Senior Tax & Financial Lead
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Senior Tax & Financial Lead acting as the Pension & Tax Controller for Colgate-Palmolive Canada. Over 20 years of experience driving corporate tax compliance, pension fund accounting, and financial reporting for global Fortune 500 leaders. Strategic advisor with a track record of serving as the primary Canadian lead for a complex multi-national entity, managing full-cycle T2 filings, transfer pricing, and pension investment portfolio oversight.
Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Public Company Reporting (US GAAP/IFRS), inter-company consolidations, and regulatory compliance (SLFI, PBSA). Proven ability to establish internal tax controls, successfully defend high-stakes CRA/CBSA audits, and execute tax recovery strategies. Relocating permanently to Newfoundland and seeking to leverage specialized international finance experience to drive financial efficiency and compliance.
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE | Toronto, ON Tax and Pension Analyst (Canadian Lead) | Aug 2018
– Present (Functioning as the primary Financial Lead for Canadian Pension & Tax, reporting to
Pension Accounting & Governance (Primary Focus)
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Full-Cycle Pension Accounting: Serve as the functional lead for the Canadian Pension
Plan accounting, managing monthly fund liquidity, benefit disbursements, and the precise allocation of expenses between the Pension Fund and corporate business accounts.
Investment Performance Oversight: Play a major role in the evaluation of Pension
Investment Manager Reports, analyzing fund performance against benchmarks and ensuring alignment with the Statement of Investment Policies and Procedures (SIPP).●
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Actuarial & Audit Liaison: Act as the primary interface for the external Actuary,
facilitating data transfer for periodical valuation reports, solvency testing, and going-concern analysis.
Regulatory Compliance & SLFI: Manage complex indirect tax compliance for the pension trust, working with Big 4 firms to prepare Selected Listed Financial
Institutions (SLFI) returns and maximize GST/HST rebate applications.
Internal Controls (SOX): Execute rigorous SOX compliance audits on pension activities, ensuring strict governance over plan amendments, document integrity, and contribution accuracy.
Corporate Tax Leadership & Audit Defense
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Country Tax Control: Oversee the full-cycle Canadian corporate tax function, ensuring compliance with CRA regulations while managing complex cross-border reporting requirements for the US parent.
Audit Defense Lead: Successfully managed and defended the company against a rigorous Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) audit, utilizing deep regulatory knowledge to turn a high-risk assessment into a favorable financial outcome.
Transfer Pricing Execution: Manage inter-company transactions and cross-border transfer pricing adjustments between Canada and global affiliates, ensuring compliance with arm's length principles and reducing tax risk exposure.
Tax Recovery: Proactively identified the phasing out of Recaptured Input Tax Credits
(RITC), implementing a recovery strategy that resulted in significant retroactive cost savings.
Senior Financial Analysis & Reporting
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SEC Reporting (10-K/10-Q): Prepare and submit quarterly and annual financial reporting packages to New York Headquarters, including ASC 740 tax provisions and
Deferred Tax Asset/Liability roll-forwards.
Lease Accounting (ASC 842): Own the end-to-end lease portfolio reporting for Canada.
Analyze contract terms to ensure accurate classification of Right-of-Use assets and lease liabilities for global consolidation.
Financial Modeling & AI: Serve as the finance division's Subject Matter Expert (SME)
for Generative AI tools, spearheading the integration of digital solutions to reduce turnaround time for data synthesis and financial modeling.
LAFARGEHOLCIM (now Holcim Group) | Vaughan, ON General Accounting Analyst | Jan
2017 – Aug 2018
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Project Accounting: Managed complex inter-company invoicing and cost allocations across multiple business units, ensuring accurate financial consolidation for the region.
Risk Management: Oversaw accounting for WSIB liabilities and severance payouts,
ensuring strict adherence to provincial labor regulations.●
Process Optimization: Streamlined the month-end close process by optimizing reporting for vacation and bonus accruals, improving data accuracy for project managers.
HILL'S PET NUTRITION (Colgate-Palmolive) | Toronto, ON Financial Analyst | Apr 2015 –
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Indirect Tax Management: Managed full-cycle indirect tax compliance (GST/HST, QST,
PST) for multiple provinces in a multi-jurisdictional sales environment.
ERP Implementation: Played a lead role in the successful "Consumption Based
Planning" (CBP) rollout in SAP, demonstrating the ability to adapt to complex financial systems.
TATA GLOBAL BEVERAGES | India Finance Executive – Finance & Administration | Dec
2006 – Jul 2013
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Financial Operations Lead: Led the finance function for the Special Projects division,
managing diverse assets including educational and medical units.
Cash Flow Management: Forecasted monthly cash flows (approx. INR 15 Million) and managed multi-unit budgets to ensure liquidity for operations.
FRG ASSOCIATES (Chartered Accountant Firm) | India Audit Team Coordinator | 2002 –
2005
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Audit Leadership: Led audit teams for diverse clients, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and preparing tax filings.
Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) | Canadian Payroll Association (2015) – 94%
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Diploma in Accounting & Payroll Administration | CDI College, Toronto (2015) – 95%
Corporate & Business Tax Course | Softron Inc. (2015) – 98% Average
Master of Commerce (M.Com) – Finance | Mahatma Gandhi University, India
Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) | Mahatma Gandhi University, India
