Jeff Smith is a Partner, Operations Improvement, KPMG LLP.  Mr. Smith brings nearly 30 years of business management and advisory experience to his clients. He enjoys the challenges of linking enterprise strategic goals to results through practical plans, alignment of corporate capability, through team building and coaching to measurable results.  Jeff brings a passion for clients, our team and for community leadership.

Prior to KPMG’s acquisition of Chartwell IRM Inc, (Chartwell) Mr. Smith was President and Chief Executive Officer where he held accountability for corporate performance, strategic direction and profitable, sustainable growth, Chartwell gained national status and reputation for achieving business improvement results through transformation programs, and an enviable reputation as an industry role model in corporate social responsibility.

He joined Chartwell after playing management roles with IBM Canada, AT&T Canada and the Province of Ontario’s ministries of Finance and Government Services.

Throughout his career, Jeff has enjoyed a rich diversity of challenges. Starting his career with IBM Canada he was placed on an accelerated management development program culminating with responsibility for delivering information management services to marketing staff in 36 countries on behalf of IBM World Trade headquarters in New York. Joining the Ontario Public Sector to gain an appreciation for public administration, Jeff was ultimately responsible for management of the province’s multiple computing centres while concurrently playing the role of technology advisor to the Premier’s Office. As advisor he planned and led a number of high profile public consultation programs. Principle amongst these was the implementation of an unprecedented program to allow Ontario residents immediate access to information following the announcement of two annual provincial Budgets. The program was subsequently modified to introduce public consultation on provincial policy development.
While in the advisor role Mr. Smith recognized the opportunity for transforming the information technology strategy of the province and initiated and hosted a North American tour of the technologically advanced states and provinces for the Chair of Management Board of Cabinet, provincial ministers and senior bureaucrats. This set in motion the concept of a rationalization of provincial IT capability and assets.

During his time with the Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Revenue (now Finance) and Management Board Secretariat, Mr. Smith led numerous information technology branch, division, ministry and cross ministry service improvement initiatives.  His roles as Director, Client Services and Director, Operations Branch for the province’s IT infrastructure division required the creation and management of continuous improvement processes for over 20 diverse client ministries in the delivery of telecommunication, and infrastructure services.  A 5 year modernization strategy was developed incorporating each client ministry’s individual service and economic requirements to foster continued value and viability of the division.

Jeff’s experience in developing strategies for IT management and achieving customer satisfaction was further refined as a Partner with AT&T Professional Services.  Mr. Smith was the facilitator of numerous IT management and delivery strategies designed to address the specific business needs of the Canadian retail, financial and telecommunications industries. During this time, because of his public sector experience he was invited to the post of Vice-Chair of the Information Technology Association of Canada’s (ITAC) Ontario Government Procurement Committee.

Jeff’s leadership roles in the private, public sector and the not-for-profit sector have allowed him a unique vantage point and development opportunities. He has enjoyed success in bargaining unit labour relations and negotiation, in multi-national business planning, in media relations, in public policy development to name a few. He has developed an insight into the motivation and unique challenges of each of the three sectors and the strategies for success.

He has significant communications experience acting as a spokesman for both corporate and community organizations. He speaks at industry conferences, not-for-profit conferences and has experience acting as a media representative, previously for the success of Ontario government programs and currently on topics such as corporate social responsibility and chronic homelessness.

Mr. Smith is very focused on community development and provides leadership in corporate social responsibility. For the past ten years, Jeff has been committed to bringing non-profit, government and business leaders together for the aid of Canada’s disadvantaged citizens, the homeless. He is the past Board Chair of the Homes First Society, one of Toronto’s largest not-for-profit organization providing supportive housing for Toronto’s chronically homeless population. He was the founding Board Chair of the Homes First Foundation, incorporated to provide sustainable funding to its operational partner organization. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the 2016 Foundation, a private group of Canadian CEO’s and business leaders advocating and applying global leading practices for ending chronic homelessness, at the local community level. He is also the newly appointed Vice-Chair of the Board of AHED (Academics for Higher Education and Development), a Canadian charity devoted to the development of higher education programs in developing countries.

In his own community Mr. Smith has been appointed by the Town of Whitby Council, as their community representative for the Region of Durham’s Transportation Master Plan, recommending transit and transportation infrastructure needs and strategies for the next two decades. He was also appointed as community representative for the controversial toll highway (Highway 407) Environmental Assessment Program.