Board of Directors

CPAB’s Board of Directors has overall responsibility for supervising the management of CPAB's activities and affairs.

The Board has nine directors, all appointed by the Council of Governors. At least four, but no more than five of the directors, must be professional accountants to ensure the Board has directors with accounting expertise. At least two directors must have regulatory experience or regulatory/audit oversight experience.

Benita M. Warmbold,  FCPA, FCA, ICD.D, F.ICD
Chair

Benita Warmbold is a corporate director and brings more than 30 years of experience in the finance industry. She is the former Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investment Board) where she spent nine years. Prior to joining CPP Investment Board she held senior positions with Northwater Capital Management Inc. and Canada Development Investment Corporation. Ms. Warmbold, a chartered professional accountant, is active on several boards, including Bank of Nova Scotia, AtkinsRéalis and Methanex Corporation. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and the Institute of Corporate Directors, she is also a WXN Hall of Fame inductee. Ms. Warmbold lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Richard Payette,  FCPA, GCB.D
Chair

Richard Payette is a senior executive with some 40 years of experience in audit, business management and leadership, with special focus on organizational and digital transformation. In addition to CPAB, Mr. Payette currently sits on the board of directors and advisory boards of Azure Power Global Limited, Export Development Canada, LexRock AI, Lemay, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Montreal Clinical Research Institute. He previously chaired the board of directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Fédération des Chambres de Commerce du Québec. He was also President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Manulife Quebec, BDO Americas CEO and member of the global and Canadian executive committee at BDO International, President and CEO at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton and member of the board at Grant Thornton International. A Top 25 personality in the financial industry in Quebec in 2018 and 2020, he also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee award recognizing Canadians who have made significant contributions to their communities and to the Canadian nation. Mr. Payette lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Renaud Caron,  Fellow Adm.A
 

Renaud Caron is former Senior Vice President, Strategic Development at CGI Group Inc. Prior to his 18 years at CGI, Mr. Caron was Deputy Minister, Economic Development Canada and Deputy Minister for Quebec’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology and Tourism. He is currently a director on the Pilote Group Services board and serves as an advisor to technology and artificial intelligence companies. Mr. Caron previously served on the boards of the Business Development Bank of Canada, Montreal International, where he was Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment, ProAction International and Processia Solutions Inc. He is also the former Chair of the board of the Quebec Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Caron lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Don G. Chynoweth,  ICD.D
 

Don G. Chynoweth is a senior executive with significant governance experience in the commodities, agriculture, energy transmission, healthcare, defense and insurance industries. He previously served on several public and non-profit boards including Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (Nutrien) and AltaLink Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Energy), Hospice Calgary, Calgary Airport Authority Business Advisory and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to CPAB, Mr. Chynoweth currently serves on the boards of the Alberta Blue Cross (Edmonton, Alberta) and Blue Cross Life Insurance (Moncton, New Brunswick). He also serves on the Advisory Board of Canadian Base Operators Inc. (Collingwood, Ontario) and Acden Base Operators (a First Nations Joint Venture in Fort McMurray, Alberta).

Mr. Chynoweth was the Executive Co-Chair of the Institute of Corporate Directors – Calgary Chapter. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

 

Julie Dickson,  O.C.
 

Julie Dickson is a former Superintendent of Financial Institutions of Canada and member of the Financial Stability Board in Basel, Switzerland. She was formerly a director of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Toronto Leadership Center, a member of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank from 2014-2017. Dickson is a director of Manulife and is a recipient and member of the Order of Canada, having been recognized for her work related to financial supervision and regulation in Canada and globally. She is currently a member of the Board of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. Ms. Dickson lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Kevin Kelly   
 

Kevin Kelly has served on the board of directors of The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce since 2013 and currently is the Chair of the Management Resources and Compensation Committee. He also serves on the board of CIBC Bank USA, and has also served on both the Risk and Audit Committees of the bank. Mr. Kelly was Lead Director of the Ontario Securities Commission from 2010 to 2012 and Commissioner from 2006 to 2010. He has more than 30 years’ of experience in wealth and asset management in both Canada and the US. Mr. Kelly was President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Wellington West Capital from 2004 to 2005, President of Fidelity Brokerage Company from 2000 to 2003, President of Fidelity Investments Institutional Services from 1997 to 2000, President of Fidelity Canada from 1996 to 1997 and President of Bimcor Inc. from 1992 to 1996. He is a past director and Chair of the Foundation for Educational Exchange Between Canada and the United States of America (Fulbright Canada). Mr. Kelly is Chair of CPAB’s Risk and Audit Committee and lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Alice Laberge,Vice-Chair F.ICD
 

