The finance function is undergoing transformation in response to changing business and workforce realities. Through conversations on evolving reporting standards, value creation, talent attraction and retention, and more, these episodes explore how today’s finance teams are reimagining their role to better support their organization’s future.
Other topics in our Accounting for the Future podcast:
Learning and development (L&D)—is it just a cost centre, or is it a performance lever, retention strategy, and competitive advantage for your organization? Join host Anne-Marie Henson on Accounting for the Future as she explores the value of L&D with Dr. Keith Keating, Chief Learning and Development Officer at BDO Canada.
They unpack the evolving dynamics between CFOs and learning, why innovation and compliance don’t have to be at odds, how to integrate learning and development in business strategy, and much more.
If people are your greatest asset, this episode is your blueprint for turning learning into a strategic engine for growth.
Guest information:
Keith Keating, PhD, Chief Learning and Development Officer
Dr. Keith Keating is the Chief Learning and Development Officer (CLDO) for BDO Canada. Through this role, Keith is instrumental in aligning the firm's Learning and Development (L&D) strategy with the needs of the firm's people and clients. His vision and leadership are key to BDO's commitment to innovation and learning, which will help the firm to meet the needs of the market now and in the future. Keith is also the Academic Director for the University of Pennsylvania's Chief Learning Officer (CLO) doctoral program and the author of the award-winning L&D practitioner's guide, 'The Trusted Learning Advisor.' A respected industry author and sought-after keynote speaker, Keith ardently champions lifelong learning as the pathway to seizing control of one's career trajectory. He is also an advocate for talent development and leverages his platform to emphasize human talent as the cornerstone of organizational success.
In today’s evolving market, finance leaders are moving beyond traditional back-office functions to become strategic leaders and value creators. Anne-Marie sits down with Jesus Ballesteros and Charlotte Zhen of BDO’s value creation team, to explore how the modern CFO is transforming into a chief value creation officer—aligning finance, operations, and strategy while leading digital transformation to boost efficiency and long-term growth.
Guest information
Jesus Ballesteros, B.Sc., MBA, Partner, Advisory
Jesus is a Partner in BDO's Strategy, Value Creation & Analytics practice and the National Manufacturing and Distribution Advisory Leader. He has over 20 years of work experience in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Chile, with roles in industry, public sector, and professional services. During his 12+ years in professional services, he has advised senior management, business owners, and leadership teams at clients in multiple sectors and private equity to address challenges and opportunities related to growth strategy development, business planning, profitability enhancement, M&A value creation, and operating model transformation.
Charlotte Zhen, MBA, Senior Manager, Advisory
Charlotte Zhen is a senior manager in the same practice, and she works with clients across a wide range of industries to drive sustainable and profitable growth. She specializes in strategy development, performance improvement, and M&A value creation. Charlotte and Jesus, thank you so much for joining. I'm excited to speak to you both.
Financial statements should ideally tell the right company story and provide meaningful information. Still, increasingly complex IFRS requirements have resulted in financial statements that can be both overwhelming and lacking in useful information. In today's episode of Accounting for the Future, host Anne-Marie Henson, BDO Partner, is joined by BDO Accounting Advisory Group Partner and return podcast guest Mary Mathews. Together, they examine strategies to make financial statements more meaningful and useful. Mary offers steps to meet complex compliance standards while also telling the story users need to obtain from their financial statements.
Guest Information:
Mary Mathews, BDO Canada, Accounting Advisory Partner
Mary Mathews is a Partner in the Accounting Advisory practice and National Accounting Standards Group. She provides IFRS and US GAAP accounting advice to clients in technology, infrastructure, cannabis, and manufacturing, as well as financial institutions in Canada, the US, and the UK.
With her dual role in Accounting Advisory and the National Accounting Standards Group, Mary has significant experience advising clients on complex accounting topics, both during transactions and implementation projects, driven by changes in accounting standards. She also leads pre- and post-deal reporting engagements such as the preparation of financial statements, GAAP conversions, and post-deal integration.
