Carol Sawatzky

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Hi, I'm Carol Sawatzky. I'm a highly-skilled, very experienced CPA seeking consulting opportunities and clients in the Metro Detroit | Windsor areas.

Carol Sawatzky's Bio:

Carol Sawatzky's Experience:

• Owner at Carol Sawatzky, CPA, CA

  December 2013 - Present | Windsor ON | Metro Detroit MI

  PERSONAL TAX SERVICES: Canadian personal tax returns from the simple to the complex. US commuter returns (1040NR), US 1040 for Canadian residents and related state/city returns. CORPORATE SERVICES - Canadian Small Business: Corporate tax, financial statements. Preparation and filing of T-slips (T4, T4A, T5 etc.). Financial projections for banks or business plans. As your controller-for-hire - yearend accounting services to minimize work required by your yearend accountant: review of your accounts and adjusting journal entries, preparation of working papers, preparation of financial statements and footnotes. CORPORATE SERVICES - Consulting Projects for US or Canadian Private Companies: Internal controls assessment and recommendations. Budgeting, forecasting, internal reporting, variance analysis. Other special corporate financial projects or reporting. ASSURANCE SERVICES - Consulting for US or Canadian Public Accountants: Assistance on any assurance-related project on a contract basis, from the simple to the complex. US GAAP or ASPE, or special frameworks. FREE initial consultations - call or text 519-990-8889 or email [email protected]. FREE travel and pick-up and delivery of returns, financial statements or other reports within a specified area (Windsor, Essex County including Wheatley/Tilbury area, Metro Detroit).

• Audit & Advisory Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche

  September 2010 - Present | Windsor, Ontario

  Manage small business client base representing revenues to the firm of over $400 thousand annually, including ad hoc business and tax needs, and annual audit, review, and compilation engagements for companies of up to $100 million in revenues. Assess engagement risk; review and adapt budget and recommend fee; design general audit approach; review detailed audit design, planning, internal controls assessment and testing, substantive fieldwork, wrap-up and financial statement reporting and disclosures; guide, develop and review performance of supervisory staff; recommend improvements to internal controls based on audit findings. Analyze budget overruns to determine, recommend and negotiate additional fees. Negotiate collection of aged receivables. Analyze highly complex transactions around amalgamations and tax planning in complex corporate groups to ensure appropriate accounting and financial statement consolidation. Plan and execute tax strategy for simpler corporate groups, review corporate and personal tax returns including T4/T5 summaries. Research and analyze differences between Canadian GAAP and ASPE, and advise clients accordingly with respect to accounting framework conversion. Liaise between clients and firm subject matter experts as required. Promoted from manager.

• Chartered Accountant at Gordon B. Lee, C.A.

  September 2009 - Present | Windsor, Ontario

  Plan and execute special compliance assurance engagements, including those to support the firm’s assurance report on government forms for non-profit housing, and that to support litigation regarding the competence or lack thereof of condominium client’s property manager. Research all issues around appropriate standards, reporting, and client letters related to the latter engagement. Plan, execute, supervise and review audit, review and compilation engagements, mostly for condominiums and other non-profit housing corporations. Complete corporate and personal tax returns. Research US personal tax issues on an ad hoc basis.

• Audit Principal at Collins Barrow Leamington

  September 2012 - August 2013 | Leamington, Ontario

  Execute, supervise and review audit, review and compilation engagements for clients of up to $100 million in revenues. Recommend improvements to internal controls based on audit findings. Adapt audit design for better efficiency and compliance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards. Guide and develop staff. Recommend tax strategy, complete/review corporate and personal tax returns.

• Audit Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers

  September 2006 - July 2009 | Detroit, Michigan

  Manage audit engagements for private companies, including those reported on foreign exchanges in France, Germany and Japan, of up to $5 billion in revenues. Assess engagement risk; review and adapt budget and recommend fee; design general audit approach; review/implement or perform detailed audit design, planning, internal controls assessment and testing, substantive fieldwork, wrap-up and financial statement reporting and disclosures; guide, develop and review performance of staff; recommend improvements to internal controls based on audit findings. Analyze budget overruns to determine, recommend and negotiate additional fees. Analyze highly complex accounting areas such as goodwill, long-term contract WIP and UBCR, IBNR medical, defined benefit pension and employee benefit plans, stock options, and standard costing and application of overhead to ensure appropriate accounting. Manage group audits – allocate materiality among and determine of level of assurance to be obtained from components, instruct component auditors. Report to group auditors according to instructions received. Research and analyze differences between US GAAP and IAS/IFRS to ensure correct accounting adjustments and reporting to group auditor. Promoted from senior associate.

