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Karen Robertson is the Director General, Finance with the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC). Her portfolio includes Contracting and Procurement as well Strategic Planning and Modern Management.
Karen joined CSEC in 2004 as Manager, Contracting and Procurement and was subsequently appointed to the position of Director, Resource Management in 2006. From 2001 to 2004, Karen was a member of the Finance community within the Department of National Defence. Prior to joining the public service in 2001, she held various positions in the private and not-for-profit sectors.
From 2002 to 2007, Karen was a member of the Board of the Financial Management Institute Capital Chapter including a one-year term as president.
Karen holds a B. Comm. (Marketing), an MBA and is a CMA.
Karen loves to travel with her husband and two daughters.
Oliver Valz, Director, Strategic Management and Reporting, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Oliver Valz was appointed Director, Strategic Management and Reporting at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in May 2006. His responsibilities include reporting to Parliament in the Report on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Report, Corporate Governance organization and support, Management Accountability Framework integration and assessment, and Sustainable Development planning and reporting.
Prior to this, Mr. Valz was Section Head, Financial Control and Reporting at the Department of National Defence, since June 2002. He was responsible for building and leading a new section in developing, performing and integrating central reconciliation, accounting and financial reporting, including the departmental monthly trial balance, Public Accounts submissions, and departmental financial statements under full accrual accounting.
From 2001 to 2002, Mr. Valz was Chief, Central Accounting and Reporting at Health Canada.
From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Valz served as Chief, Financial Monitoring Program and FIS Implementation Coordinator at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
From 1983 to 1999, Mr. Valz held a number of positions at the Department of National Defence, including Manager, Financial Arrangements and Senior Finance Audit Officer.
Mr. Valz joined the Public Service as an Income Tax Auditor at Revenue Canada (now Canada Revenue Agency), after working in the private sector as a Junior Accountant at a firm of Chartered Accountants.
Mr. Valz holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Lakehead University, Thunderbay, Ontario and a M.A. in Public Administration from Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. He is also a CMA.
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EVENT 1-1: ISSUES OF THE DAY - Career Building
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Andrew Francis, CMA, MBA, CPFA is currently a Director with the Office of the Comptroller General at the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS).
Prior to joining TBS in September 2007, he worked in a wide variety of finance related positions at Agriculture Canada and Natural Resources Canada. Mr. Francis received his Bachelor of Commerce, High Honours and his MBA from the Sprott School of business at Carleton University.
Barry Gander is the Executive Vice President of Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA).
Barry Gander has been working as a business development expert for three decades. He specializes in advanced technology, and has created compelling business development and advocacy programs around the world. His specialty is the invention of effective, creative new ways to expand a company's business, either through selling more product, positioning it more forcefully, or establishing a better public policy environment. He was the author of a best-selling book on how to lobby the federal government, a second best-seller called "Fast Lane", which crystallized the growth ideas of the pinnacle CEO's from across Canada, and a landmark book called "SUCCESS", which highlights the views of 100 of Canada's top executives.
In his current work with CATA, Barry has created and executed the "TechAction Town Hall Program", a pan-Canadian drive to increase the effectiveness of a community's use of advanced technology, and is currently working on a drive to increase Canadian exports throughout the Commonwealth, in a program called the "Commonwealth Advantage". Barry has helped increased the number of CATA members from 1,000 to 22,000 over the past five years, creating Canada's largest network of companies devoted to high technology. He has expanded this network into NAFTA, by forming the "NAFTA Advanced Technology Alliance" with his American and Mexican counterparts.
Link to speakers website www.cata.ca
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EVENT 1-1 : ISSUES OF THE DAY – Entity level controls in the public sector
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Stuart is currently focusing on helping public companies get prepared for the anticipated CEO/CFO certification on internal controls. Stuart is a chartered accountant in the UK and in Canada and has worked extensively in the United States. Stuart's entire career has been spent in providing professional services (audit and consulting) to clients including public companies, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. Prior to joining FocusROI he was a senior audit Partner in BDO Dunwoody. 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. Stuart was also Vice-President of the Canadian Soft Drink Association, where he was heavily involved in government relations activities. Before that he spent two years with the Auditor General of Canada, where he developed methodology for performing value for money assignments. Stuart is the author of the CICA Professional Engagement Manual and the soon to be released Quality Assurance Manual.
Mr. Hartley is the President of FocusROI Inc., a specialized consulting firm that provides education, mentoring, risk management and internal auditing services.
Link to speakers website www.focusroi.com
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EVENT 1-2: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES - Top Concerns of US Federal Financial Professionals
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Clifton A. Williams, CGFM, CPA
Mr. is a Partner for Grant Thornton’s Global Public Sector. Throughout his government and consulting career, he has focused on financial and program management services. He authored government financial policy and provided Congressional testimony on financial management. Annually, he leads the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Survey that includes interviewing 100 government CFO’s. Mr. has over 29 years of experience in government and private sector process improvement, accounting, operations, audit, and consulting services. Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Mr. has been a leader in the federal financial management industry, both as a consultant and federal civilian employee.