Alice Laberge is a director at Nutrien Ltd., Russel Metals Inc. and Mercer International Inc. She retired from the board of the Royal Bank of Canada in January 2021 where she served for over 15 years. Her previous board experience includes crown corporations, universities and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Laberge was formerly the President and Chief Executive Officer and prior to that the Chief Financial Officer of Fincentric Corporation. She also held a number of senior management positions with MacMillan Bloedel Limited including Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Laberge was recognized as a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors in 2015. She is Chair of CPAB’s Human Resources and Governance Committee and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mary Lou Maher,  FCPA, FCA
 

Mary Lou Maher brings over 30 years of experience to her role on CPAB’s board. During her career with a global audit firm, Maher held a variety of senior executive roles including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity and Canadian Managing Partner, Quality and Risk. Maher currently sits on the board of directors and advisory boards of CIBC, CAE Inc. and Magna and is a member of the World Economic Forum focused on human rights, and the Board of Governors of McMaster University. Ms. Maher has been recognized for her work on diversity and inclusion by numerous organizations. She received the Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award from McMaster University in recognition of her work on inclusion and diversity, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Out on Bay Street (Proud Strong) and the Senior Leadership Award for Diversity from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. In 2005, Ms. Maher was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the WXN 100 Top Most Powerful Women in Canada. Ms. Maher lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her wife Virginia.

Dr. Chika Onwuekwe,  K.C.
 

Chika Onwuekwe holds an interdisciplinary PhD and brings over 20 years of legal expertise and executive leadership to his role on CPAB’s board. Dr. Onwuekwe is Vice President, Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Trican Well Service Ltd., and a member of the ENMAX Corporation board of directors. Prior to his current role with Trican, Dr. Onwuekwe served as general counsel for a leading energy company, and prior to that role was in private practice focused on corporate, intellectual property and technology law. He is a member of the Alberta Law Society and the Canadian Bar Association. Dr. Onwuekwe is the Chair of the BlackNorth Initiative’s (BNI) Alberta Chapter, and Co-Chair of the Mentorship and Sponsorship Committee of BNI Canada. Dr. Onwuekwe lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Sophia Tsui  CPA, CA
 

Sophia Tsui brings over 30 years of experience in audit and risk management as well as executive leadership to her role on CPAB’s board. Ms. Tsui is Chief Risk Officer for HSBC Bank Canada, where she has also held the role of Chief Auditor. During her career at HSBC, Ms. Tsui has worked in Canada as well as the UK, where she was the Global Head of Risk Governance and Risk Appetite for HSBC Holdings PLC. In 2018, Ms. Tsui was named one of the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. Ms. Tsui lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Leadership Team

Carol A. Paradine  FCPA, FCA
Chief Executive Officer

Carol has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB) since 2018 and represents Canada on the board of the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators. Carol’s previous experience includes roles as an audit partner in a major international firm and as a member of the Canadian firm’s board of directors. She has also acted as chief financial officer of the Canadian audit firm and corporate controller of a publicly listed technology company.

Community service is equally important to Carol who currently serves as Chair of the board of directors of the Alzheimer Society of Toronto. Previous roles include member, Audit and Assurance Standards Oversight Council, chair, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, president, Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, board and audit committee member, Alzheimer Society of Canada, board and audit committee member, CentrePort Canada, board and finance committee member, YMCA-YWCA National Capital Region, board member, Innovate Manitoba, board member, Harmony House and advisory board member, Carleton University School of Business. She also coached youth soccer for many years and was a lecturer and coach at Carleton University.

Carol holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Carleton University and is a fellow chartered professional accountant.

 

Jeremy Justin  CPA, CA
Vice President, External Outreach and Chief Risk Officer

Jeremy Justin is the Chief Risk Officer and Vice President, External Outreach with the Canadian Public Accountability Board. He leads CPAB’s enterprise risk management and thought leadership activities and is responsible for stakeholder engagement activities in Central Canada.

