Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Description
Join CPA Ontario for a dynamic one-day virtual conference that explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the accounting profession. Whether you're just beginning your AI journey or looking to deepen your knowledge, you'll gain actionable insights, real-world examples, and forward-thinking strategies to elevate your practice and future-proof your career.
Early Bird Sale: Save $50 off this conference by registering before September 10, 2026. Promotion cannot be combined with other offers or Passport. Access the Early Bird Sale by logging into your account.
Agenda
Conference Agenda
Host Opening Remarks
David Fortin, CPA, Microsoft MVP| Excel & Copilot Professional
Opening Keynote: Fireside Chat Session
Glenda Crisp, President and CEO of Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in conversation with Amber Mac, President Amber Mac Media Inc, One of Canada’s top voices on AI & technology
Topic | What finance leaders need to know about where AI is actually going.
When the shipping container arrived in the 1960s, the ports that won weren't the ones that bought better forklifts. They were the ones willing to demolish their docks and rebuild from scratch for a new reality.
We are at that kind of moment in AI - and most organizations are still buying forklifts.
In this opening keynote, Glenda Crisp, President and CEO of Vector Institute - one of the world's leading AI research institutes - cuts through the noise to give finance leaders a grounded, research-backed view of where AI is genuinely heading over the next 18 to 36 months. This isn't the AI you'll read about in a vendor deck or a consulting report. This is the view from the research frontier: the signals that show up in labs today before they show up in boardrooms tomorrow.
Glenda will challenge CPAs to reframe the questions they're asking - about ROI, about risk, about where the real competitive advantage in AI actually lives. Finance leaders sit at the centre of every meaningful AI investment decision. This session gives you the strategic map to navigate those decisions with clarity.
Topic | The Strategic AI Advantage: Building the AI business case, and scaling beyond pilots
Topic| Applied AI Use Cases in Finance & Professional Services (Automation and workflow transformation)
Topic| AI Beyond The Hype: Unlocking Opportunities to multiply workforce impact and drive productivity, growth and innovation.
Session Description:
For decades, artificial intelligence has been surrounded by bold predictions and inflated expectations. While early forecasts promised rapid breakthroughs, real progress often lagged behind the hype. Today, however, AI has reached a turning point—moving from experimentation to practical application in everyday work.
This session cuts through the noise to focus on how organizations can use AI as a true workforce multiplier. Rather than replacing people, AI can enhance human capabilities, streamline operations, and unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation. Attendees will gain a grounded understanding of where AI delivers real value and how to apply it responsibly and effectively across teams.
Key Takeaways:
1. Clarity Amidst the Hype: Identify practical AI use cases that measurably improve productivity and workforce effectiveness.
2. Future-Proofing Strategies: Understand how AI can scale expertise, support better decision-making, and drive innovation without eroding human judgment.
3. Strategic Insights: Apply a simple framework for evaluating and implementing AI initiatives that align with organizational goals
Topic | AI as a Leadership Challenge: Managing Data Leakage, Ethics, Governance and Risk in the Enterprise
PANELISTS:
Dr. Andrea Ruotolo, President, Global Council for Responsible AI, Senior Executive, Leading AI Operations & Governance
Cathy Cobey, FCPA, FCA, EY Global Responsible AI Leader – Assurance
Asif Mohammed, Partner, Risk, Performance and Technology Advisory Services at Richter
Danielle Gifford, Managing Director of AI & Cloud, PwC Canada & Ahmad Haj Mosa, Director of AI Foundry at PWC | PhD, Machine Learning, GenAI, Driving Innovation
Topic | Goals, Guardrails, and Go-Live: A Framework for Agentic AI Readiness
Session Description:
AI is evolving from simple automation and chatbots into powerful agents that can reason, take action, and support complex business workflows. This keynote will introduce the different types of AI, explain where each works best, and explore how tools such as ChatGPT and Claude can be applied to real-world finance challenges.
Through practical examples and a live demonstration, attendees will see how AI can improve financial analysis, reporting, decision-making, and productivity, and learn how to build a simple AI agent of their own. The session will also highlight the importance of selecting the right AI approach for the problem, while keeping governance, accuracy, and human oversight in mind.
Key Takeaways:
1. Understand the major types of AI, including traditional AI, generative AI, automation, and Agents, and when to use each.