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EVENT 1-2: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES – A day in the life of a Financial Officer in international development
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Christine Walker, Chief Financial Officer, Canadian International Development Agency
Christine Walker joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 2007 as the Director General of Finance and was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in August 2008.
She has held a number of key positions in the finance area for over 20 years and has always had a strong involvement in Information Technology. Ms. Walker started her diverse career in the private sector, working for companies such as Cognos and Ernst & Young. She joined Butterfield & Robinson in 1989 as the Controller in the Toronto office and then as an executive in the France office. While in France, Ms. Walker also worked for SPARCRAFT as the Director of Finance in La Rochelle before ending her 5 years abroad.
Upon returning to Ottawa, she worked for Spar Aerospace and Digital before joining the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI). At OSFI from 1998 to 2000, Ms. Walker was the Director of Finance and from 2000 to 2007 she held the position of Senior Director of Finance and Informatics.
Ms. Walker holds a B.A. in Finance from the University of Western Ontario and is an accredited Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
Ed Olowo-Okere is the Regional Manager for Financial Management in the Africa Region of the World Bank. In this capacity, he leads a team of 46 staff and several consultants based in Washington and 25 countries to oversee financial management in World Bank-assisted operations, and to provide technical assistance in public financial management, and private sector accounting and auditing to client countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to joining the Bank in 1998, Ed practiced accountancy in Nigeria, performed consulting services in the UK, and lectured at MBA and undergraduate programs both in Nigeria and New Zealand. He has researched topical financial management issues and published in reputable international journals, e.g. Research in Accounting in Emerging Economies and Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journals. Ed has served on the editorial board of the Journal of International Accounting Research.
Ed is a Chartered Accountant. He holds a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Accountancy and a Masters Degree in Accounting from Nigeria. Also, he holds a PhD in Management (public sector financial management) from the University of Bath, United Kingdom.
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EVENT 1-2: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES – A day in the life of a Financial Officer in the Canadian foreign service
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Mr. Mark Fletcher has completed a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies, a certificate in International Trade and a Masters in International Affairs.
He has worked in the fields of consulting, international business, international management and consular service since 1990. In the private sector, he has been a government-relations and management consultant in both Ottawa and Halifax. For the government, he has worked as an Economics Program Manager, a Trade Commissioner, the Secretary to Trade Team Nova Scotia, and as a Management Counsellor and Consul for Canada's missions in Abidjan, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Niamey, Sarajevo, Zagreb and Budapest.
Since 2004, he has been the Director of Common Services Abroad, Planning and Coordination, acting as DFAIT's primary client-service representative to over 27 departments and agencies, provinces and foreign governments.
Mark has received several awards, including a Government of Canada award for the management of information, a merit award for management, and most recently, an award from all of his federal government clients for "transparency."
In addition to this work, he has also been an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, a Firefighter for the City of Halifax and has taught several co-op courses for the International MBA Program of Dalhousie University as well as seminars for the Political Science Department of the University of Carleton and The Economics University of Budapest. He has several publications to his name, including a book chapter on clientalism and patronage, an article on training in "Defence Matters", and a guide to university-research funding.
Mark is keen on modelling railroading and radio-controlled boats. He organizes and plays in a local soccer league and is an avid private pilot.
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EVENT 1-3: WORKING OF GOVERNMENT – Amex Travel Cards – What do they cover?
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Patrick Dussault is the Director of Government Services for Amex Bank of Canada Inc. In this role, he has oversight for relationship management for American Express and for the delivery of American Express' value proposition to the 110 plus departments, agencies and commissions that use Amex' products and services under the Shared Travel Services Initiative. Patrick has worked with American Express for 17 years and brings extensive knowledge and experience in travel & expense management for both the public and private sectors.
Laurie Rose, M.A., is an employee of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada where she has worked in Professional Development for the past 8 years providing training and consulting services.
She has a Masters degree in Human Systems Intervention and is also the Principal of Laurie Rose Consulting.
Laurie is a dynamic and engaging bilingual facilitator who brings incredible energy and a sense of play to her sessions. She is known for her wit, warmth and hands-on, practical approach, which combines theory and practice.
Laurie’s interest is in assisting individuals to understand interpersonal differences and to build on their communication and problem solving skills. Her goal is to help them increase their personal effectiveness as leaders, managers, team members and colleagues regardless of organizational level. Laurie has been designing and delivery training sessions for ten years for both private and public sector clients. Areas of particular interest include: emotional intelligence, interpersonal relations and leadership.
