy obtained her Honours B.Comm. from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She obtained her Chartered Accountant’s designation in 1991; Certified Anti- Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) in 2015; Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP) in 2016; Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) in 2021; and Director (ICD.D) in 2021.
Nancy Russell Headshot
Jessica Macht Headshot

Jessica Macht

CPA, CA, External Auditor-in-Residence

Partner with the Audit and Assurance practice of PwC

Jessica Macht

CPA, CA, External Auditor-in-Residence

Partner with the Audit and Assurance practice of PwC
Jessica Macht leads the Financial Services practice for Western Canada and is a member of the BC Leadership Team, National Financial Services Leadership Team and National Innovation Leadership Team. With over 21 years’ experience, Jessica has extensive practical knowledge of the Financial Services industry including auditing private, public, and large public sector clients. During her career, she has worked with clients across Canada including banks, trust companies, property and casualty insurance companies, a number of member driven organizations and cooperatives which provide insurance and other financial services, as well as retail and real estate organizations. In addition to audit services she has provided IFRS transition support to a number of these organizations as well as supported organizations going through large scale transformation and IT implementation.

Jessica joined the Canadian firm in 2000. In addition to mentoring staff going through PwC’s national Women in Leadership Program, providing advice, counsel and support she also chaired the PwC National Staff Council. Jessica is an active non-profit board member. She’s also an alumnus of Genesis Park, PwC’s leadership development program in Washington D.C., where she spent a term working with the firm’s global leaders.

Jessica graduated with a BA (Economics) from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She’s a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant. In her spare time, Jessica’s physically active, whether it’s chasing after her four children or hitting the pavement (or snow) with her passion for running.
Jessica Macht Headshot

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