Dear alumni:
You have given us a lot of feedback over these past few months, telling us you want to learn more about the following:
- News about your former Deloitte colleagues
- News about what Deloitte has been up to and our latest insights
- Information about upcoming events
- Local news about your region
You’ll see how we’ve worked your feedback into our latest edition of Alumni Connections. And while we’re (naturally) big fans of this newsletter, we realize some of you prefer to get up close and more personal. Depending on your career and industry, you can sign up to receive more relevant insights and invitations to events and webcasts. You just need to do one thing: Make sure we have your permission to send you what you would like to receive from us. You can also sign up and create your profile, or update an existing one in
Deloitte’s Preference Centre. Our online channels cover the gamut—everything from corporate governance and financial advisory and reporting to legal, technology, operational, tax and strategy.
The next edition of Alumni Connections will come your way in February 2016. In the meantime, we can’t wait to connect with you at an upcoming event or through our
Deloitte Canada Alumni LinkedIn group.
Happy connections,
Deloitte Alumni Connections Team
Alumni Profile
Julia Kassam: A career taking flight
When Julia Kassam sees a good opportunity, she jumps on it. Her career has been driven by equal parts passion and tenacity, traits that have driven her success since working in Deloitte’s Consulting practice. She is now the Head of Listings at Aequitas NEO Exchange, Canada’s new stock exchange, where she works to build relationships with potential issuers and expand the NEO Exchange’s reach into the investment community.
The opportunity to play a part in building a Canadian stock exchange was too good for Julia to pass up. “A stock exchange is a central component of the engine that drives economic growth in Canada and we’re a part of that,” she explains. “It’s not every day a new stock exchange is developed, and it was a long and thorough process to get to where we are now.”
Since joining the team a year ago, the NEO Exchange launched its trading platform in March 2015 and its listings platform this past June. The Exchange aims to capture 20 percent of the market by trading volume within four to five years.
Alumni Profile
Sam Wong: “I’m not successful, yet”
“I’m not successful,” Sam Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Samina Capital, says. “Yet.”
It may seem like an odd statement from the 30-year-old leader but it sums up his ambitions. Despite owning his own financial services consulting firm and serving as the CFO of six junior mining companies, Sam nevertheless feels he still hasn’t quite made it.
“I always feel like there’s something I can do better,” he explains. While Samina has carved out a niche in Vancouver offering financial and accounting services to junior miners, Sam is focused on growth. “My vision of expanding my company into different lines of service is the next step.”
His drive to see what’s on the next horizon, combined with his determination always to do more is what defines his career – a career that vaulted him from accountant to CEO before his thirtieth birthday. Sam began as a junior accountant at Deloitte fresh out of university. While he currently works with mining companies, his first exposure to the industry was working on a Goldcorp audit.
It was the risk – and incredible rewards – of mining that drew him to the sector. “Doing the audits, I saw how many people were becoming millionaires through their shareholder equity,” he explains. “My mentor, Marcel DeGroot [of Pathway Capital], told me the more volatile an industry is, the more opportunity there is to make money.”
Alumni news
Join us in congratulating the following alumni on their recent appointments:
British Columbia
- Andrew Ing was appointed CFO of Rathdowney Resources Ltd. in May. Andrew was a senior in Deloitte’s ERS practice from 2000 to 2004.
- Danny Lee was appointed CFO of Outrider Energy Corp. in July. He was a senior in our Audit practice from 1990 to 1994.
- Saurabh Handa was appointed CFO of Banks Island Gold Ltd. in July. Saurabh was a senior in our Financial Advisory practice from 2005 to 2008.
- Michael Mackey was named to the board of directors of Rainmaker Entertainment Inc. Michael is a former partner of Deloitte. He retired in 2010 after 28 years with the firm.
- William Mathers was appointed CFO at Mitra Energy Inc. (aka Petra Petroleum Inc.) in April. William was a manager in Deloitte’s Audit practice in Australia from 1997 to 2003.
- Kenneth Tollstam was appointed CFO of Highmark Marketing Inc. in September.
Ontario
- Former partners Harold Bridge and Brent Houlden were named to the board of DealNet Capital Corp. Harold retired as Executive Vice President and Director of Deloitte Corporate Finance Canada Inc. in 2006. He joined the firm in 1967. Brent joined Deloitte in 1978 and retired in 2014. In addition, Brent became interim CFO of Danier Leather Inc. in July.
