Brian Connell-Tombs

Brian Connell-Tombs has spent over 20 years combining his knowledge of accounting and finance with his skills in forensic investigation to help resolve some of Canada’s highest profile investment improprieties and disputes.

Brian Connell-Tombs’ expertise has led to the recent formation of CT Compliance Consulting. Based in the Toronto area of Ontario, the firm provides the highest caliber of regulatory compliance services to clients in the financial services industry. His focus is on designing and implementing effective operational risk management strategies, including staff training and investigations into client complaints.

Most recently, he was a Manager with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI), one of Canada’s largest and independent and impartial investigator of banking and investments related complaints. In this role, he led and coached a team of investigators, establishing priorities and workloads. During his four years of service he helped to eliminate a large backlog of complaints – ahead of schedule and under budget.

Connell-Tombs took on that job in 2013 after two separate stints of service as senior investigator for the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). With responsibility for managing investigations into alleged violations of IIROC Rules, his work led to prosecutions resulting in fines of over $70 million. These cases included the collapse of First Leaside Securities Inc. and of the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper market.

Connell-Tombs also served as a forensic accountant for the Ontario Securities Commission from 2005 to 2008. His position gave him a wide range of responsibilities. They spanned investigations of financial statement misrepresentations, illegal distribution of securities and abuse of security exchange trading rules.

Connell-Tombs started his career in accounting as an auditor and then later as an investigator with CRA. In 1998 he moved to PriceWaterhouseCoppers as a Senior Associate in their Financial Advisory Services section and in 1999, he moved to Ernst & Young. During his years at Ernst & Young he worked as a senior forensic accountant and as a manager, he managed, planned and executed forensic investigations and also oversaw litigation support for cases in a wide variety of industries, from securities to transportation.

With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto in 1985, Brian Connell-Tombs earned his accounting designation (CPA, CMA) in 1991, his Certified Forensic Investigator (CFI) designation in 2001 and a certificate in Investment Dealer Compliance in 2013.