Host Anne-Marie Henson welcomes two of WXN's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada: Shilpa Mishra, Managing Director and National Leader of Capital Advisory at BDO, and Alyssa Barry, co-founder of irlabs and President at Alliance Advisors. They discuss navigating male-dominated industries, the power of authenticity and allyship, and how economic uncertainty impacts their roles. The conversation explores strategies for success, the future of women in leadership, and the importance of mentorship in driving gender equality.
Guest information
Shilpa Mishra, CPA, MBA, Managing Director, National Leader, Capital Advisory
Shilpa is Managing Director of BDO's Capital Advisory Services practice, where she works in capital raising and debt advisory. She has more than 15 years of experience advising clients in Canada, the U.S., and Asia on financing, debt restructuring, and financial and strategic reviews. Her career has been marked by a commitment to advancing gender diversity and advocating for marginalized groups, notably as the founder and leader of BDO's Women Driving Growth pillar.
Alyssa Barry, CPIR, President, Alliance Advisors Investor Relations
Alyssa Barry is a seasoned expert in capital markets and communications specializing in investor relations, shareholder engagement, and corporate governance. She co-founded irlabs in 2021, which was acquired by Alliance Advisors in 2024, where she now leads the global investor relations strategy. Previously, she was Head of Strategy at Artis REIT and VP of Capital Markets and Communications at Sandpiper Group. Alyssa is Vice-Chair of ALS Canada, advises Women Get On Board and Women Funding Women, and serves on LIFT Impact Partner's Board.
The CFO of the past may have been focused on the past, but the CFO of today needs to be focused on the future. In today's constantly changing environment, there is a greater demand than ever for competent CPAs and forward-thinking CFOs. In today's Accounting for the Future episode, host Anne-Marie Henson, BDO partner, sits down with Pamela Steer, President and CEO of CPA Canada. Together, they discuss the challenges and rewards of the ever-changing role of the CFO. From navigating digital transformation and sustainability initiatives to increasing your knowledge and skills in ways that will align competencies with your values, Pamela has the experience and shares the advice that every CPA needs to hear.
Guest information
Pamela Steer, President and CEO, CPA Canada
As president and CEO of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada), Pamela leads one of the largest professional accounting bodies in the world, with more than 220,000 members.
Formerly, Pamela was the chief financial and corporate strategy officer at Payments Canada, where she oversaw the organization's finance and corporate planning functions. Prior to that, she was the chief financial officer and head of finance and employer services with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Here, she led the agency through a major transformation that resulted in improved financial operations and enhanced public trust and credibility for the organization. In 2019, these efforts earned her the honour of Canada's CFO of the Year™.
Despite the effects of the great resignation, there is still appears to be a scarcity of financial talent. In our latest episode, host Anne-Marie Henson, Partner, Eastern Canada & SMB Leader for Markets & Industry Canada, and Barbara Palmegiani, National Leader for CFO Services at BDO Canada, explore the challenges of hiring and retaining financial talent and the evolving role of CFOs, emphasizing their transformation into Chief Value Officers (CVOs) with a focus on purpose and value. The episode underscores the importance of CFOs cultivating "value acumen" and a growth mindset through continuous learning. Additionally, it addresses leadership styles, diversity and inclusion, and the CFO's pivotal role in leveraging data analytics and technology to drive organizational value.
Guest information:
Barbara Palmegiani, BDO Canada, Partner and CFO Services Leader
Barbara is a BDO's CFO Services Leader and Assurance and Accounting Partner based in the GTA. Working closely with many CFOs and controller's from a variety of sectors, company sizes and industries, Barbara has maintained a part-time learning focus, where she teaches CPAs to develop their leadership abilities, human centric skills, and core values that will differentiate the “accountant of the future.”
Barbara has a wide range of business expertise earned over the last 30 years in diverse areas such as management consulting, training and education, retail, CPG, private equity, manufacturing, not-for-profit, real estate, as well as successfully leading finance and operations teams in various public and private companies.
