Executive Management Committee (EMC)

Lori Mathison, FCPA, FCGA, LLB
President & CEO

Lori Mathison joined the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2017. She leads the organization’s Executive Management Committee and represents the province on the national Council of Chief Executives for the Canadian CPA profession.

Previously, Lori was the managing partner of the Vancouver office of Dentons Canada LLP, where she was a partner in Dentons' Tax Law group and practiced both tax and corporate law for almost 20 years.

Lori is a Governor and a Past Chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. She sits on the Strategic Advisory Board of the Counter Illicit Finance Alliance, the Board of the CPA Western School of Business, the Faculty Advisory Board of the UBC Sauder School of Business, and the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the UBC Centre for Business Law.

In addition, Lori has served as a Trustee for the Vancouver Public Library, as a Governor for the Canadian Tax Foundation (CTF) and as a Councillor of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. She has written and presented on taxation matters for many organizations, including CPA Canada, CTF, Continuing Legal Education, and UBC.

Lori was recognized by her peers with a CPA fellowship designation in 2016, and as one of Canada’s leading lawyers in the area of Tax Law by the Best Lawyers in Canada publication in 2017. In 2020, she was named one of Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business.

She holds an LLB and a BCL from McGill University and a B.Comm (Hon.) from the University of Manitoba.

Amy Lam, FCPA, FCA
Executive Vice President, Corporate Services & CFO

Amy Lam is the executive vice-president, corporate services and CFO for CPABC. She and her team are responsible for the organization’s finances and operations, including its IT and People & Culture functions, data analytics, as well as external affairs and communications.

Amy previously served as director of business administration for Crofton House School in Vancouver; director of advisory services and senior director of member services and external affairs for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia (ICABC); and, most recently, as director of business administration for the Canadian International School of Hong Kong.

Amy played a pivotal role in the proposed unification of the accounting profession back in 2012, while working with ICABC. In addition to developing submissions to government, she managed unification-related consultations and communication with ICABC members and other stakeholders.

Her contributions to the accounting profession include playing a lead role in drafting national accounting standards for private enterprises; developing initiatives for ICABC members in industry; establishing a national conference on sustainability; and developing a technical review process for national accounting publications and professional development courses. Amy has also served on a technical advisory panel for the Auditor General of BC, and as a panelist and speaker at accounting conferences.

Amy’s volunteer work has included roles as the Vice Chair of the CPA Canada – Hong Kong Chapter board, and as a Director on the board of the Canadian Dragon Boat Association. In 2020, Amy was honoured with a Business in Vancouver BC CFO Award.

Simone Leonard, FCPA, FCGA
Executive Vice President, Learning & Engagement

Simone Leonard is the Executive Vice President, Learning and Engagement at CPABC. Simone and her team are responsible for the recruitment efforts, learning programs developed and delivered for CPAs and the overall engagement and satisfaction of our members, students and employers who train our students.

Simone has worked for the profession since 2006 and has led and served on a number of legacy and CPA national, provincial, and regional workgroups and committees that have, and continue to shape the profession’s educational content, practices and policies.

Prior to working for the profession, Simone was the senior financial officer for a publicly traded, Canadian company where she oversaw all accounting and finance functions for the organization and partook in, and supported its growth through mergers and acquisitions. In her earlier accounting career she held a variety of accounting and finance positions in other privately held for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, and also had an opportunity to work within public practice for KPMG during the latter part of her post-secondary years. 

In addition to her CPA designation, Simone holds an MBA from SFU’s Executive MBA Program and enjoys serving community through her past volunteer board work for a local non-profit and through contributing her time to mentorship programs offered by SFU and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.  

Stella Lam, CPA, CA
Executive Vice-President, Regulation & Registrar

Stella Lam is the executive vice-president, regulation & registrar for CPABC. Stella and her team are responsible for overseeing regulatory matters related to students, members, professional accounting corporations and registered firms. 

Stella has worked for the profession since 2008, and has held various roles in professional development, student enrolment, membership, and privacy. 

Stella is a member of the profession’s Public Trust Committee (PTC), which oversees regulatory activities to protect the integrity of the profession while maintaining public confidence and trust. Since 2019, Stella has chaired the PTC’s Registration Task Force focused on registration practices and processes. Stella has also served on the PTC’s CPD Steering Committee to adopt changes in the international CPD standards and implement provincially.

Prior to working for the profession, Stella articled with Wolrige Mahon (now Baker Tilley WM LLP). Stella then joined HSBC, and over the course of a decade, she held progressively senior tax roles with the HSBC group in Canada and in their global headquarters in London, England.

In the community, Stella has served on foundations focused on children and youth.

Jan Sampson, FCPA, FCA
Strategy & Governance Officer

Jan Sampson is the strategy and governance officer for CPABC. She supports the CEO and the Board in strategy and governance, and is responsible for the development and implementation of CPABC’s Indigenous Engagement plan as well as the delivery of the CPA Financial Literacy Program in BC. 

Jan was previously the executive vice-president, member and student experience for CPABC, and has held other senior positions within the organization, including as the chief operating officer at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC (ICABC); director of practice review and licensing; and director of member services.