CPA Ontario Ethics Conference

I recently had the privilege of participating in CPA Ontario’s Ethics Conference, exploring the timely and urgent question of human-centered leadership in the age of AI, cybersecurity, and fraud. In preparation, I spoke with 13 experts across cybersecurity, breach response, financial crime, regulation, insurance, AI governance, and fraud investigations to better understand what CPAs and leaders need to know right now. Those conversations helped shape both my conference remarks and a thought leadership piece written in coordination with CPA Ontario, grounded in the real experiences of people working on the front lines of these issues. What stayed with me most was this powerful reminder: while technology is evolving quickly, trust, judgment, diligence, culture, and human behaviour remain at the centre of the conversation.

Frame 1
Frame 2
Frame 3
Frame 4

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Cybersecurity is no longer just a technology issue. It is a leadership, ethics, and trust issue.
  • AI is making deception faster, more convincing, and easier to scale, which makes diligence more important than ever.
  • The strongest protection is not one tool or software solution, but a culture of verification, preparation, and accountability.
  • CPAs and leaders have a critical role to play in helping organizations slow down, ask better questions, and protect the trust placed in them.
July 2, 2026 Articles KELLEY KEEHN