• Accounting Operations Manager at Teksid Aluminum

  September 2005 - August 2006 | Southfield, Michigan

  For the Americas region: liaise between corporate controller and plant controllers for matters related to internal financial reporting; review and consolidate budget, monthly forecast and flash; consolidate actual monthly results and analyze variances from standards; calculate adjusted EBITDA for debt covenant purposes. Develop monthly reporting models. Ad hoc reports as requested. Sensitivity analysis for the sell price versus the cost of aluminum, given the pricing formulae of various customers that all differ, and that utilize several different exchanges and benchmark types (e.g., spot, monthly average, prior monthly average, prior six months average, etc.).

• Senior Financial Analyst / Accounting Supervisor at Panasonic Automotive

  July 2001 - July 2005 | Southfield, Michigan

  See below for positions and duties

• Senior Financial Analyst at Panasonic Automotive

  April 2003 - July 2005

  Budget revenues and expenses for the division, working with business unit managers and accounting supervisors. Forecast for the division each month to report pre-close to North American headquarters in Secaucus. Consolidate monthly results of the division’s two remote manufacturing sites and the remote sales site to meet the three-day close requirement. Guide the remote controllers in accounting and reporting matters and map the manufacturing accounts to the Southfield division’s chart of accounts. Report monthly flash and results to Secaucus for the consolidated division, report monthly results to automotive headquarters in Tokyo and compile monthly internal management reporting package. Analyze revenue and expense variances from budget, forecast, and prior periods by profit center (customer), discussing with business unit managers to ascertain and correct root causes. SEC reporting for the division to Secaucus for consolidation. Develop monthly reporting models (e.g. profit and loss statements by product line and by vendor) and ad hoc reports as required. Develop conversion table and conversion tool to facilitate import interface between local accounting system (SAP) and reporting program to Tokyo (WING). Develop criteria to perform cost/benefit analyses of available wireless plans, assess results and recommend the best plan.

• Common to Both Positions at Panasonic Automotive

  July 2001 - July 2005

  Reconcile book to taxable income through Schedule M for the division and report to Secaucus Tax Department. Liaise between internal and external auditors and accounting staff. Accrue certain variable costs.

• Accounting Supervisor at Panasonic Automotive

  July 2001 - April 2003

  Review or prepare: gross profit analyses by profit center, by product group and by part, comparing to budget or price authorization, and correcting incorrect sell prices or costs; account analyses; physical inventory reconciliations; closing and other journal entries and SAP adjustments, and support for these (including inventory-in-transit accrual); reconciliations of trade payables; profit and loss statements by profit center. Provide guidance to two reports for complex issues related to the foregoing. Ensure month-end close process of no more than three days for the profit centers under my responsibility. Budget costs for the profit centers under my responsibility. Troubleshoot problem areas in inventory, e.g. develop cycle count procedures for physical inventory at third-party warehouses, reconcile trade payables to supplier statement, and clear balance sheet accounts of items greater than three months old.

• Audit Senior Associate at BDO Seidman

  January 2001 - July 2001 | Troy, Michigan

  Execute, supervise and review audit engagements, mostly for non-profits and charities. Guide and develop staff.

• Audit Senior Associate at Deloitte & Touche

  September 1998 - January 2001 | Windsor, Ontario

  Plan, execute, supervise and review audit, review and compilation engagements. Recommend improvements to internal controls based on audit findings. Guide, develop and review performance of staff. Recommend tax strategy. Hired full-time after internship May to August 1997.

Carol Sawatzky's Education:

• University of Windsor

  1994 – 1998
  Hons. B. Comm
  Concentration: Accounting
  Activities: Average in the A to A+ range (12.32 out of 13) equating to GPA of 3.79 out of 4 | Intermediate Accounting teaching assistant January 1997 to April 1998 | Participation in the International Business Policy Competition April 1998 held annually in San Jose; University of Windsor team took 2nd place | Governor General’s Silver Medal, June 1998, for highest standing among fellow graduates from University of Windsor | Board of Governors Medal, all four years, highest standing in the Faculty of Business Administration | Dean’s List, all four years | Bill Harvie Endowment Fund Scholarship, 1994-5, renewed next three years | H.A. Scarff Memorial Prize, 1994-5, highest standing in Accounting, Year 1 | Ruza Robote Award, 1994-5, highest standing of full-time undergraduates

• Leamington District Secondary School

• United Mennonite Educational Institute

Carol Sawatzky's Interests & Activities: