2023 Program & Speakers
This page will be updated as speakers and details are confirmed.
Program
| TIME | SPEAKER | TOPIC | COMPETENCY | PD HOURS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:30/08:30 | BREAKFAST & REGISTRATION | |||
| 08:23/08:25 | Andersen Tax | Opening Remarks, Housekeeping, Company Overview | ||
| 08:25/08:30 | SPF Committee | Welcome Remarks | Other | 0.25 |
| 08:30/10:30 | Kim Moody, Moodys Tax / Moodys Private Client | Tax Update | Taxation | 2.0 |
| 10:30/11:00 | AM BREAK | |||
| 11:00/13:00 | Randy Nicholls, CPA Alberta Larry Brownoff, CPA Alberta Erika Kubik, Affirm | Ethics Round table CPA Alberta - update | Ethics | 2.0 |
| 13:00/14:00 | LUNCH | |||
| 14:00/15:30 | Gustavo and Sara Jimenez, SG LLP | CSQM 1 and CSQM 2 | Financial & Reporting | 1.5 |
| 15:30/16:00 | PM BREAK | |||
| 16:00/17:00 | Ryan Lazanis, Future Firm | Practice management | Self Management | 1.0 |
| 20:15/22:45 | RECEPTION |
| TIME | SPEAKER | TOPIC | COMPETENCY | PD HOURS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:00/08:00 | BREAKFAST | |||
| 08:00/10:00 | Kyle Ross, Felesky Flynn John Fuller, Felesky Flynn | Tax Cases | Taxation | 2.0 |
| 10:00/10:30 | AM BREAK | |||
| 10:30/12:00 | Mark Parsons, ATB | Alberta Economic Update | Accounting & Finance | 1.5 |
| 12:00/13:00 | LUNCH | |||
| 13:00/14:00 | Chris Nowell, ThreeShield Information Security | IT Security | Innovation & Technology | 1.0 |
| 14:10/15:10 | Tammy Robertson, MA | Managing stress resiliance | Self-management | 1.0 |
| 15:10/15:30 | PM BREAK | |||
| 15:30/17:30 | Andrew Bateman, Miller Thompson Bryant Frydberg, Miller Thompson | Taxation | Self-management | 2.0 |
| 20:15/22:45 | RECEPTION |
| TIME | SPEAKER | TOPIC | COMPETENCY | PD HOURS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07:00/08:00 | BREAKFAST | |||
| 08:00/10:00 | Hugh Nielson, KPR | Tax Update 3.0 | Taxation | 2.0 |
| 10:00/10:15 | AM BREAK | |||
| 10:15/12:15 | Daniel Hershcovis, 1971 Vartika Satija, Vartika Satija Matthew Peterson, True North Accounting Clayton Achen, Achen Henderson | Technology Roundtable | Innovation & Technology | 2.0 |
| 12:15/13:00 | LUNCH | |||
| 13:00/14:30 | Alex Marino Moodys Tax / Moodys Private Client Aasim Hirji, Moodys Tax/ Moodys Private Client | Taxation | Recruiting and Employment Management | 1.5 |
| 14:30/14:45 | SPF Committee | Closing Remarks | 0.25 |
Speakers
KIM G C MOODY, FCPA, FCA, TEP CEO
Moodys Private Client Accounting, Moodys TaxCEO
The antithesis of the status quo, Kim is driven to innovate new and better ways to do things for the clients he serves, the advancement of the firm, and other professionals in tax. His relentless obsession with getting to know everything in the Tax Act makes him a highly sought-out resource for peers and clients. In March 2020, Kim published his first book, Making Life Less Taxing: Pay Attention To Your Taxes So You Can Pay Less Tax and Build a Strong, Smarter Canada – an Amazon bestseller in a number of categories.
Kim’s primary area of expertise is tax and estate planning for owner-managers of private corporations and executives, particularly those who have entered into the tax complexities that come with being affluent. Though admittedly not one himself, Kim works with many professional athletes (a guy has got to dream after all). Kim also has expertise in trust and estate taxation and enjoys solving the complexities that arise in developing a well-thought-out estate and succession plan and dealing with testamentary taxation matters.
Larry Brownoff CPA, CA; Director, Member Relations
CPA Alberta
Larry Brownoff is the Director, Member Relations with CPA Alberta. He has an extensive network of accounting professionals and over a decade of experience recruiting for companies across multiple industry sectors where strong financial leadership has enabled growth.