This week we welcome Barbara Palmegiani, Partner and CFO Services Leader with BDO Canada, to talk about the significant impact The Great Resignation is having on the already lean finance profession. There is no formula to guarantee employment, but through transformation businesses can keep up with the future of the finance function. Spoiler alert: it's about more than technology.
Guest information
Barbara Palmegiani, BDO Canada, Partner and CFO Services Leader
Barbara is a BDO's CFO Services Leader and Assurance and Accounting Partner based in the GTA. Working closely with many CFOs and controller's from a variety of sectors, company sizes and industries, Barbara has maintained a part-time learning focus, where she teaches CPAs to develop their leadership abilities, human centric skills, and core values that will differentiate the “accountant of the future.”
Barbara has a wide range of business expertise earned over the last 30 years in diverse areas such as management consulting, training and education, retail, CPG, private equity, manufacturing, not-for-profit, real estate, as well as successfully leading finance and operations teams in various public and private companies.
Today's host Anne-Marie Henson, BDO Partner, and co-host Armand Capisciolto, BDO's National Accounting Standards Partner and leader of accounting advisory services, team up one last time to explore their changing roles as well as some trends that are impacting both of their new roles. Together they discuss the role and importance of private equity, its relevance in today's accounting environment, and a look to both the future and the past of the Accounting for the Future podcast.
Financial statements are more than just a compliance document, they're also a communication tool. But what message are you communicating with hard to understand, vague, or overly complicated financial statements?
Host Armand Capisciolto, BDO's National Accounting Standards Partner and Accounting Advisory Services Leader, is joined by Anthony Scilipoti, Founder, President and CEO of Veritas Investment Research for a conversation about the value of preparing financial statements that tell the company's story clearly.
Together they discuss the do's and don'ts of creating exceptional financial statements so that investors can make informed decisions and help move a company forward.
Guest information
Anthony Scilipoti - Founder, President & CEO of Veritas Investment Research
Anthony and his partners founded Veritas Investment Research in 2000. He is a Fellow Chartered Public Accountant, a Fellow Chartered Accountant, a Certified Public Accountant (Illinois) and a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He is a licensed portfolio manager. Anthony has been very active in accounting standard-setting since 2003.
Anthony also has served as a member of the Ontario Securities Commission's Continuous Disclosure Advisory Committee since 2006. In 2019, Anthony was appointed to the Board of the Capital Markets Advisory Committee of the International Accounting Standards Board. He is a former member of the Canadian Accounting Standards Board, the CICA's Emerging Issues Committee, and was the Chair of CPA Canada's Users Advisory Committee.
Following the right Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) provides a communication and deal-making tool to help move your business plans forward. Opportunities in today's volatile marketplace come and go quickly, and those who have put in the work of advanced planning will be prepared to seize opportunities as they arise.
Guest information
Mikaela Taylor, BDO Canada, Assurance and Accounting Partner
Based out of BDO's Vancouver office, Mikaela specializes in Public Companies and is responsible for developing quality procedures and standards, ensuring firm-wide compliance, organizing training initiatives, assessing client requirements, monitoring performance, and assisting BDO teams globally. She has 20 years of audit experience in aerospace, biotech software, natural resources, real estate, life sciences, and technology sectors.
Mikaela is knowledgeable about publicly listed companies and U.S. GAAP accounting standards, having worked with both TSX listed entities and SEC registrants.
Dave Rasmussen, BDO Canada, Assurance and Accounting Partner
With over 20 years of experience in the accounting and audit practice, Dave provides consultation in complex accounting, auditing and financial reporting matters and ensures that quality standards and regulations are applied to a wide variety of assurance and related services.
Dave has experience with many sizes and types of entities including privately held businesses, public companies and not-for-profit organizations. Dave's industry experience is varied and includes real estate, manufacturing, natural resources, professional services entities and consumer business.
