Robert Col (BCom 2007)

Manager, Financial Reporting & Compliance, Smart Real Estate Investment Trust

Robert Col graduated from UTM in 2007 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, which included an accounting specialist and major in economics, while also completing a minor in Italian.

Col was involved with various extra-curricular activities while at UTM and began his involvement by joining the Italian Club of Erindale (ICE) in his first year of studies and went on to hold executive positions that included treasurer and social director, while contributing to the growth of the club’s membership as well as its presence both on and off campus. He was also very involved with the Undergraduate Commerce Society, for which he was elected to the position of accounting director in his third year and corporate relations director in his final year of study. Col along with his colleagues, were successful in building upon the strong relationships that UCS had with the business community, particularly the ‘Big Four Accounting Firms’, growing the levels of sponsorship and ensuring that UTM was consistently well-positioned for student recruitment.

It was in his second year of study that Col decided to pursue his Chartered Accountancy designation (CA). He later went on to intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Assurance group and then attained a full time role after graduation in 2007. Col's path after obtaining his CA includes stints as a senior accountant at a boutique firm in Toronto, a finance role at an international infrastructure company Carillion Canada, and then returning to audit practice with Deloitte which included a secondment to Deloitte US in Idaho. Col's current role is managing the financial reporting and compliance function at SmartREIT (formerly Calloway REIT), with a particular interest in improving business processes and enhancing the SmartREIT’s public disclosures where possible.

For the last decade, Col has been an active volunteer in provincial politics and has served in various senior roles—such as director at large, vice-president, treasurer and CFO—for his local riding association, local nomination campaigns, general election campaigns, provincial executive and audit committee. He currently serves on the University of Toronto Mississauga Alumni Association board of directors.

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