Larry has held various leadership roles within Robert Half International where he specialized in senior finance and accounting recruitment, placement of senior project financial professionals and executive search. In addition to his decade of recruiting expertise, Larry brings 17 years of senior level industry experience to his recruitment assignments enabling him to effectively assist clients in creating high performance strategic leadership teams.
Randy Nicholls, Msc, BComm, CPA, CA; Director, Member Engagement and Technical Advisory
CPA Alberta
Prior to joining CPA Alberta, Randy was an Instructor at Red Deer Polytechnic where he taught various accounting courses in the Diploma and Degree programs. During his time there he played a leadership role in establishing senior accounting courses that met prerequisite requirements for CPA PREP, thereby enabling prospective Central Alberta CPA’s to remain in the region for their post-secondary education.
Randy began his professional career in Winnipeg with Arthur Andersen & Co, where he obtained his Chartered Accountant designation and was a member of the firm’s audit, assurance and business advisory services practice.
Subsequent to achieving his designation Randy moved into industry positions, eventually moving into CFO roles with both private and publicly listed companies. He has extensive leadership experience with retail, distribution and oilfield services companies.
John Fuller, CPA, CA, TEP, FEA
Felesky Flynn
With over 25 years of tax experience, John specializes in tax planning, estate planning and dispute resolution for private corporations and family farm organizations.
He holds his Bachelor of Laws, along with his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) and Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designations.
John lends his wealth of knowledge and specialized relational “soft” skills as a regular presenter at various tax related forums. He is recognized as a leading tax lawyer by Best Lawyers in Canada and made the short list of nominations of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2020 in the Changemaker category.
Andrew Bateman, Partner
Miller Thompson
Andrew’s practice covers a broad spectrum of taxation law, with a primary focus on private corporations, trusts, family groups, and individuals. Areas of focus include transactions and reorganizations, tax dispute resolution and litigation, trust and estate matters, First Nation taxation, and goods and services tax.
As a sought-after speaker and writer, Andrew provides insights to respected associations and publications, such as the Canadian Tax Journal, Legal Education Society of Alberta, Canadian Bar Association, Banff CA Small Practitioners Forum and the University of Calgary Faculty of Law.
Before becoming a lawyer, Andrew earned his Bachelor of Commerce and spent 10 years in the franchising industry, where he worked in a number of sales and executive roles. This hands-on experience shaped Andrew’s aptitude for negotiations, strategy, problem-solving, and conflict management.
Andrew obtained his Juris Doctor degree, from the University of Calgary, and received a number of tax and other academic awards. Prior to joining Miller Thomson, Andrew practiced for 15 years at a boutique tax law firm in Calgary.
Kyle A. Ross
Felesky Flynn
Kyle’s practice covers a wide range of taxation law matters with a focus on corporate and personal tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, estate planning and dispute resolution with taxation authorities.
Kyle is a sessional instructor in tax law at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law and is a regular presenter on tax topics in other forums. Kyle received many academic awards in law school including the Law Society of Saskatchewan Gold Medal, the Thomas Dowrick Brown Prize for Most Distinguished Graduate and Desjardins Top Eight Academic All-Canadian. He was also the captain of the University of Saskatchewan Men’s Huskie Hockey Team during law school and won various athletic awards during his hockey career.
Hugh Neilson, FCPA FCA TEP
Hugh Neilson FCPA FCA TEP is an independent contractor to Kingston Ross Pasnak LLP, where he is a Director, Taxation Services. He is also an independent contractor to Video News Inc., where he serves as a member of the Editorial Board of Video Tax News, and appears regularly in their monthly video and newsletter.
Hugh has over 30 years of public practice experience, focusing on income tax services for individuals and owner-managed private corporations. He provides tax consultation in many diverse areas, including business structuring and restructuring, negotiations with Canada Revenue Agency auditors and Appeals Officers, tax-effective compensation strategies, immigration and emigration planning and strategies for tax-effective personal, family and estate tax planning.
Chris Nowell
Alberta Tax Services Office & Canada Revenue Agency
Chris Nowell leads ThreeShield Information Security Corporation, which transforms IT and web development so business owners can thrive without worrying about outages, insurance issues, or inevitable cyber-attacks.
Chris holds Computer Science and MBA degrees along with an alphabet soup of security certifications. Over the last two decades, he’s audited nearly every provincial entity with the Auditor General of Alberta and improved the security of hundreds of organizations around the world from small accounting firms and websites that process multi-billion-dollar annual sales to rocket and military helicopter manufacturers.