In this season of the Accounting for the Future podcast, we feature three timely, previously aired episodes with additional insights and background information, in addition to three brand-new episodes. In today's episode, host Anne-Marie Henson, Partner, Eastern Canada & SMB Leader at BDO, is joined by Mary Mathews, Partner in BDO's Accounting Advisory Group. Together, they reflect on the impact of the great resignation on the finance function as well as some of the best and worst things to come out of hybrid work. Listeners can revisit the still-relevant insights from BDO Alumni and current Chair of the Accounting Standards Board (AcSB), Armand Capisciolto and Barbara Palmegiani, Partner, and CFO Services Leader to listen to their discussion on the future of the finance function.
Guest Information
Mary Mathews, BDO Canada, Accounting Advisory Partner
Mary Mathews is a Partner in the Accounting Advisory practice and National Accounting Standards Group. She provides IFRS and US GAAP accounting advice to clients in technology, infrastructure, cannabis, and manufacturing, as well as financial institutions in Canada, the US, and the UK.
Barbara Palmegiani, BDO Canada, Partner and CFO Services Leader
Barbara is a BDO's CFO Services Leader and Assurance and Accounting Partner based in the GTA. Working closely with many CFOs and controllers from a variety of sectors, company sizes and industries, Barbara has maintained a part-time learning focus, where she teaches CPAs to develop their leadership abilities, human-centric skills, and core values that will differentiate the “accountant of the future.”
This week, we welcome Anne-Marie Henson, BDO partner from our Montreal Office. Anne-Marie works with public companies, as well as many technology companies in both the start-up and scale-up stages. We discuss the difference between a scale-up and a start-up, why taking time to think over investment decisions matters, and a few success stories of companies who understood the benefits of investing time in accounting and finance upfront.
Guest information
Anne-Marie Henson, BDO Canada, Partner, Assurance & Accounting
Anne-Marie Henson is a partner at BDO's downtown Montreal office with over 15 years of professional experience. She has managed complex domestic and international client engagements and has extensive experience serving public and private companies that report in accordance with ASPE, IFRS and US GAAP. She routinely offers advice and ideas on accounting and reporting issues as well as internal controls and operating efficiencies. She has also advised and assisted companies in financing, expansion and going public transactions in both Canada and the US.
In this episode of Accounting for the Future, host Anne-Marie Henson is joined by Sunil Sharma, National Leader of Transaction Services and Private Equity at BDO Canada, to unpack what's fueling the rise in companies going private. They discuss how current market conditions, including interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty, and undervalued assets, are influencing M&A activity in 2025. The conversation also covers why private equity is eyeing public markets, what makes a company an attractive target, and the ongoing valuation gap between buyers and sellers.
Guest Information:
Sunil Sharma, CPA, CA, National Leader, Transaction Services and Private Equity
Sunil is the National Leader of the Transaction Services practice at BDO Canada and Head of Private Equity. He has extensive transaction experience in due diligence, mergers and acquisitions, and capital advisory support. Sunil has a proven track record of supporting financial sponsors, public companies, and private businesses on their investment and divestiture decisions. Sunil has provided both financial diligence and divestiture advisory services to clients in a wide range of industries, including private equity, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, and professional services. He has advised on more than 300 transactions during his career with an aggregate deal value of more than $2 billion. Sunil also leads our healthcare M&A industry team at BDO Canada.
Every business owner must face their exit at some point, and those who think about planning their exit strategy in advance are likely going to experience a better transition than those who leave it to the last minute. Today, host Anne-Marie Henson, BDO partner, and co-host Armand Capisciolto, BDO's National Accounting Standards Partner and leader of Accounting Advisory services welcome Sunil Sharma, BDO Canada's Transaction Services and ARM Private Equity leader. He has joined the podcast for a discussion about the role of private equity in the SMB and SME space, including current trends, considerations for clients who are looking at a private equity exit, and the advantages of creating an exit plan sooner rather than later.
Guest information
Sunil Sharma, Partner, BDO Canada
Sunil is the National Leader of the Transaction Services practice at BDO Canada and Head of Private Equity. He has over 10 years of transaction experience providing his clients with due diligence, mergers and acquisitions and capital advisory support. Sunil has a proven track record of supporting financial sponsors, public companies and private businesses on their investment and divestiture decisions.