Jeremy is focused on working with key stakeholders (with a primary focus on audit committees) in raising awareness, stimulating conversations, and encouraging the sharing of views on audit quality issues, including the role of the audit committee, external auditor and management in enhancing audit quality, and the current and future direction of audit in Canada and internationally. This also includes the identification of emerging issues and risks impacting audit quality, development of sustainable solutions and engagement with key stakeholders to influence change, enhance audit quality and protect investors.

Prior to joining CPAB, Jeremy practised at a large accounting firm where he provided advice on accounting, assurance and financial reporting matters and led the audits of large public companies.

Malcolm Gilmour  CPA, CA
Vice President, Inspections

Malcolm joined CPAB in May 2008 as a Senior Reviewer and later became Senior Director, Auditing Standards. Prior to joining CPAB, Malcolm was an associate partner at Deloitte LLP with responsibilities related to quality assurance.

David Bromley  CPA, CA
Senior Director, Enforcement and Chief Financial Officer

David Bromley joined CPAB in 2016 as a Senior Director in Inspections and joined the Enforcement team in 2021. David was appointed Chief Financial Officer in April 2022. Prior to joining CPAB, David was an audit partner at PwC specializing in retail and consumer and industrial products and services.

Jennifer Cooper  LL.B.
Vice President, Enforcement

Jennifer joined CPAB in October 2019. She has spent the majority of her legal career focused on administrative and professional regulatory law. For the last decade, Jennifer worked in leadership roles for provincial regulators in various sectors. Prior to this, she routinely defended professionals before disciplinary tribunals. Jennifer was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2001.

Kristina Heese  L.L.B, B.C.L.
A member of the law societies of Québec, New York and Ontario
General Counsel

Kristina Heese joined CPAB in 2011 as Legal Counsel and became General Counsel in 2015. Prior to CPAB she spent five years with Stikeman Elliott LLP in corporate M&A, followed by one year with the legal department at Deloitte LLP.

Kristina attended McGill University and is a member of the New York Bar Association (2005), the Barreau du Québec (2006) and Law Society of Ontario (2017).

Her focus is on in-house corporate practice, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, drafting and negotiation of contracts and internal risk management. She also has previous experience in large and small private acquisitions or investments by international clients.

Rahim Lalani
Chief Technology Officer

Rahim joined CPAB in 2009 as an IT Manager and later became Director, IT. He brings over 25 years of information technology expertise to CPAB and has experience in a variety of sectors, including utilities and software.

Margo Longwell  CPA, CA
Senior Director, Quality, Firm Risk and Registration

Margo joined CPAB in 2003 as Senior Reviewer and later became Senior Director, Quality, Firm Risk and Registration. Prior to that, Margo was Principal, Accounting Standards at the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, and Director, Audit Operations at the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

Susan Schutta  MA, MBA
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer

Susan joined CPAB in 2022 as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. Susan brings over 20 years of communications and stakeholder relations expertise to CPAB, and has experience in a variety of sectors, including financial services, technology, retail and senior living.

Heidi Scorgie  CPA, CA
Regional Vice President, West

Heidi Scorgie joined CPAB in September 2020 as the Regional Vice President, Western Canada. Prior to CPAB, Heidi was a partner at a global accounting firm, where she led audits of public companies and was the professional practice director for the British Columbia and Alberta regions.

Heidi leads CPAB’s Western Canada inspections team and focuses on building relationships with key regional stakeholders in BC and Alberta, including other regulators, audit committee chairs and directors of regional reporting issuers, to advance their understanding of the importance of audit quality and CPAB’s regulatory role.

A passionate supporter of children and their families with congenital heart conditions, as well as saving wildlife species from extinction, Heidi serves as a board member for the Children’s Heart Network and Wildlife Preservation Canada.

Philippe Thieren  CPA
Regional Vice President, Eastern Canada

Philippe joined CPAB in February 2016 as Regional Director, Eastern Canada. Before joining CPAB, Philippe was an audit partner with PwC specializing in financial institutions, P&C and life insurance industries.

Lily Watson  CHRL
Chief People Officer

Lily joined CPAB in 2016. Before joining CPAB Lily held a senior human resources role in various industries including a global media/visual effects organization, technology, advertisement and life insurance industries. Lily attended York University and is Certified Human Resources Leader (2006) and Registered Corporate Coach (2022). Her passion for learning, developing people and organizational culture have been her focal points.