Chris Watson Email & Phone Number

Montreal

After 5 years with the Implementation team I decided to move over to the Strategic Consulting Division for a new challenge. As team lead I manage the team's workload and work closely with our Client Success Executives on request for quotes. As a strategic consultant I work with our existing client base on their new initiatives and help them End Month End.

Montreal

After being a client of Multiview for over 8 years I was thrilled to have the opportunity to join their team.As an Implementation Specialist I was responsible for leading the implementation process and acted as primary contact for the customer. I engaged with clients to develop a needs analysis and project implementation plan, then trained the client on the product and on best practices. Finally I supported clients as they go live with the product.

Montreal

After the acquisition of 3Macs by Raymond James Ltd I was offered a senior position at their head office in Vancouver but due to family reasons I had to decline. I stayed on for a few months to assist with the amalgamation and to transition the tasks and responsibilities of the 3Macs Finance team over to the RJL Finance team before my departure.

Montreal

This promotion led to my involvement in many critical corporate initiatives, while still leading the day-to-day responsibilities of the department. Due to some staff departures and the increased demands on the department I was able to restructure the responsibilities and recruit highly skilled financials analysts who were able to take on more of the month-end and reporting processes, allowing me to focus on more critical items. Working closely with the Executive Committee we acquired two branches from Desjardins Securities Inc, and acquired Castellum Capital Management Inc. We also opened a branch in Langley, BC, which was our first branch outside of Quebec and Ontario. I was also heavily involved in the decision to outsource our back-office functions to Fidelity Clearing Canada and was instrumental in the conversion process. Finally, I was asked to join the team working on the sale of the company. This was the most intensive project I had the honour of being a part of. Working with Deloitte we created a highly detailed Confidential Information Memorandum which was circulated to potential bidders. I contributed greatly to this document by providing detailed analysis of our financials, forecasts, advisors and clients. After a unanimous vote by the shareholders we sold the firm above our target price to Raymond James Ltd. This is my proudest accomplishment during my career at 3Macs, albeit a little bittersweet given it ultimately led to the end of 3Macs after 167 years and my eventual departure from the firm.

Montreal

My first promotion resulted in decreasing the Finance team by one member since my position as financial analyst was not replaced. Due to my efficiency I was able to continue performing the financial analyst tasks while taking on the responsibility of leading the rest of the department. After upgrading Multiview to the latest version I was able to further improve our accounts payable process by using the workflow and electronic approval features which allowed us to go paperless, further reducing processing time as well as reducing time spent pulling samples for audit purposes. We also upgraded our payroll system leading to paperless delivery pay slips and tax slips. At this point I was fully responsible for the day-to-day operations of the department. I prepared the monthly financials for the board of directors and the regulatory reporting to IIROC. I was also responsible for the income tax and sales returns and was the 3Macs team lead for our year-end audits, as well as regulatory and government audits.

Montreal

When I joined the 3Macs Finance team the financials were being prepared via a series of Excel files, journals and cheque requests were either hand written or printed and brought to data entry who would punch them in. I was instrumental in the implementation of our new ERP system Multiview Financial Software. This system had vastly improved reporting and analytics. From there I was able develop and implement a streamlined month-end closing process using custom designed templates and checklists. This greatly reduced processing time and allocation errors. As I continually streamlined and improved processes I was able to free up time to take on additional responsibilities, a quality that helped set the stage for future promotions. I was responsible for month-end closing entries, reconciliation and variance analysis. I also created, prepared and distributed monthly statistical reports to sales and management.

Certificate, Accounting

Bachelor Of Science (B.Sc.), Mathematics And Computer Science