Sara Jiménez, CPA, CA, CFF, CFE
CPA Alberta
Sara Jiménez has more than fifteen years of experience in professional accounting. With an extensive background in accounting, assurance, forensic evaluation, and litigation support services, Sara is able to meet the various accounting challenges you may be presented with. Her investigative experience includes forensic investigations in connection with bank theft and investigating banking and investment transactions in cases of fraud, including mortgage fraud, and on behalf of creditors in insolvency and restructuring cases. Sara also performs damages quantification with regards to breach of contracts and has worked on mandates in a variety of industries, including oil and gas, professional services, construction and engineering. Sara has worked extensively with CPA Canada and CPA Alberta, developing, facilitating and working with professional accounting students.
Gustavo Jiménez, CPA, CGA, CFE
Alberta Tax Services Office & Canada Revenue Agency
Gustavo Jiménez has more than ten years of experience in business and accounting. With a background in banking, real estate, and not for profit work Gustavo brings his business knowledge together with his knowledge and experience in accounting and tax to meet the needs of your business. His business experience includes working with public companies, owner-managed businesses, construction, property development and real estate companies as well as, provision of a variety of taxation services. Gustavo has worked in internal audit, assisting in the development and review of internal controls and as a controller in the public sector, adding a unique dimension to his accounting knowledge and experience. Gustavo has also worked as a real estate associate in Calgary for nine years giving him an extensive knowledge of the city and the needs and interests of Calgarians.
Mark Parsons
CPA Alberta
Mark Parsons is Vice President and Chief Economist at ATB Financial. Over his 20-year career, Mark has served in key senior economic roles, including as Chief Economist and Assistant Deputy Minister of Economics and Fiscal Policy at Alberta Treasury Board and Finance. He has provided leadership in a range of areas, including economic analysis and forecasting, fiscal analysis and data analytics. Mark previously worked as a senior economist at PwC and as an economist at the Department of Finance Canada. Mark holds a Masters degree in economics from the University of Alberta.
Vartika Satija
Alberta Tax Services Office & Canada Revenue Agency
Vartika was born in India and spent many years travelling before I moved to Hailfax, Nova Scotia to complete her Bachelor of Commerce with a major in accounting from Sobeys School of Business at Saint Mary’s University. She obtained her CPA designation in Calgary, gaining extensive experience in Audit, Review and Tax Engagements for private and non-for-profit organizations.
Vartika works with companies and organizations from a variety of backgrounds including manufacturing, oil and gas, financial services, investment companies, real estate, healthcare, professional services and many more. Today, she specialize in accounting for sole proprietors, start-ups, small to medium sized businesses and non-for-profit organizations.
Matthew Peterson
CPA Alberta
Matt Peterson, expert CPA and dynamic business owner who can take your business to new heights. With over 20 years of experience in finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship, Matt is ready to provide you with the advice and guidance you need. From his time with PwC to starting True North Accounting in 2015, Matt has worked on billion-dollar deals and helped small business owners with bookkeeping, accounting, tax, strategy, and more. He’s grown True North from 4 to 24 people, all while navigating the ever-changing accounting profession.
But Matt’s not just a numbers guy – he’s also tech-savvy and is constantly learning and adapting to the latest trends. With a vast network of contacts in Calgary, he can help you find the right people that align with your values and vision to grow your business. If you’re a business owner looking for real, actionable help from someone who’s been in your shoes, Matt has the expertise and passion to help you succeed.
Clayton Achen
Alberta Tax Services Office & Canada Revenue Agency
Clayton is the visionary driving force behind Achen Henderson, the partner who looks into the future, sees what he wants to create, and brings everyone along on the adventure. His dream is twofold: to be at the forefront of the evolution of the accounting industry and enjoy his life while helping our clients enjoy building their businesses.
Clayton is our Canadian tax expert and has a background in tax compliance, planning, and strategy. He has worked with a wide variety of clients ranging from owner-managed small businesses to publicly traded oil and gas companies. He specializes in the taxation of private companies, transactions, and high-net-worth families.
Erika Kubik, MPAcc, CPA, CA
Affirm LLP Chartered Professional Accountants
Erika is a Partner at Affirm LLP Chartered Professional Accountants, a boutique accounting firm with offices in Calgary and Vancouver. Affirm has been built on a foundation of client excellence and an approachableness to clients all while maintaining a supportive work environment where staff feel supported, elevated and can thrive. Erika’s career started at KPMG after which she moved to an in-house tax role in industry. After having her third child, Erika stepped away from Corporate Calgary and joined Affirm where she and the other Partners had all worked together at KPMG. She was born and raised in Calgary, and her greatest accomplishment is her family. She loves spending her time outdoors camping, hiking, running and playing ball in the yard with her 3 young kids.
