NEW YEAR’S MESSAGE
January 6, 2025
Happy New Year!
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization that works to reduce occupational fraud and other financial crime worldwide. The GTA Chapter is the oldest ACFE chapter in Canada, established in 1991. The GTA Chapter has had a very busy and successful 2024. We are very appreciative of the support received from the ACFE in Austin, Texas, from the Certified Fraud Examiners in our jurisdiction, and from our sponsors.
2025 Training Program
Our 2025 Training schedule offers 6 (virtual by Zoom) events with 27 CPE credits in total and our prices are LOWER than last year. CFEs are required to complete 20 hours of continuing professional education every year to maintain their credential. One of the objectives of the GTA Chapter is to provide all CFEs with accessible, affordable, and quality training, so they can inexpensively fulfill their CPE requirement.
2025 ACFE Canadian Fraud Conference
The ACFE have confirmed that next year’s Fraud Conference Canada will be held in Toronto at the Beanfield Centre & Hotel X from November 10 to 12, 2025. You may want to pencil those dates into your calendar now! The 2024 conference was held in Ottawa, and our Chapter was well represented by Astra Williamson, CFE, our Senior Vice President & Chief Learning Officer.
2025 Networking & AGM
On Thursday, June 19, 2025, we will again host our In-Person Networking Reception, Annual General Meeting & Special Members’ Meeting. No elections are required as the current slate of directors hold office until June 30, 2027.The annual Reception is an excellent opportunity to meet colleagues, Chapter Scholarship winners, and build new professional relationships. Click on the image to be directed to the registration page.
2025 Chapter Scholarship Program
In 2025, we will continue executing our vision to support students enrolled in the Fraud Examination & Forensic Accounting Post-Graduate Certificate Program (FEA) at Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto. We have moved the application and award process to the first semester of the program (Sep – Dec). Click on the two images below to learn about the winners from our 2024 program.
CHAPTER GOVERNANCE
Chapter Rebranding
We refreshed our website home page, and rebranded the GTA Chapter as “Serving Central and Southwestern Ontario” in an effort to ensure CFEs all the way from Kingston to Windsor feel welcome and included. We continue to work with other Canadian chapters to share ideas and strategies, as we learn from each other and support each other’s initiatives wherever possible.
ACFE Leaders’ Summit
In December, our EVP & Chief Compliance Officer, Kyle Kanstein, CFE, and our newly-appointed Secretary to the Board, Mandy Yousif, CFE, represented the Chapter at the second annual Chapter Leaders' Summit in Austin, Texas, with over 50 leaders from across the world in attendance. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Chapter is seen as a best-in-class organization that was frequently called upon to share some of the ideas and strategies we have employed in supporting the CFEs in our jurisdiction. Mandy and Kyle were able to become acquainted with other chapter leaders, and deepen our relationship with ACFE headquarters staff, as well as with ACFE CEO, John Warren, JD, CFE, and ACFE President, John Gill, JD, CFE. (John Gill is shown here with Mandy and Kyle.)
Chapter Volunteers
We welcomed two new Volunteers this year. Joe D’Ambrosio, CFE, works as an Internal Audit Consultant with the Salvation Army Territorial (Canada & Bermuda) HQ. Dennis Zhao, CFE, is a Senior Consultant, Fraud & Financial Crime with EY in Toronto. All volunteers are assigned specific tasks.
We receive several requests each year to volunteer with the Chapter. However, as much as we very much appreciate these offers, it is not possible to accommodate all those wanting to volunteer. All of our Board members are actively contributing to their area of responsibility, and with most of our events remaining virtual, this means we need less help. While we encourage anyone to come forward, and recognize the sincere desire to be of assistance, the number of volunteer positions are limited. Our primary volunteer focus is to develop a pool of potential future board members who, in the fullness of time, are aligned with our vision, and informed of our processes, through their Chapter volunteer experience.
Chapter Sponsors
In 2025, Specialty Risk & Intelligence Services Inc. (SRIS), a global multi-disciplinary intelligence, investigation, and risk consulting agency domiciled in Toronto joins ACCA North America, GHLC Inc., Centre-Arch Inc. as a sponsor of the Chapter. We recognize and thank all our sponsors who make it possible for the Chapter to continue to offer our scholarship program, as well as accessible, affordable training to all our CFEs.
Board of Directors Update
We had two retirements from the Board of Directors this year. In June, Andrew Kautz, CFE, a 30-Year CFE veteran, retired from the Board. In December, Stephanie Greenwald, CFE resigned her director’s position. We are grateful for the contribution of both Andrew and Stephanie, and take this opportunity to thank them.
Mandy Yousif, CFE, a Chapter Director, was appointed as Secretary to the Board on June 30. Mandy holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours with Distinction) in Criminology and Sociology from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a Diploma (with High Honours) in Public & Private Investigation from Sheridan College. Mandy has authored articles for the ACFE Fraud Magazine, and was a speaker at the 2023 Canadian Fraud Conference. Mandy is bilingual in English and Arabic and has been a Licensed Private Investigator since 2012. She holds a certificate in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and a certificate in Investigating the Dark Web. Mandy is experienced in IBM Security i2 Analyst’s Notebook and has presented link analysis demos on a global terrorist organization, economic espionage activities, and high-profile homicide cases. Mandy is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Honours Bachelor of Crime & Intelligence Analysis Program (PAC) at Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto.
Chakshu Verma, CFE, was appointed to the Board of Directors as of July 1, filling the vacancy left by Andrew Kautz’s retirement. As Director, Mentorship & Engagement, Chakshu has, among other duties, assumed responsibility for the Chapter Scholarship program. In April, 2023, Chakshu graduated with distinction from the Fraud Examination and Forensic Accounting Graduate Program at Seneca Polytechnic and was awarded an ACFE-GTA Chapter Scholarship. Chakshu holds a B. Com. (Accounting & Finance) from the University of Delhi and an MBA (Finance) from Maharshi Dayanand University, both with a achievement of "First Division". Chakshu earned his CFE designation in September, 2023, after which he was invited to join as a Chapter Volunteer.
IN CLOSING…
As we step into 2025, we are filled with gratitude for your unwavering support and enthusiasm. Your dedication to the fight against fraud and other financial crime continues to inspire us to provide meaningful opportunities for learning, networking, and professional growth.
We look forward to connecting with you at our virtual training sessions and welcoming you in person at our June Networking Event. Together, let’s make 2025 a year of impactful collaboration and significant progress.
Thank you for being an integral part of the ACFE-GTA Chapter. Here’s to another successful year ahead!
Sincerely,
Your ACFE-GTA Chapter Board of Directors
Dorian Dwyer (Past-President & Chair of the Board)
Elodie Goncalves (Director, Membership Services)
Penny Hill (Director, Chapter Liaison & e-Learning Platform)
Kyle Kanstein (Executive Vice-President & Chief Compliance Officer)
Mark McManus (President & Chief Executive Officer)
Chakshu Verma (Director, Mentorship & Engagement)
Astra Williamson (Senior Vice-President & Chief Learning Officer)
Julian Wong (Treasurer & Chief Financial Officer)
Justin Yantha (Chief Technology Officer)
Mandy Yousif (Secretary to the Board of Directors)
