Faculty
Toronto ACCA Faculty
Our lecturers are professionals who hold years of experience, both in industry with top corporations and organizations and with helping students achieve exam success. Beyond their strong knowledge of the material, our tutors are passionate about teaching and ensure that students have the skills and ability to master their exams.
Head Tutor: Cecil Douglas, ACCA
Biography
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Cecil Douglas has become proficient in helping ACCA students, in both the Caribbean and Toronto, achieve exam success. With years of experience teaching ACCA students, at the Professional Accounting College of the Caribbean and Stouffville College in Toronto, Cecil has helped numerous students pass all 16 ACCA papers. Cecil Douglas spent 17 years with the Jamaican Tax Administration Directorate, where he gained invaluable knowledge and experience in taxation and auditing before migrating to Canada in 2007.
Teaching Philosophy
“As an educator, I strive to encourage excellence in my students and myself. I strongly believe in syllabus coverage for any successful candidate. Course material should be challenging, interactive and relevant to current issues and events. In my interactions with my students I aim to always be respectful of their opinions. I aspire to invoke in my students a thirst for knowledge through my passion for teaching accounting.
Kamila Hussain - ACCA, CGA, PMP, BSc (Hons) Applied Accounting
Biography
Kamila trained and qualified as an ACCA while working as an auditor with Grant Thornton. She then completed her BSc (Hons) degree from Oxford Brookes University in Applied Accounting. Since then she has worked as a consultant with the World Bank and Asian Development Bank and worked with Micro Finance Organizations in South Asia and Canada. Kamila also holds a CGA and PMP qualification. She has taught ACCA classes at the National College of Business Administration and Economics in Pakistan.
Teaching Philosophy
I believe in excellence in teaching by giving importance to preparing for each lecture I deliver to my students. I encourage students to actively participate, as student involvement is the key to their understanding. I enjoy my role as teacher because successfully passing along knowledge to the students is the barometer of my efforts. I want equally for my students to enjoy the learning process and leave with the satisfaction of having learnt something new and useful.
Haneef Katharada M. Bus., AIA
Biography
Haneef holds a Master qualification from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is an affiliated member of the Association of International Accountants.
Haneef spent the early part of his career with a professional accounting firm. In 1986, he began his academic career as a lecturer in financial accounting related subjects. His lecturing expertise in international accounting standards successfully prepared students for the professional examinations of the ACCA, CIMA & ICSA and degree program. Haneef has taught in China and Brunei, although he now confines his overseas lecturing to Malaysia.
Teaching Philosophy
It is my desire as a lecturer to help students meet their fullest potential by believing in them as capable individuals. I believe my primary responsibility is to effectively impart knowledge to students in a way that makes it easiest to understand.
One of my strengths as a lecturer is the enthusiasm I show for the subject I am lecturing. Being well-equipped for lectures and knowledgeable about my chosen subject has helped me to be self-assured when lecturing. I enjoy being able to motivate student's interest and ensure they are excited about the subject matter.
A lecturer now for over 25 years, lecturing provides me an opportunity for continual learning and growth.
"Learning is a process that never ends".
Malik Mehdi ACCA, CGA, ACA (Pakistan) & BSC Hons Applied Accounting
Biography
Malik holds the CA, ACCA and CGA. He has completed the Level 1 of CICA In-Depth Tax Course. Malik has over 10 years of extensive auditing experience. He gained invaluable knowledge and experience while working as an Auditor at Ernst & Young and as an Audit Manager at Russell Bedford. Currently, he is employed as a Senior Consultant in one of the Big Four Accounting Firms. Malik has taught several ACCA Subjects at College of Management Science in Pakistan and was awarded by ACCA for holding first position in International Financial Reporting.
Teaching Philosophy
I believe that effective teaching is comprised of two necessary and related elements: knowledge of the content and ability to communicate it. My teaching philosophy comes from my passion for teaching and centers around the concept of providing students with challenging material in an environment of respect. I encourage learning by creating a relaxed environment for students, stimulating conversation about concepts being presented and organizing material in a way that makes it easiest to understand. My role as teacher is to create an enjoyable learning environment and enhance their ability to excel the examinations.
Nauman Sarwar ACCA, Dip IFR, BSc Hons, B.Comm
Biography
Nauman Sarwar has years of experience in finance and accounting. He has worked in a senior finance role for a community development finance organization. After completion of his ACCA qualification worked for accountancy practice as accounts and audit senior in UK for three years. He has taught Accounting Information Systems to M.Comm students in University of Gujrat Pakistan.
Teaching Philosophy
Have great passion towards teaching profession. During my studies I had the opportunity to learn from some fantastic tutors. My teaching philosophy is greatly inspired by my favorite teachers. First of all a teacher must be passionate about the subject and must be well prepared, secondly must have the ability to seek attention and motivate students, encourage feedback from students.
I had read this quote on the first page of my financial accounting text book years ago.
“Theory without practice is sterile and practice without theory is blind”
In my opinion an ACCA tutor should be able to teach course contents as well as develop student’s exam skills by providing enough question practice during the course.
Larry Yarmolinsky MBA, CA
Biography
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Larry Yarmolinsky, MBA CA has been actively involved in accounting education for over 25 years. Since 1985, Larry has been an Adjunct Professor at York University, where he has taught a number of courses in auditing and management accounting. With students, Larry has a strong reputation for teaching excellence and consistently receives exceptional reviews. Evaluations regularly indicate that over 90% of students would take more courses with Larry as an instructor.
Larry has over 30 years of extensive auditing experience. He is an Audit Director with the Internal Audit Division of the Province of Ontario, a position he has held for the past 10 years. Prior to this role, Larry was an Audit Manager with the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, where he conducted numerous operational, value for money and financial audits on ministries and government agencies. Larry obtained his Charted Accountant designation (CA) in Toronto, while working at Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Teaching Philosophy
“Teaching is a two way street. Students work hard to understand the material and my role is to ensure that they reach their full potential.
My teaching philosophy is to make learning a very enjoyable experience for all students. I focus on the key points of the subject matter and ensure students understand the material through examples from real life.
Recent testimonials from students can be found on Ratemyprofessor.com
Toronto English Faculty
Xanthi Phardis, BA Hons., Bed, TOEFL
Biography
Xanthi has four years of teaching experience both in Toronto and abroad. During her undergraduate studies at York University, Xanthi gained experience within the classroom at the TDSB and TCDSB school boards, with a specific focus on Family Studies and French. After graduating, she decided to take the next step in her professional career and teach in Spain as an English teacher, primarily focusing on business and the communication skills involved. Currently, Xanthi has a good-standing record as a qualified member of the Ontario College of Teachers.
Philosophy
“My personal philosophy comes from my passion for teaching as well as my desire to help my students learn, grow, and reach their goals. As a teacher, it is my intention to enrich both the minds and lives of my students while respecting each student’s individuality. It is important that I respect both the cultural and educational diversities of students by teaching in a culturally meaningful way and providing students with differentiated learning opportunities. Moreover, I believe in making learning enjoyable, thought-provoking, and applicable to students’ lived experiences. My overall goal is to foster an inclusive, equitable, an anti-racist environment that meets the needs of my students.”