Ryan Lazanis, CPA
Future Firm
Ryan Lazanis, CPA founded Xen Accounting, a 100% cloud-based accounting firm, in 2013. Following its acquisition in 2018, Ryan started Future Firm which provides coaching, community and training to help accountants quickly scale a systematic firm of their own that improves their lifestyle. Ryan currently educates over 9,500 firm leaders globally via his free weekly newsletter and coaches hundreds of successful accounting firms through his Future Firm Accelerate online coaching program.
Tammy Robertson, MA
Affirm LLP Chartered Professional Accountants
Tammy is a co-author of four books: Success Strategies for Women, Awakening the Workplace, Mastering the Art of Success with renowned speakers and authors Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Brown and most recently, No Winner ever Got There Without a Coach with thought leader David Rock.
As a coach and professional speaker to audiences across North America she inspires and challenges you to step up to your life legacy — to be purposeful and passionate — to slow down — to get a grip, tune in and have faith.
Tammy is a respected commentator in the media on workplace wellness and culture, who offers a unique blend of research, observation and gritty guidance along with a distinct call to action to “make your time count.”
She has a Masters Degree in Physical and Health Education from the University of Western Ontario. While Tammy has a diverse range of clients in health care, education, all levels of government, and oil and gas her biggest client are accountants. Since 1993, she has worked across Canada providing seminars and speaking at conferences to help accountants get excited about their life and leadership and build balance and resilience.
Her coaching practice is largely made up of leaders both in industry and public practice. She swears working with these trusted clients is FUN! Watching leaders use new tools and practices and build new cultures of encouragement and accountability is the best work there is!
Bryant Frydberg, Partner
Miller Thompson
Bryant Frydberg is an experienced corporate tax and mergers and acquisitions lawyer who works mainly with owner/manager and other private corporations. Bryant also carries on a complementary business law practice.
Bryant is committed to providing excellent service. He is accessible and responsive; he takes a pragmatic approach to solving problems and helping clients achieve their goals and objectives.
Bryant’s practice includes:
Corporate tax law: Bryant advises on all matters of corporate tax law including mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, planning and implementing other corporate reorganizations, and tax-driven corporate restructurings for private corporations.
Mergers and acquisitions: Bryant acts for both purchasers and sellers in Canadian and cross-border merger and acquisition transactions, including structuring of the purchase and sale transaction.
Corporate/commercial law: Bryant assists with unanimous shareholder agreements, cost-share agreements, and general business law matters.
Bryant has considerable experience in transactions with dental support organizations (DSO) including selling dental practices to DSO’s and structuring of DSO’s.
Bryant is a frequent writer and speaker on tax and corporate/commercial matters. He is also the editor of the “Estate Freeze” chapter in Miller Thomson on Estate Planning.
Alex Marino
Moodys Tax/ Moodys Private Client
Matt Peterson, expert CPA and dynamic business owner who can take your business to new heights. With over 20 years of experience in finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship, Matt is ready to provide you with the advice and guidance you need. From his time with PwC to starting True North Accounting in 2015, Matt has worked on billion-dollar deals and helped small business owners with bookkeeping, accounting, tax, strategy, and more. He’s grown True North from 4 to 24 people, all while navigating the ever-changing accounting profession.
But Matt’s not just a numbers guy – he’s also tech-savvy and is constantly learning and adapting to the latest trends. With a vast network of contacts in Calgary, he can help you find the right people that align with your values and vision to grow your business. If you’re a business owner looking for real, actionable help from someone who’s been in your shoes, Matt has the expertise and passion to help you succeed.
Aasim Hirji
Moodys Tax/ Moodys Private Client
Matt Peterson, expert CPA and dynamic business owner who can take your business to new heights. With over 20 years of experience in finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship, Matt is ready to provide you with the advice and guidance you need. From his time with PwC to starting True North Accounting in 2015, Matt has worked on billion-dollar deals and helped small business owners with bookkeeping, accounting, tax, strategy, and more. He’s grown True North from 4 to 24 people, all while navigating the ever-changing accounting profession.
But Matt’s not just a numbers guy – he’s also tech-savvy and is constantly learning and adapting to the latest trends. With a vast network of contacts in Calgary, he can help you find the right people that align with your values and vision to grow your business. If you’re a business owner looking for real, actionable help from someone who’s been in your shoes, Matt has the expertise and passion to help you succeed.