Sunil has provided both financial diligence and divestiture advisory services to clients in a wide range of industries, including Private Equity, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Technology and Manufacturing & Distribution. He has advised on over 200 transactions during his career with an aggregate deal value of over $1bn.
Sunil is Head of Private Equity at BDO Canada and leads the Healthcare M&A industry team.
This episode features a conversation from BD's recent internal Assurance Conference. At this conference, Armand Capisciolto, BDO's National Accounting Standards Partner and Accounting Advisory Services Leader, met with BDO Assurance partner Ian MacDonell, and BDO Valuations partner Amanda Tso. Together they discussed the ways that private equity is impacting businesses today, including preparing for a sale, how to increase a company's appeal, and the importance of preparing financial reports in advance.
Guest information
Amanda Tso, Partner, BDO Canada
Amanda has more than 15 years of professional experience providing private investment valuations, fairness opinions, and financial modelling services. She has prepared small, medium, and large-scale valuations for deal pricing, asset management, risk management, litigation, financial reporting, and tax purposes.
She provides advisory services to clients in a wide range of industries, including financial services, infrastructure, private equity, technology and life sciences, consumer business, pensions and benefit plans, and asset and portfolio management.
Ian MacDonell, Partner, BDO Canada
Ian has over 10 years of public accounting experience working with owner-managed businesses in strategic planning, Canadian and International taxation, wealth management, valuation and business transition. He also works with clients in the not-for-profit sectors, including First Nations, health care and municipal.
His areas of expertise include: accounting, assurance, taxation, wealth management, valuations and business transitions.
Many private companies consider going public as the finish line, when in reality, it is simply the starting line for an entirely new life with deadlines, board members, investors, and regulations that have to be answered to.
In this episode of Accounting for the Future, discover the life of a public company - what it is, what it isn't, who needs to be on a successful team, and the proactive steps companies can take now to avoid problems in the future.
Guest information
Alex Lalka, Partner
Alexander has a corporate law practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions and securities law. His practice includes public and private acquisitions, public offerings, private placements, venture capital transactions, business combinations, and general corporate and commercial matters. He works with his Miller Thomson colleagues practicing in business law, national securities, capital markets, and mergers and acquisitions.
Alexander routinely advises public companies on corporate governance and executive compensation matters, continuous disclosure requirements, and other obligations under securities laws and stock exchange policies. He also often provides strategic advice to private companies in various industries when they are proceeding with a going-public transaction.
Anne-Marie Henson, Partner, BDO Canada
Anne-Marie is a partner at BDO's downtown Montreal office with over 15 years of professional experience. She has managed complex domestic and international client engagements and has extensive experience serving public and private companies that report in accordance with ASPE, IFRS and US GAAP. She routinely offers advice and ideas on accounting and reporting issues as well as internal controls and operating efficiencies. She has also advised and assisted companies in financing, expansion and going public transactions in both Canada and the US.
An impressive number of companies have gone public in recent years, but the benefits of being a public company are not always available to certain companies during a period of economic uncertainty. Does it make more sense to take a public company private? In this episode of Accounting for the Future, host Armand Capisciolto, BDO's National Accounting Standards Partner and leader of Accounting Advisory Services, is joined by Georges Dubé, Partner at McMillan, Capital Markets & Securities team. Together they discuss the benefits, mechanisms, and considerations of taking a public company private.
Guest information
Georges Dubé, McMillan, Partner, Capital Markets & Securities
Georges Dubé is recognized as a leading corporate finance and securities lawyer with a business law practice focused on capital markets and corporate governance. He has extensive experience in public and private securities offerings, as well as takeover bids and mergers and acquisitions, both in the Canadian and cross-border context.
With extensive transactional experience in industries including mining, technology, cannabis and life sciences, Georges helps startups and established companies achieve their goals while safeguarding their interests in the marketplace.