- Michael Copeland was named President and CEO of The Toronto Argonauts Football Club in July. Michael was a senior consultant with Deloitte Consulting in Sydney, Australia.
- Dr. Annie Thériault joined Grenville Strategic Royalty Corp. as Managing Director in June. Annie served as a consultant in Deloitte’s ERS practice from 2001 to 2002.
- Patrick Houston assumed the role of Interim CFO of DragonWave Inc. in August. Patrick served as a senior associate in the Financial Advisory practice at Deloitte 2004 to 2007.
The Prairies
- Laurie Goldberg was named to the board of eQube Gaming Limited in July. Laurie is the Executive Chairman and CEO of People Corporation and was an office Managing Partner with Arthur Andersen (now Deloitte).
- Patricia Dahm was appointed CFO of Eguana Technologies Inc. in June. Patricia was an audit partner with Deloitte from 2006 to 2011.
- Ron Love was appointed CFO of Zaio Corporation in April. Ron was a senior in our Audit practice from 1989 to 1992.
Quebec
- Guy Pelletier was named a director of NAPEC Inc. in May. He’s a former partner of Deloitte. He joined in 1990 and retired last March.
- Angelos Vlasopoulos was appointed to the board of PyroGenesis Canada Inc. in August. Angelos was a senior in our Audit practice from 1998 to 2003.
Deloitte Reads
Have you used Deloitte’s Centre for Corporate Governance?
Our goal at Deloitte is to make the Centre for Corporate Governance a single point of access for members of audit committees and boards of directors to attain Deloitte perspectives, learning materials, best practices, technical resources, reference materials, current developments and other useful information related to corporate governance.
We want your feedback on the website.
Click here to take a quick, five minute survey and let us know how we can make the CCG the best resource for you.
On the board's agenda
A new series of articles released every six-to-eight weeks will share insights on how boards can move their organizations forward while facing today’s business challenges head on. Each issue examines a single topic in detail, including the perspectives of a Deloitte professional with deep expertise in the subject matter, as well as the views of an experienced external director. Read the last issue on
shareholder engagement and visit our
Centre for Corporate Governance to find relevant resources to support your board’s needs.
Focus on : The board’s-eye view of cyber crisis management
Many boards don’t often get involved in day-to-day company operations, but the potential fallout from a cyber-crisis including operational disruption, compromised business growth, relationship risk and personal reputational damage is too important for board members to remain on the sidelines. Learn more in the
board’s eye view of cyber crisis management.
Focus on series : There’s more than one kind of crisis. And more than one way to prepare for it. In the Focus on series, the Deloitte Center for Crisis Management provides insight on the ways unplanned events can drive unforeseen advantages by exploring different industries, roles and approaches.
Smart moves: manage risk effectively in four critical areas
Moving a company forward involves risk. But the risk of standing still is stagnation. So, the choice is clear: manage your risk smartly and seize opportunities.
Our
new report examines emerging trends, best practices and risk-mitigation strategies in cybersecurity, information technology and contract risk and compliance, and internal audit. The report covers topics that were presented during our 2014-2015 Risk series, and offers clear direction on how to identify and develop opportunity from uncertainly while protecting and growing your organization as it moves toward the future. For additional information about our Risk series, email us at
riskseries@deloitte.ca
Cleared for takeoff: Five megatrends that will change financial services
To find out how the financial services world is being challenged and reshaped by disruptive innovations, Deloitte collaborated on an extensive study with the World Economic Forum, entitled
The Future of Financial Services. We conducted over 100 C-suite interviews, a year of analysis, and a global series of workshops with industry executives, Fintech innovators, regulators and academics.
What we discovered and discuss in our new publication,
Cleared for takeoff, is that innovation is occurring in clusters, among which there is commonality. We look at how clusters of innovation are affecting business in five areas – primary accounts, payments, capital markets, investment management and insurance. We then examine different ways those innovations could play out.
Deloitte news
Deloitte and the COC launch Game Plan
On September 24, Deloitte and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) launched Game Plan – a high performance athlete wellness and transition program designed to give Canadian athletes new tools to pursue excellence during and beyond their sporting careers. The program has been in development for nearly three years. The COC and Deloitte also announced the renewal of their partnership through 2032 – an unprecedented term of engagement, highlighting Deloitte’s positive impact on sports in Canada.
