友情｜CCPAA-ON 16th Annual Conference

General Introduction and Recent Trends

Speaker:

Marjan Alirezaie

Director of AI, Flybits

Marjan Alirezaie is the Director of Artificial Intelligence at Flybits, overseeing the strategic implementation of AI technologies to enhance personalization and leverage generative AI. Before moving to Canada, she served as an assistant professor at the Center for Applied Autonomous Sensor Systems (AASS) at Örebro University, Sweden, where she earned her PhD in Computer Science in 2015, focusing on semantic perception. With over 15 years of experience in R&D, Marjan's interests include machine learning, knowledge representation, reasoning, and advancing neuro-symbolic (NeSy) models in sensory systems and robotics.

Challenges, Ethics and Governance in the Adoption of Gen AI

Speakers:

Josephine Yam, JD, LLM, MA Philosophy (AI Ethics) 

CEO & CO-Founder, Skills4Good AI

Josephine Yam is an AI lawyer, AI ethicist, and CEO and Co-Founder of Skills4Good AI, Canada’s leading platform for Responsible AI literacy. A sought-after speaker, she delivered Canada’s first TEDx talk on Responsible AI and gives keynote addresses across the US and Canada. Named one of the Top 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, Josephine holds a Master’s in Law and a Master’s in AI Ethics, and is a graduate of Stanford’s Executive Program. Through Skills4Good’s AI Academy platform, she empowers non-tech professionals to tackle AI’s ethical challenges and advance their careers. Recognized with the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, she champions equity, diversity, and inclusion in AI, advocating for a human-centered AI world where AI is used for good.

Yvonne Zhu, CISA 

Partner, Responsible AI Risks and Controls, AI Assurance Leader, EY Canada

Backed by over 18 years of experience in risk management and IT auditing, Yvonne specializes in AI governance, risk and controls management and AI assurance since 2018. Believing in AI’s potential for good, she is deeply committed to assisting organizations implement AI in an ethical and responsible manner. As EY's Canadian Responsible AI Leader, and Global Assurance AI client services workgroup, she plays a pivotal role in the development of the EY Responsible AI Framework, AI principles, and the AI Assurance Framework. Yvonne is actively engaged in discussions regarding AI compliance, attestation, and assurance frameworks. She collaborates closely with the Standards Council of Canada, the Responsible AI Institute, ISACA and other industry committees, NGO organizations to offer her insights on industry regulations and AI governance approach.

Gen AI in Practice: Perspectives from Professional Accountants

Speaker:

Bryant Ramdoo, CPA, CA

Partner, National Audit and Assurance Innovation Leader, KPMG Canada

Bryant is a Partner in KPMG’s Consumer and Industrial Market Audit practice in Toronto, Canada. He has over 17 years of experience providing financial statement audits, audits of internal control, and accounting advisory services.  Bryant is also the National Audit and Assurance Innovation leader for KPMG in Canada, driving change by leveraging emerging technologies and upskilling our people to transform the audit experience for our professionals and our clients. Bryant has provided professional audit services to several large multinational groups in accordance with Canadian Auditing Standards, PCAOB requirements, IFRS, and U.S.  GAAP. His audit experience ranges from securities filings in both Canada and the United States, carve-out financial statements, bankruptcy filings, IPO filings and pension plans audits to the successful coordination of large global audit transitions.  

Current Implementation and Outlook of Gen AI

Speaker:

Vishal Gossain

Partner, Risk Analytics and Balance Sheet Management Leader, EY Canada

With over 20 years of experience across Canada, the US, and Latin America, Vishal leads a team at EY focused on AI applications, lifecycle models, risk strategy, regulatory model development, risk appetite, policies, and ESG risk. Before joining EY, he was Vice President of Global Risk Management at Scotiabank, where he developed lending, retail regulatory, and money laundering models. Vishal also led credit risk at HSBC in Latin America and Capital One Canada, holding risk management roles at both institutions in the US. He serves on the board of MIT’s Machine Learning Applications program and represented Scotiabank in AI initiatives at UC Berkeley and Vector.AI. Vishal holds a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur and a Master’s in Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin.

Panel Discussion

Panelists:

• Marjan Alirezaie, Director of AI, Flybits

• Josephine Yam, JD, LLM, MA Philosophy (AI Ethics), CEO & CO-Founder, Skills4Good AI

• Bryant Ramdoo, CPA, CA, Partner, National Audit and Assurance Innovation Leader, KPMG Canada 

• Vishal Gossain, Partner, Risk Analytics and Balance Sheet Management Leader, EY Canada

Moderator:

• Shirley Lin, Audit Senior Manager, TMT Audit Practice AI Lead, KPMG Canada

Shirley Lin, CPA

Audit Senior Manager, TMT Audit Practice AI Lead, KPMG Canada

Shirley Lin, CPA, is the Audit Practice AI Champion at KPMG, specializing in integrating AI into auditing. She holds a degree from the University of Toronto’s Rotman Commerce and a master’s in digital analytics from Simon Fraser University, sponsored by KPMG. With over 8 years of experience, she is recognized as a digital leader in the Greater Toronto Area. Shirley began her career at Grant Thornton and now audits clients at KPMG. Beyond her professional role, she serves as Chair of the Audit Committee for a not-for-profit organization, where she advocates for integrity and transparency in financial oversight and governance.