Who is Simon Gaudreau?

Simon Gaudreau is a manager with MNP's Forensic Accounting and Investigations team in Montreal. His role often involves following the evidence, asking the right questions, and helping to shed light on instances of wrongdoing — skills he honed through a childhood passion for mysteries, and which continue to serve his clients today.

Learn more about Simon and the role of forensic accounting by reading his interview below.

Tell us what led you to become a forensic accountant.

Forensic accounting is like detective work. We make numbers talk to try to understand the problem or the issue, or if an act of fraud is suspected, how the fraudsters went about it. I’ve always been fascinated by investigations. I’ve read a lot of crime novels, and when I was young, my parents used to say I was a real snoop because I’d always be asking questions.

I’m passionate about forensic accounting because it allows me to combine the worlds of business, law, psychology and investigation. When I discovered this field during my university studies, I jumped right in. 

What do you particularly like about your work?

It’s a job where there’s no routine. Every engagement is different, and we never know in advance what’s going to happen. There’s the numbers side, but there’s also the human side. In that regard, we conduct interviews not only with our clients, but also with any key people who might be able to help us identify the problem. So there’s an important psychological aspect: you have to know how to ask the right questions. Since fraudsters often conjure up  new methods to achieve their ends, we also have to be creative in trying to understand their modus operandi. That being said, we have to follow the right trails and find the right information.  

Are there aspects of your job that are particularly gratifying?

All assignments are rewarding, whether they’re large or small in scope, because what matters most is helping the clients get a clearer picture and to improve their situation. When clients come to see us, they’re in the dark. They can sense  that something’s not right in their company, they’re losing money or the business is not performing at the expected level, but they don’t know exactly what is happening. In order to clear things up, we sort through information, establish a methodology, conduct interviews and collect data to ultimately identify the problem or how the fraudster operated.

Is there a typical fraudster profile?

It’s hard to come up with a composite sketch of a fraudster because there’s no one consistent profile, and that’s something forensic accountants must keep in mind when undertaking their investigative work. It can just as easily be a man as a woman, a senior executive, a manager, a supplier or even an employee. I had one file where the fraudster was an administrative assistant who had worked for the company for 15 years and whom everyone trusted. 

The most typical characteristic is having access to certain information and opportunities, as well as having motivation. The motivation can be personal, they want to maintain a certain lifestyle, or they’re experiencing financial difficulties following a major life change, such as a divorce. There are also professional motivations – for example, someone wants to achieve certain sales results to get a bonus. We also see financial statement fraud to make the company look like it is in better shape than it really is. That may come from a good intention: for instance, if the fraudster is an executive who wants to maintain jobs. Nonetheless, it’s still fraud.

To detect a potential fraudster, there are certain red flags we must be attentive to. These are just some examples among many: someone who is clearly living beyond their means (new car, travel, etc.), or an employee who is very protective of their work, never takes a day off and gives out information very sparingly. Anything is possible – fraud never sleeps!

Contact Simon

To learn more about how Simon can help your organization, contact him at 514.906.4641 or [email protected].