Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Description
The Innovation Leadership Accelerator program is designed to empower CPAs with the knowledge, exposure and experience needed to become financial leaders of organizations that are driving innovation.
In partnership with leading Canadian innovators Jim Balsillie and John Ruffolo, this immersive 11-week program equips participants with real-world experience, mentorship, and practical strategies to drive change, support presidents, founders and CEOs, and lead with an entrepreneurial mindset.
The Innovation Leadership Accelerator is built around immersive, real-world learning designed to challenge and inspire. This program is in-person. Courses will be held at 69 Bloor St. E, Toronto weekly from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Over 11 weeks, you’ll engage in:
- Weekly in person sessions.
- In person panel discussions and group forums.
- Real world assignments and assessments.
- A formalized mentorship program.
Please note, there are no refunds after registration for this program. General registration, cancellation and all other CPA Ontario PD policies can be found here.
Speak to an Advisor
To speak to an advisor to learn more about the program, your application, or financial scholarships, please book a call using this form.
Application Process
The application process is simple. Submit your resume and our admission department will review your application to evaluate fit. We’ll then let you know if you have been selected to attend. Apply Now.
Agenda
| Date | Topic | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| January 20, 2026 | Introduction to the Innovation Economy and Innovation Leadership Accelerator | Jim Balsillie |
| January 27, 2026 | The Founder Mindset | To Be Confirmed |
| February 3, 2026 | The Leadership Journey: Evolution of the CFO Role | Ralf Riekers |
| February 10, 2026 |
Communications Skills
|
Matt Hodgson & Lois Norris |
| February 17, 2026 |
FP&A
|
Tom Seegmiller |
| February 24, 2026 | Inorganic Growth | To Be Confirmed |
| March 3, 2026 |
Raising Capital
|
Brice Scheschuk |
| MindFrame Connect Mentee Training | ||
| March 10, 2026 |
Venture Capital
|
Omar Dhalla |
| March 24, 2026 |
Private Equity
|
George Rossolatos |
| March 31, 2026 | AI and the New Controllership Function | Brandon Nussey |
| April 7, 2026 | Summary and Conclusion | John Ruffolo |
Key Takeaways
By the end of the The Innovation Leadership Accelerator program, you will have developed a powerful set of skills to lead and support growth and innovation in any organization:
- Thinking like a president, founder or CEO to identify opportunities, solve problems creatively, and support entrepreneurial decision-making.
- Leading through change by understanding how the C-Suite roles evolve and making strategic decisions at every stage of growth.
- Communicating with clarity and influence to tell your company’s story, engage stakeholders, and motivate teams.
- Driving performance and commercialization by using KPIs, financial planning tools, and business insights to turn ideas into results.
- Navigating growth and investment with confidence-whether through M&A, raising capital, or preparing for an exit.
- Understanding investor perspectives in venture capital and private equity to better position your company for funding and valuation.
- Adapting to emerging technologies like AI and its impact on finance and controllership.
Who Will Benefit
Whether you’re working in a startup, scaleup, or a larger organization, this program gives you the insights and tools to help your company grow and adapt. Built specifically for CPAs, it bridges traditional finance with the demands of high-growth environments.
Disclaimer
The views expressed in the course are non-authoritative and have not been formally endorsed by CPA Ontario and do not reflect the views of CPA Ontario. The information included in the course is for general information purposes only.
CPA Ontario, the presenters and the authors do not accept any responsibility or liability that might occur directly or indirectly as a consequence of the use or application of or reliance on this material.
How to Access the Program
This program is non-refundable.
No further action is required from at this time. Additional information including how to access the course material will provided in an email in the weeks leading up to the launch of the program.
Registration, cancellation, withdrawal and all other CPA Ontario PD policies can be found here.
Speaker(s)
Visit our Program Founder & Speakers page for more information.
