Waterloo professor inducted to the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame

Monday, May 1, 2023

by Alyana Versolatto

Efrim Boritz is recognized for his significant contributions to the development of the accounting profession in Canada and globally. Boritz was previously president of the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA) and is one of only two people to receive all the top CAAA awards.

Efrim and Blake shaking hands
The School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) is pleased to share that professor Efrim Boritz was inducted this year into the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame for his extraordinary contributions to the accounting profession. During Boritz’s illustrious 40-year career at the University of Waterloo, he has been a prolific writer and researcher with 24 books and monographs to his credit and over 40 articles in refereed journals. His research involves investigating areas of professional practice in external auditing and internal auditing which rely on the exercise of professional judgment.

Boritz earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration from York University and his PhD in Accounting and Management Information Systems from the University of Minnesota. Apart from five years spent articling with Clarkson, Gordon and Co. for his Chartered Accountancy, Boritz has spent his entire career at SAF. Within SAF, he has taught undergraduate, master’s and PhD-level courses, and served as an approved doctoral dissertation supervisor. He also leads SAF’s Centre for Information Integrity and Information Systems Assurance, holds the Certified Information Systems Auditor designation, and has been CPAO Chair for over twenty years.

Efrim and Tim shaking hands
With his broad experience, he has been sought after as an external examiner for advanced degrees at universities and has served on both the Auditing and Accounting Standards Boards of Canada. Over the years he has been president of the Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA) and was one of only two people to receive all three of the top CAAA Awards. The CAA Awards include the L.S. Rosen Outstanding Educator Award which he received in 2006, the George Baxter Award received in 2009, and most recently, the Haim Falk Award received in 2018.

Bortiz’s monumental accomplishment is a testament of the impact he has made on the accounting field. “It is gratifying to be recognized in this way by my peers,” he says. “I am especially thankful for the kindness and generosity of the many individuals who mentored me, helped me along the way and valued my contributions enough to nominate me for this great honour.”

In light of Boritz’s numerous contributions to the accounting profession, it is unsurprising to those that work with Boritz that he was recognized as an inductee to the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame.

Efrim and his wife
“He has been a prominent figure at the forefront of auditing, information systems, and assurance for as long as I can remember. In the major North American sports, you need to be retired for at least three years before you can be inducted into the hall of fame, and he is still going strong in academia after 40 years. Efrim Boritz has been an ever-steady source of wisdom, integrity, foresight, and innovation in that time and is an incredibly deserving recipient of this honour,” says Tim Bauer, associate professor at the School of Accounting and Finance.

Read more about Efrim Boritz’s research and accomplishments.