Martin Ritchie, Class of 2000
“My MMPA with my CA designation earned me credibility and opened every world in business to me in all different directions.”
Principal of Caledon Mills, an independent management and accounting boutique firm specializing in corporate compliance for Canadian small-to-mid-cap companies, Martin Ritchie is a proud University of Toronto graduate. Having earned his Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University, Martin learned that accounting would open many doors and believed the best way to further this was to pursue an MMPA from the University of Toronto, a degree aligned with his simultaneous pursuit of a CA designation. “It was the ideal mix of education and experience,” says Martin, who worked both school work-terms for KPMG.
After graduation, he worked for two years in Bermuda at Ernst and Young auditing Hedge Funds and other investments, then moved on to London to earn his Masters in Law and Accounting (Corporate Governance) from the London School of Economics, writing his dissertation on the affects of Sarbanes Oxley on the marketplace. For the next three years, Martin enjoyed the position of associate forensic accounting for KPMG while earning a Chartered Business Valuator designation before founding Caledon Mills. With his partner, Martin now works on corporate governance, Sox programs, Bill 198 and Sarbanes Oxley quality-assurance reviews, entity-level controls and test plans, and training seminars for clients in multiple industries.
Thinking back on his career, Martin says, “My University of Toronto MMPA with my CA designation earned me credibility and opened every world in business to me in all different directions. I have since referred a number of people to the program, and they have also done very well.”
Recently, Martin was the recipient of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario Award of Distinction honouring CA’s who made an early impact, bringing distinction to themselves and their profession through leadership and achievement in their professional, community, and/or personal lives.
Martin is an avid squash and tennis player and participates regularly in marathons and half marathons. He is active in many charities including an annual volunteer position at Camp Oochigeas for kids inflicted with cancer, Big Brother, and Board of Directors Member for Breath for Cystic Fibrosis (Breath4CF.)