| PROGRAM FOUNDERS | |
|---|---|
|
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Jim Balsillie, FCPA, FCA Jim Balsillie’s career is unique in Canadian business. He is a former Chairman and co-CEO of Research In Motion (BlackBerry), a Canadian technology company he scaled from an idea to $20 billion in sales globally. He is the co-founder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the CIO Strategy Council. He currently chairs the boards of CCI and CIGI and is a co-Chair of CIOSC. He is also the founder of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, Arctic Research Foundation and the Centre for Digital Rights. He is a member of the Global Advisory Board of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and an Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy. Mr. Balsillie was the only Canadian ever appointed to US Business Council and the sole private sector representative on the UN Secretary General’s High Panel for Sustainability. He is the only Canadian member of the US Council on Competitiveness and an internationally renowned voice on innovation strategy, competitiveness and international economic policy. He testified to the US Senate on America Innovates Act, a landmark legislation for management of intellectual property. |
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John Ruffolo, FCPA, FCA John is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, a private equity firm focused on technology-enabled growth and disruption investment strategies. As a firm run by entrepreneurs, funded by entrepreneurs, and for entrepreneurs, Maverix is investing out of its inaugural fund in the areas of health and wellness, financial services, transportation and logistics, live, work, play and learn, and retail. John chairs the Investment Committee, guides the strategy of the firm, and is deeply involved with sourcing and leading investment opportunities, particularly within the technology industry. John is also the Founder of OMERS Ventures and Co-Founder and Vice Chair of the Council of Canadian Innovators. Over the course of his leadership as the CEO of OMERS Ventures, they invested over USD$500 million in over 40 disruptive technology companies across North America, including growth investments in Shopify, Xanadu, Wattpad, Wave, Hootsuite, Rover, Desire 2 Learn, Hopper, DuckDuckGo, TouchBistro and League. During his tenure at OMERS, John also formed OMERS Platform Investments, and as its Executive Managing Director, he led investments in Purpose Financial, PointNorth Capital, District Ventures, OneEleven and ArcTern Ventures. John co-founded the Council of Canadian Innovators with Jim Balsillie, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping high-growth Canadian technology firms scale globally. |
| SPEAKERS | |
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Ralf Riekers Ralf Riekers is a seasoned executive with more than two decades of financial and corporate leadership expertise. He has a proven track record of guiding SaaS companies on their transformative journey from inception to $100 million in revenues. Over his extensive career, spanning 13 years as a financial and operational executive at Eloqua and a decade as CFO at Top Hat, Ralf consistently demonstrated his skill in steering organizations through rapid growth, instilling financial discipline, and fostering operational excellence. Beyond his professional journey, Ralf's true passion lies in mentoring, coaching and advising the next generation of leaders and companies within the Canadian technology ecosystem, reflecting his commitment to nurturing and developing future talent. |
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Brice Scheschuk, CPA, CA Brice Scheschuk, CPA, CA is the managing partner of Globalive Capital. He was a co-founder and CFO of WIND Mobile as well as CEO of Globalive Communications. Brice has over 25 years of experience building and operating companies at Globalive, WIND Mobile, Leitch Technology and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He obtained his CPA, CA designation at PricewaterhouseCoopers and bachelor’s in finance from Dalhousie University. Brice served as a Maritime Surface Officer in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve. Brice serves on numerous boards and advisory committees (public, private, and not-for-profit) and is a frequent speaker on scale-up entrepreneurship and innovation. He is a co-founder of MindFrame Connect, a not-for-profit focused on elevating the craft of mentorship and improving entrepreneurial resiliency. |
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Brandon Nussey Brandon Nussey is the Chief Financial Officer of Coveo. Prior to joining Coveo, Mr. Nussey was Chief Financial Officer of Lightspeed Commerce (from 2018 to 2022) and oversaw Lightspeed’s IPO on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and subsequent listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Mr. Nussey was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Lightspeed in May 2022 and held this position until joining Coveo. As Chief Operating Officer of Lightspeed, he was responsible for the operational execution of the business in its finance, operations, HR, legal, IT, payment, finserv and acquisition integration functions. He also led Lightspeed’s key strategic business partnerships and helped drive the successful execution of Lightspeed’s financial services strategies. Prior to Lightspeed, Mr. Nussey was Chief Financial Officer at D2L Inc. (TSX: DTOL), a SaaS-based education technology provider. Mr. Nussey also held a series of roles at Descartes Systems Group (TSX: DSG and NASDAQ: DSXG), a multinational technology company specializing in logistics and supply chain management software and cloud-based services for enterprise customers, advancing to the CFO position in 2004. He was Treasurer and Board Member at the Loran Scholars Foundation from June 2016 to September 2022, and currently sits on the board of Thinkific Labs Inc. (TSX: THNC) since March 2021. Mr. Nussey is a Chartered Accountant and holds a bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) from Wilfrid Laurier University. |
Location
Testimonials
Learning directly from knowledgeable industry leaders has been an invaluable experience. This class has served as a catalyst for personal and professional growth.
If you are interested in leading a finance function at a start-up or scale-up, then this course is the perfect primer. I feel excited about my future as a leader in this space, and understand much better where I need to focus to accomplish my career goals.