CAHF: CAPSULE HIGHLIGHTS OF 2023 INDUCTEES

 “Founders of the Profession” inducted in 2023

Haim Falk

Haim Falk moved from Israel to Canada (via the USA) taking positions at three Canadian universities in the years from 1975 to 1993.  However, it is for his extraordinary achievement, as Founding Editor of the CAAA’s accounting research journal Contemporary Accounting Research (CAR) and raising it to the level of a world-class accounting research journal in less than ten years, that he is now honoured.  To accomplish this he took innovative steps, including the establishment of the annual CAR conference.  A second goal for CAR was to encourage Canadian accounting researchers; this too was accomplished, with creative proposals. 

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L. S. (Al) Rosen

Al Rosen made two unique and invaluable contributions to Canadian accounting:  he is credited with the formation of the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA) in the late 1970s, while a professor at York University, and with being the driving force behind moving accounting education from training students to memorize, to getting them to think critically, advocating the use of integrated case-based investigations.  The new educational approach continues following the merger of the three professional bodies: CAs, CGAs and CMAs into CPAs.  Al has spoken and written many articles on education themes and was Education Editor for CA Magazine (1972-1977) and The Accounting Review (1979-1984).

Download the biography of L. S. (Al) Rosen

“Leaders of the Profession” inducted in 2023

Rodney J. Anderson

Rod Anderson, a partner with Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young), is strongly associated with four of the profession’s advances: the development of systems-centric auditing techniques; the use of statistical sampling in auditing; the establishment of auditing standards (being the first chair of the CICA’s Auditing Standards Committee, in 1973); and in 1977 with the comprehensive two volume text The External Audit (over 1,000 pages).  Also, after taking early retirement, he was enticed by the profession to work on finding a solution to measuring “value creation” and reporting on it as a separate business focused outcome. 

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J. Efrim Boritz

During his 40-year career at the University of Waterloo Efrim Boritz has been a prolific writer and researcher, and Director of the University’s Centre for Information Integrity and Information Systems Assurance for most of that time; he has 24 books and monographs to his credit and over 40 articles in refereed journals. He has served on both the Auditing and Accounting Standards Boards in Canada.  Over the years he has been engaged to perform a wide variety of consulting and expert witness assignments.  He was President of the CAAA (1999/2000), and was just the second person to receive the three top CAAA Awards: those named for Rosen, Falk and Baxter.

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Barbara Carle-Thiesson

After articling in Edmonton, Barb Carle-Thiesson went to Grande Prairie, some 500 miles to the northwest, to establish her own practice in 1983.  While there she was elected to the Council of the Institute of CAs of Alberta for five years.  In 1991 she moved to Nanaimo, BC, where she practised in two two-partner firms before the last partnership became part of the national firm MNP LLP in 2012.  She was elected to two terms on the BC Institute Council (1993-98 and 2003-06), serving as President during its Centennial year.  She also served on key committees and the Boards of both the CICA and CPA Canada, and on numerous community and government boards.

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Karim Jamal

Karim Jamal obtained his PhD at the University of Minnesota in 1991, and then joined the University of Alberta’s Accounting and Business Analytics Department.  Since 2009 he has held the CPA Chair of Accounting, and is now in his third term as Departmental Chair.  During this period, he has revamped Departmental programs and established annual Banff Summer Research Workshops.  He is noted for his focus on issues of importance to the Canadian accounting profession, and has made numerous contributions to the CAAA, the AAA, CPA Canada and Financial Executives International; he has published over 70 articles, and has been awarded the Haim Falk Award for Distinguished Contributions to Accounting thought. 

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Monique F. Leroux

While in public practice Monique Leroux rose to the position of Managing Partner of Financial Services of EY Canada, and then had short spells in senior roles with the Royal Bank of Canada and Quebecor.  Joining the Desjardins Group in 2001, she rapidly advanced to its Chair and CEO, being the first woman to lead a major Canadian financial institution; under her leadership the Group experienced remarkable growth. Since retiring from Desjardins in 2016, she continues to serve on public company boards and has undertaken a number of high-profile assignments, both internationally and in Quebec. She is now Senior Advisor to Fiera Capital.  Her numerous awards have included ten honorary doctorates and induction into the Order of Canada. 

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Daniel B. Thornton

Dan Thornton’s time in academe included periods at the Universities of Toronto and Calgary, and at Queen’s.  He has an astonishing publications record: 51 articles in refereed journals, four monographs, ten applied research publications, in addition to book chapters.  An unusual contribution has been the presentation he has made to the Senate of Canada on various matters they were considering; he has also made 57 expert witness presentations. In 2000/01 he was a Professional Accounting Fellow at the SEC in Washington; he was seconded specifically for his expertise in accounting for derivatives.  A Past President of the CAAA, he has received the Rosen and Falk Awards. 

Download the biography of Daniel B. Thornton