Carol Wilding is president of the Toronto Region Board of Trade.TOM SANDLER/The Globe and Mail
The President of Toronto Region Board of Trade will leave the board to return to her roots this fall and head the new integrated body for the province's accountants.
After seven-and-a-half years leading the board, Carol Wilding, a chartered accountant, will become the first President and CEO of Chartered Professional Accountants Ontario, an organization that joins Chartered Accountants, Certified General Accountants and Certified Management Accountants.
"It's a chance to get back to my profession, so I'm excited about it... It's very personal," said Ms. Wilding, who will make the transition at the end of September.
"More importantly, it's a chance to really put a mark in terms of leading [accounting] in a new direction, to be more competitive, to be more relevant," she said.
The Board under Ms. Wilding has worked to promote awareness and solutions to alleviating GTA gridlock – a burden on the region's economy – and has called for better leadership, both for Toronto and regionally, to boost economic growth.
Ms. Wilding and the board took a strong stance on Mayor Rob Ford in November after police confirmed the existence of a video that appeared to show the mayor smoking crack cocaine, calling for him to take time off. In a statement, the board said it did not believe Mr. Ford could "effectively fulfill" his duties.
Prior to joining the board of trade, Ms. Wilding was President of Mount Sinai Hospital Foundation and President of Plan Canada.
With a report from Elizabeth Church