34/ JULY 2017 THE RIDER Equestrian Canada Appoints Robert Westgarth as Financial Controller


Ottawa, ON, June 9, 2017 – Equestrian Canada (EC)


is


pleased to announce Robert Westgarth has been appointed Fi- nancial Controller, effective June 12, 2017. Westgarth first joined EC in


the fall of 2016 in the role of Sen- ior Officer of Executive Services. Skilled and well-versed in both finance and governance, he has been a true asset to EC, utilizing his background in accounting, as well as his experience in creating bylaws and taking on the role of treasurer for a start-up non-profit organization. Prior to joining EC, West-


garth was an Accountant for Rheaume Williams Kalbfleisch, providing full-service accounting to small and mid-sized corpora- tions, including financial report- ing, account


reconciliation,


corporate and charitable tax preparation, depreciation sched- ule maintenance, and manage- ment of receivables and payables. In addition, Westgarth has been a Board member and Treasurer of the non-profit organization, T-


Network International, since 2015, where he has helped to set up the board governance system and complete the CRA Canadian charitable status ap- plication. Westgarth’s appointment


to Financial Controller will re- place outgoing EC Director of Finance, Mike Mouat. “When I took on the role


of Director of Finance and Ad- ministration in early Decem- ber 2016,


I was fully


committed to completing the immediate challenge of transi- tioning the accounting sys- tems within the organization, closing the month ends, and fi- nalizing the 2016-2017 finan- cial


statements organization,” for the explained


Mouat, a Chartered Professional Accountant with a passion for sport. “The finance team is in now the final stages of complet- ing these tasks. Therefore, after much consideration as to the next steps in my career, I have decided to accept an offer that represents my dream job, and hand over the


Canada appointed Robert Westgarth to the position of Financial Controller. Photo Courtesy of Equestrian Canada


leadership of the EC finance de- partment.” Mouat continued, “Over the


past year at EC, our finance team faced serious challenges, but I am proud of all that we have accom- plished, and I am fully confident that, given his accounting back-


On June 12, 2017, Equestrian


ground and relationship-build- ing skills, Robert is the right choice to continue building upon the progress made to date. I wish Robert all the best in his new role, and thank the EC staff and board for provid- ing me with the chance to con- tribute to this organization and grow personally and profes- sionally during my time at EC by facing the unique chal- lenges and opportunities within the industry.” EC Chief Executive Officer,


Eva Havaris, spoke to Mouat’s hard work and successes in the


EC finance department. “Mike has done the job that he set out to do and has left EC in a stable financial position, having im- plemented a much improved fi- nancial reporting system, and


provided for the efficient transfer of responsibilities to Robert – whom we are excited to welcome into his new role of Financial Controller to carry forward and build from the solid foundation Mike has built for EC.” Westgarth has spent the past


year working closely with the fi- nance department while also pro- viding vital support to EC’s senior leadership and Board of Directors, acting as a liaison be- tween internal and external EC stakeholders regarding executive initiatives in line with the values, ethics, accountability and profes- sionalism of the organization. In his role as Financial Controller, Westgarth will focus immedi- ately on the following financial priorities: • Continuing to close month end financials using the processes that have been put in place, and building a reporting framework for the relevant stakeholder groups that allows them to make informed financial decisions. This process will include tying in the EC Board-approved budget to ensure financial performance is regularly measured and adjust- ments can be made on an ongo- ing basis to ensure an acceptable financial outcome for 2017/2018. • Reporting unaudited 2016/2017 financial results to the EC Board. • Successfully completing all


audit procedures with KPMG, and subsequently providing au- dited financial statements to the CEO, Finance and Audit Com- mittee, and EC Board of Direc- tors. • Delivering and reporting on au- dited financial statements to the EC voting members at the 2017 EC Annual General Meeting (AGM). • Delivering timely and accurate month-end and year-end reports. “I am looking forward to


taking on this great responsibil- ity, and humbled to be coming in after Mike and all of the work he has done successfully leading the finance team,” said Westgarth. “Having been working closely with Mike, EC staff and the fi- nance committee for some time now, I have a clear picture of where we are heading as an or- ganization and what we need to do to continue on the path to restoring trust and faith in the great work we do as a federa- tion.”


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