The HSS Staff Academy

The semi-annual HSS academy was held for all accounting staff on November 22nd and 23rd, 2018 at the BMO Leadership Centre. This off site day is designed to develop soft and technical skills essential for HSS staff roles as professionals.

During the academy, HSS was joined by Dr. Ken Jones, Dean Emeritus & Professor Emeritus from Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University and Distinguished Fellow in Academic Leadership.  Dr. Jones led the group through a series of discussions and case studies on leadership skills and ethics.

Another key presentation regarding the 2018 CPAO Practice Inspection results was presented by our firm partners Alex Briganti.  To end off Day One of the academy, our tax partner, Chris Munn, provided a session on GST and HST for Charities and Not-for-Profit organizations.

Day 2 of the HSS Academy was action packed starting with important professional practice update on accounting and assurance standards presented by Jane Bowen, Program Director and Associate Professor of Accounting at the University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology.  Jane covered a multitude of topics throughout the day focusing on changes in Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (ASPE) and Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations, as well as new auditing requirements.

The day ended with a very insightful session on networking, personal branding and social media etiquette presented by Deborah Lewis, Founder and CEO of CityEvents. Not only did the session provide the staff with advice on how to brush up on their networking skills, they also gained insight on how to leverage the power of social media to build personal brands and as a tool to focus and propel them towards their personal and professional aspirations.

With the theme of professional development, HSS staff was invited to take an updated headshot to be used on their Linkedin profile and professinal events. The team looks forward to the next Academy where they can build more advanced accounting skills and develop client and industry relationships.