The Game Plan program, which is supported by the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network (COPSI Network), has a goal to provide Canadian athletes with resources for life beyond sport. This new initiative takes a proactive approach to total athlete wellness and is designed to alleviate life’s common stressors and distractors, allowing athletes and coaches to focus on performing when it matters most. There are five distinct elements of the Game Plan program, including: education, skill development, health, network and career management.
Canada’s Best Managed 2015 update
Canada’s Best Managed Companies is the country’s leading business awards program, recognizing excellence in private companies across Canada. Established in 1993, the program now boasts a network of more than 400 outstanding businesses and an impressive reel of sponsors, including CIBC, the National Post, Queen’s Smith School of Business and MacKay CEO Forums.
Applications have wrapped up for 2015 and the judging process is now underway! We received a fantastic response this year from hundreds of Canadian businesses across multiple industries. Regional finalists are being celebrated at receptions across the country, eagerly awaiting the final results. Stay tuned for the final winners’ announcement on March 9, 2016, when we unveil the newest additions to the Best Managed network!
Deloitte acquires Asset Performance Group
We’re excited to share that Deloitte has acquired the Asset Performance Group, a leading Canadian asset reliability consultancy. This brings new reliability engineering and maintenance capabilities to our Consulting practice. The transaction enables us to deliver a full suite of asset reliability engineering, management and performance improvement services to clients in capital-intensive industries, including Energy & Resources.
“Acquisitions like this demonstrate Deloitte’s commitment to providing integrated services that help our clients respond to the most significant challenges and opportunities facing their business", said Jurgen Beier, Consulting, Energy & Resources Leader at Deloitte Canada. As part of the transaction, we welcomed three partners, Sherry Revesz, James Nesbitt and Adam Grahn, and a sizeable team of highly-skilled and specialized practitioners. Read the
press release.
This marks the firm’s sixteenth transaction in the last 5 years, demonstrating the importance of acquisitions and alliances to the firm's overall growth strategy. Led by Partner,
Alexandre Baril, Deloitte’s Corporate Development Office is committed to actively supporting merger, acquisition and alliance initiatives that align with the firm’s commitment to client service excellence.
Meet our 89 talented new partners
We are delighted to share a list of
our new partners, whose growth and success signal our ongoing commitment to excellence in client service. Join us in congratulating your former colleagues and new ones on this career milestone.
Deloitte 2015 global revenues and report
This September, Deloitte released its
2015 Global Report sharing our annual revenues and highlighting how our professionals are making an impact that matters to clients and the world around them. Our global revenues of US$35.2 billion represent 7.6 percent growth in local currency. Deloitte also announced 62,000 new recruits had joined the Deloitte network and more than US$200 million has been invested in community and societal impact initiatives globally.
How are we making an impact that matters?
- Member firms are using cognitive and ambient computing technologies to help clients save time and money, redirect resources and improve conditions.
- Deloitte Japan is helping create a network of 2,000 venture companies across Japan, contributing to post-tsunami local and national revival.
- Deloitte professionals are providing pro bono advisory skills to aid humanitarian efforts and help young people access education and employment.
#GivingFeelsGood
When it comes to giving back, Deloitte understands there’s strength in numbers. On October 2, we launched our National Month of Giving across Canada with Impact Day – an annual single day of volunteer service for all of our people across Canada. For the 11th year, almost 6,000 staff and partners came together and volunteered their time, talent and expertise as they helped 357 organizations with 477 projects.
On October 13, Deloitte launched our United Way workplace campaign across Canada to raise donations to United Way agencies in Canada and make an impact that matters in the communities where we live and work. Last year, Deloitte employees, partners and retired partners raised $3.15 million for United Way.
On this topic, we’re proud to share that Deloitte was one of only four organizations featured recently by United Way Toronto & York Region for helping to transform individual lives and communities. Learn more at
United Way’s Keeping Good Company 2015.
“United Way has a host of different agencies and enables our employees to support something that's of personal interest to them," says Ryan Brain, Deloitte's Regional Managing Partner for Toronto. “It’s this kind of commitment to giving back and the firm's extensive employee-led volunteerism that showcases why Deloitte is a leading corporate citizen.”
Congratulations to our UFE writers
Passing the Uniform Final Exam (UFE) is a significant milestone for our professionals. We are extremely proud of our
64 successful writers, and hope you are too. Join us in celebrating this great achievement.
As our alumni know very well, a career at Deloitte gives people an opportunity for lifelong learning and the ability to broaden their skills, their reach and their careers. Ultimately, it means having a unique, positive talent experience and loving the company you keep.
