Biography
Rand Rowlands has always been less of an accountant than a forensic scientist. His goal has been to understand things. He moves slowly and does poorly when he does not understand what it is he is doing. So as an accountant, understanding the business is the most important thing. Otherwise, you are just going through the motions.
Rand’s pre-George Brown College career led him to realize that teaching here is what his meant to do. His time in the classroom is the best part of his day. If you are looking for Mr. Rowlands, and he is not in class and classes are in session, he’s likely to be in his office. This is his full-time job, and while he no longer works the 70-hour weeks of a start-up, he still works more than 50 hours a week (depending on how you define work – some of it is just fun). He hopes that in 10 years’ time he’ll still be here teaching.
Academic Credentials
Chartered Professional Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
Chartered Accountant, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
Certified Management Accountant, Society of Management Accountants of Ontario
Master of Business Administration, York University
Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), University of Toronto
Areas of Specialization
Accounting
Auditing
Accounting Information Systems
Managerial Accounting for Non-Accounting Majors
Areas of Expertise
Strategic Management
Course Design/Program Design
Systems and Procedures
Career Highlights
Rand Rowlands started his career at Price Waterhouse where he met the absolute best overall group of high achievers, many of whom went on to corner offices in major Canadian and international organizations. His next real position, and his favorite job prior to teaching, was as a Senior Financial Analyst, where he could poke his nose into whatever caught his interest. His best achievement there was recommending a cut of $20 million in inventory at a time when interest rates exceeded 10% per year.
The next stop was a bit of a misstep. The day Rand arrived he was told the job had radically changed. It was a bad fit, but he still found a way to contribute by closely reading a lease to save millions of dollars over two years. A friend from PW then hooked him up with a small software start-up back in Toronto. The next few years were spent in that industry. There were long, long hours and challenging times working with a smart young group of entrepreneurs. They missed going big by a fraction.
At the next company, Rand led an IPO. There was an interesting mix of personalities that had a clever idea, but the technology was not yet right for what they were doing. A contract at Imperial Oil exposed him to another group of high achievers who were focussed on engineering rather than accounting. This excellently run organization gave him great insights into the workings of a major contributor to the Canadian economy.
When Rand got to George Brown College and walked into the classroom that first day, he had the feeling that this is what he is supposed to be doing. The past, as they say, is just prologue… and it prepared him for this.
