IFRS and U.S. GAAP Trainers
The trainers at GAAP Seminars are experts in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) and are well-versed in the rules of accounting of other countries. Our trainers do not just present the materials; we also research and develop the courses ourselves. We are energetic speakers with “real world” experience who convey the course materials in a captivating manner in order to make your training experience not only informative, but interesting as well. We have the high level of technical proficiency required to train a knowledgeable audience in a wide variety of accounting topics. We keep up-to-date with recent accounting changes and can develop specific courses at your request to educate employees at any level in your business.
We invite you to peruse information regarding our trainers below.
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Chris Brundrett
Chris Brundrett is an independent professional training consultant and specializes in delivering U.S. GAAP programs to accounting professionals around the world.
Prior to joining GAAP Seminars, Chris was a Senior Manager with KPMG LLP where he spent 9 years and served a variety of clients, predominately in the Energy and Financial Services industries.
Chris has significant experience with SEC reporting matters, initial public offerings, as well as a variety of other industry specific accounting matters.
Chris is a U.S. CPA and holds a BS in Accounting from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is based in Roanoke, Virginia, USA.
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Lisa Fernihough
Lisa Fernihough is a professional training consultant and specializes in delivering U.S. GAAP and IFRS programs to accounting professionals and executives of large, global companies.
Lisa is a former partner of KPMG. In that capacity she was based in the U.S., Switzerland and the UK. She led KPMG Consulting's IFRS and U.S. GAAP conversion area, developing the methodology and tools used in such implementations to U.S. GAAP and IFRS.
In total, Lisa has 20 years experience in financial reporting and accounting in the finance sector, specializing in banks and insurance companies.
Lisa has spoken and taught at a number of seminars on IFRS and U.S. GAAP, including at conferences jointly sponsored with the IASB and the Financial Times. She is a U.S. CPA with a BS in Accounting from Taylor University and is based in Zürich, Switzerland.
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Bob Laffler
Bob Laffler joined GAAP Seminars in 2004 and has facilitated numerous courses in U.S. GAAP and IFRS around the world. His high-energy teaching style and industry experience are appreciated by those attending his seminars.
Prior to becoming a full time instructor, Bob gained experience from both the public accounting and private industry sectors. In his 6 years with KPMG in the U.S., Germany and Switzerland, Bob worked on audits primarily in the financial services industry, as well as on first-time SEC registrations for Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse.
In 2001, Bob joined Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), the former investment banking division of Credit Suisse Group, as a Vice President. In his role as GAAP specialist responsible for establishing and implementing the Bank’s accounting policies on a global basis, Bob gained a comparative understanding of various GAAPs worldwide, with particular focus on U.S. GAAP and IFRS.
Bob is based in San Diego, California, USA.
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Trisha LeBlanc
Trisha LeBlanc brings in excess of fifteen years of professional experience providing accounting and audit services for KPMG, with in-depth practical knowledge of various accounting and auditing regulations in Europe and North America.
A deliberate decision to move to Europe in 2004 to get on the “IFRS band-wagon” provided Trisha with the opportunity to gain extensive IFRS experience by working through the conversion process with large, global clients for their first-year IFRS financial statements.
Trisha has lived and worked in Canada, the U.S., the Netherlands and the UK, working with clients in a variety of industries, however spending most of her time auditing clients in the Financial Services industry. In addition to facilitating in-house IFRS courses for KPMG, Trisha has taught International Accounting at the University of Ottawa.
Trisha is a Canadian CA with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University, as well as a U.S. CPA and is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Philippe Longerstaey
Philippe Longerstaey is a training consultant with over 25 years of experience in instructing IFRS and U.S. GAAP seminars for accounting professionals in multinational companies and audit firms, lawyers and senior civil servants, in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia.
Philippe is a former audit partner with KPMG. He has served a large number of clients in several industries (commercial and manufacturing, insurance, not-for-profit, government) on various audit and consulting engagements (statutory audits, due diligence, reviews of internal control, fraud investigations, training programmes etc).
Since 1996, he has led two projects of economic cooperation funded by the European Commission and the World Bank to assist the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance in adopting International Accounting Standards and International Standards on Auditing. He has acted as independent consultant and expert witness in several high-profile litigation cases.
Philippe has a BA in Economics from the University of Louvain (Belgium) and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a U.S. CPA and a recipient of an Elijah Watt Sells award. He is based in Brussels, Belgium.
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Richard Stokes
Richard Stokes is an accomplished international financial trainer, with 40 years experience of accounting and teaching.
Richard worked as an auditor with KPMG in London, Hamburg and Stockholm for 20 years, running the KPMG Swedish firm as managing partner before establishing his own practice in Hamburg in 1987.
Since 1987, Richard has specialized in financial training and development, coupled with consulting work for multinationals and auditing firms. In 2001, he co-founded GAAP Seminars.
He specializes in designing tailored accounting-related training solutions for senior management and key accounting personnel, advising companies using IFRS and U.S. GAAP and developing training materials. Richard is an English Chartered Accountant (FCA) living in London, England. He is fluent in English and German.
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Alix von Reibnitz
Alix von Reibnitz is a professional training consultant and specializes in delivering U.S. GAAP and IFRS programs to accounting professionals and members of large, global companies.
As a former Senior Manager with KPMG, Alix has 11 years experience serving clients in the manufacturing and retail industries in both Toronto, Canada and Hamburg, Germany. She specialized in the area of international financial reporting, including conversions to IFRS and U.S. GAAP and initial public offerings.
Since 2001, Alix has taught seminars on IFRS and U.S. GAAP to participants with various levels of prior experience, both in English and German. She is fluent in both languages and also translates commercial documents from German to English and vice versa.
Alix is a Canadian CA with a Master of Accounting from the University of Waterloo, Ontario and is based in Hamburg, Germany.
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Michael Walworth
Michael Walworth is a professional training consultant specializing in the design, development and facilitation of IFRS and U.S. GAAP training programs to accounting professionals and executives of large, global companies.
Michael co-founded GAAP Seminars in 2001 recognizing his clients’ need for high quality, engaging accounting training by professionals with “real world” experience. “Not your typical accountant” and “you have definitely found your calling” are phrases most associated with Michael’s classroom performance. Prior to GAAP Seminars, Michael was a Senior Manager with KPMG LLP, serving financial institution clients in both Richmond, Virginia and Zurich, Switzerland. In total, he has over 15 years experience in financial reporting and accounting in the finance sector.
Michael is a U.S. CPA and a member of the AICPA, holding a BS in Accounting from the University of Florida. He is based in Richmond, Virginia, USA.
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