Jim Sylph, FCPA.FCA; ICD.D, Associate, Big Tree Strategies Inc.

Jim Sylph is a Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 40 years’ experience operating in the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada and the United States.

In addition to client partner responsibilities with both medium and large firms, he has had a focus on the development of professional standards on a Canadian and international basis in the areas of auditing, ethics, independence and education standards.

Jim served a term as Chair of the Canadian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (1990-91). He currently serves as a member of the Canadian Auditing and Assurance Standards Oversight Council and a member of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Comprehensive Auditing Foundation. Until recently he was also a member of the global IFRS Advisory Council and the Founding Chairman of the Institute of Internal Auditors global Oversight Council. He also sat on the blue-chip Steering Committee which performed an overview function over the development of the Enhancing Audit Quality initiative sponsored by CPA Canada and the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB)

For the last 15 years, Jim has led the staff supporting the international auditing and ethics standards boards (IAASB and IESBA). He has been focused on the international adoption of the standards of these Boards, which are now used in more than 100 countries around the world. In this role he has met and is well known to many of the global leaders of the accounting profession and audit oversight as well as many practicing members around the world.

Jim has led strategic planning groups on four continents and has strong connections with the regulatory community in many countries. Jim is well known for his ability to help different stakeholders understand each other’s points of view while helping them keep their eye on the results they wish to achieve together.

Educated in the England, Jim has lived in Toronto for almost 40 years with a tour of duty in New York. He was awarded his Fellow by the Institute of CAs of Ontario (now CPA Ontario) in 1991 and received his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors following completion of the Director Education Program at Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto.