Matthew Rudd CPA, CA
Matt has demonstrated exceptional leadership and financial acumen at Canadian Western Bank (CWB), where he has significantly shaped the bank’s strategic growth and financial performance.
Matt joined CWB in 2018 and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 2020. Under his leadership, CWB implemented several key initiatives that bolstered its financial resiliency including a funds transfer pricing methodology, a funding diversification framework, and a significant maturation of CWB’s liquidity and capital risk management strategies. These initiatives supported CWB successfully navigating the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 US banking crisis. Matt also led the development of CWB’s sustainability strategy and the publication of its inaugural Sustainability Report. Notably, Matt played a leadership role in negotiating, structuring, and closing the $5 billion sale of CWB to National Bank in 2024. Following the acquisition, Matt has joined National Bank in an executive leadership position, focused on uniting the teams in the combined bank to deliver a stronger banking choice for all Canadians and Canadian businesses.
As a mentor, Matt has championed CPA certification at CWB and programs like the OneFinance Learning Day, which enhances professional development across the organization. Matt has also focused on developing financial awareness, literacy, and expertise throughout CWB. Over his career, Matt’s mentorship has had a profound impact on many professionals, helping them either elevate within finance functions or expand beyond traditional roles into areas like strategy, treasury, and sustainability.
Matt has made significant community contributions as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors for Sport Central, a not-for-profit association that provides sports equipment for children of families facing financial hardship. Matt supported the maturation of the association’s financial management processes and controls, led the development of their investment policy, and enhanced their financial planning and analysis capabilities. This stable financial foundation has enabled Sport Central to provide over 30,000 pieces of sports equipment to nearly 10,000 children annually and to assess an expansion campaign that could help even more deserving children change their lives through sport.
Why have you chosen the CPA designation?
The first few years of earning my CPA designation at KPMG were challenging but very rewarding. We worked hard but learned a lot working with clients in a variety of industries and built a strong technical foundation. We were given the opportunity to find our leadership style at an early stage and received tremendous mentorship and support from a talented group of managers and partners. Most importantly, I had a lot of fun and built meaningful, lasting relationships with a cohort of young professionals who eventually turned into the next wave of business leaders inside and outside of traditional accounting and finance roles.
How has being a CPA impacted you?
My career as a CPA has provided me with many adventures. As a financial executive, I’ve helped organizations navigate through US expansion, a proxy fight, a global pandemic, a banking crisis, turbulent economic and regulatory conditions, capital raises, and plenty of M&A, including the sale of CWB to National Bank. Perhaps the most profound impact that the CPA designation has provided is the ability to mentor other professionals throughout my career helping them navigate their own adventures. I’ve been fortunate to work with some tremendously talented people and seeing them elevate as professionals has been incredibly rewarding.
What about volunteering makes it rewarding for you?
I have volunteered as a Board member for the Sport Central association, which provides sports equipment to children from families facing financial hardship. As a father, I’ve been able to experience what participation in sports has done for my kids. It has developed confidence, resilience, a meaningful community, and friendships. As a business leader, I’ve seen the benefits that participation in sports provides young professionals. I believe all children should be able to experience these same benefits regardless of their financial circumstances. Sport Central helps about 10,000 children each year and we are working hard to find ways to help even more.
What was the most challenging experience you encountered in serving others and why was it valuable?
Sport Central relies on donations to fund most of our operations each year. The pandemic was challenging, but we knew it was critical to maintain our operations to ensure we were there for kids to help them return to sport. This experience reinforced the importance of cash flow management, having a financial safety net with contingent sources of funding, and a framework to nimbly manage expenditures. Thanks to the prudent management of the organization and the generosity of our donors, we were able to ensure that as many kids as possible could rejoin their teams and activities.
Why is it important for you to give back?
I have been so fortunate to work with great coaches, leaders, and mentors. Opportunities were provided to me because someone believed in me. I certainly didn’t get here on my own—I had tremendous help and support through my career. I’m now lucky enough to be in a position to do the same for others. Its incumbent on all of us to support our communities and young professionals to ensure that the next generation of business leaders feel as supported and empowered as I did.
What values do you live by?
I’ve faced many challenges in my professional career so far. Not all have resulted in positive outcomes for me, and some have been immensely tough in the moment. But I’ve persevered and continued to push forward. The most important value this has galvanized is always doing the right thing, even if it is difficult. If a decision is made because it is the right thing for the stakeholders of your organization—its people, clients, and investors—you’ll preserve your integrity, reputation, and relationships as a professional. And that’s the ultimate legacy we take with us when we reach the end of our careers.
Who or what has been instrumental in your success and why?
My mentors at KPMG pushed me to challenge myself every day and to learn that adversity was an obstacle, not a roadblock. The network of colleagues that I have been fortunate enough to work with—everything I have accomplished is because I’ve had a talented team with me every step of the way. In challenging situations, they have been the umbrella to help shield me from the storm. The senior management team and Board of Directors at CWB, believed in and took a chance on promoting someone whose age started with a three as their next CFO in the middle of a global pandemic. My new colleagues at National Bank—we are a special combination, and I look forward to all we'll achieve together.
Note of thanks
Thank you to my wife, Claire and our kids, Sophie and Mason. They have supported my career, well outside the realm of reasonableness. I could not have achieved this great honour without Claire’s support. I’m motivated every day to make sure that I am worthy of her unwavering support, and to ensure that my kids can continue to be proud of their dad.