2. Identify practical, high-value AI use cases across finance, accounting, reporting, and decision support.
3. Learn the core steps involved in designing and building an AI agent through a live demonstration.
Host Closing Remarks
David Fortin, CPA, Microsoft MVP | Excel & Copilot Professional
Speaker(s)
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David Fortin, CPA, Microsoft MVP, and LinkedIn Learning instructor. He shares practical insights on Microsoft Copilot on his YouTube channel, which has been viewed more than 8,000,000 times. With a background in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) for a SaaS startup, David was instrumental in raising $30 million in venture capital funding and played a key role in the company’s successful exit, valued at hundreds of millions. Known for his dynamic and energetic personality, David is passionate about helping people through his online courses on Microsoft Copilot taken by more than 125,000 learners. What sets him apart is his ability to make learning fun and engaging, bringing a unique energy to his videos that truly resonate with his audience. |
| OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER | |
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Glenda Crisp is the President and CEO of Vector Institute, one of the world's preeminent AI research organizations, based in Toronto - the birthplace of AI and machine learning. Under her leadership, Vector has become a bridge between the research frontier and real-world enterprise AI adoption, working with 30+ major industry partners, 400+ startups and thousands of AI researchers and practitioners across Canada. Glenda is a trusted voice for senior leaders navigating AI - not as a technologist selling a vision, but as a research-backed strategist helping organizations understand what AI actually demands of them. She has hands-on experience with the development and execution of enterprise data and analytics strategies, leading technology and enterprise architecture functions, and driving remediation of data breaches and ransomware attacks. |
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Amber Mac is a leading technology and innovation speaker, entrepreneur, author, and media host. As President of AmberMac Media and host of The AmberMac Show on SiriusXM, she helps organizations stay ahead of emerging technology trends. A recognized expert in digital innovation, she has built a distinguished career as a journalist, moderator, podcaster, and business leader. Named one of DMZ’s “Women of the Year” in 2024, Amber has delivered more than 700 keynotes worldwide and moderated conversations with global leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. She is the author of the bestselling business book Power Friending and co-author of Outsmarting Your Kids Online. Frequently featured on major media outlets including CNN, Bloomberg, CBC, CTV, and Fast Company, Amber is known for making complex technology topics clear, practical, and engaging for audiences of all sizes. |
| CLOSING KEYNOTE SPEAKERS | |
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Danielle Gifford, Managing Director of AI and Advanced Analytics at PwC Is the Managing Director of AI and Advanced Analytics at PwC, Danielle's role is to help steer the growth of the AI Practice in Western Canada with a keen focus on traditional AI, generative AI, and agentic AI. She has more than a decade of experience in commercializing advanced technologies, particularly in artificial intelligence, data analytics, augmented reality, and cloud platforms in both the private and public sector. Her expertise has earned her recognition as a Top 40 under 40 recipient and Global AI Ambassador. In her spare time, she is an Adjunct Professor teaching The University of Calgary's first AI in Business course for MBA students. Danielle also serves on the Board of Governors for EducationMatters, helping to advance education access and impact across Calgary's public education system. |
| Ahmad Haj Mosa is an AI and technology leader with experience in both academia and the corporate world. He currently serves as Director and Head of Digital Factory at PwC Europe. In his role, he spearheads AI initiatives in various sectors including healthcare, energy, tax, legal, and financial services. In addition to managing a team of over 20 developers and data scientists, he has also been instrumental in the development of 18+ ML products. |
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| FEATURED SPEAKERS | |
| Robin Gainer, GTM @ Cohere | Angel investor in Canadian tech. He helps enterprises adopt GenAI/LLMs quickly, securely, and effectively to produce real ROI. He’s passionate about technology and has a background in sales, business development, partnerships, strategy, and operations. He was recommended by Mèlika Carroll, Head of global government affairs and public policy at Cohere, who is also a member of of advisory council on Artificial Intelligence in Canada. | |
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Chad Davis,CPA, CA co-founded LiveCA LLP, one of the first virtual CPA firms in Canada along with AutomationTown.io, an online space where accountants learn and collaborate around AI & Automation. Chad is a CPA, holds an MBA and lived nomadically for 8yrs with his family in an RV travelling across North America. Feel free to connect with Chad on LinkedIn for daily posts and videos about accounting tech, AI and running a remote firm. |
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Jeff Butler, Founder Trinity Fix, Speaker, Author & Workplace Strategist . Jeff Butler is an author and workplace strategist who explores what organizations need to do to navigate uncertainty. His experience spans over 40 industries in 4 continents on how different cultures and employees interact with each other. He studies common threads of behavior in industries and helps organizations create workplaces where employees thrive in a rapidly changing work. |
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Dr. Andrea Ruotolo is an AI Operations and Governance executive and President for Canada at the Global Council for Responsible AI. She advises leaders in regulated industries on how to operationalize AI responsibly and turn governance into sustainable value rather than a compliance cost. Her background includes leading global implementations across more than 50 countries and managing large cross-border teams. She holds a Fulbright PhD and executive credentials from Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan, and is the author of a book on AI operations and governance |
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Cathy Cobey is a thought leader in Responsible AI, guiding organizations through the intersection of technology, ethics, and governance. As EY’s Global Responsible AI Leader for Assurance, she shapes EY’s Responsible AI framework and collaborates with corporate executives to manage the risks of transformative technologies. Cathy also contributes to global Responsible AI standards through advisory roles with organizations like the World Economic Forum, AICPA and NIST. Cathy Cobey – EY Global Responsible AI Leader, Assurance | EY - Global, (37) Cathy Cobey | LinkedIn |
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Asif Mohammed, Partner, Risk, Performance and Technology Advisory Services at Richter. Asif brings a thoughtful and disciplined perspective to governance, risk, and cybersecurity matters. He works with organizations operating in increasingly complex regulatory and digital environments, helping leaders understand enterprise and technology risk in practical terms and translate it into clear, well‑informed decisions. |
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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 Conference
This CPA Ontario PD conference is hosted on the innovative RingCentral (formerly Hopin) platform. An email invitation with a link to join the event on the RingCentral platform will be sent closer to the date.
Please check your Junk and Spam folders and ensure no-reply@events.ringcentral.com has been added to your safe addresses. We recommend you join five minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
Registration, cancellation, withdrawal and all other CPA Ontario PD policies can be found here.
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Testimonials
All the speakers were very knowledgeable and interesting. The topic was explored from many different angles, which kept me intrigued. I would highly recommend.