JEFF LAY

Jeff Lay began his career as partner at Wilkinson in 2005. A graduate of the University of Western, Jeff is also a former Olympic rowing champion who took home the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics and gold at the 1993 world championships.

Jeff brings the same dedication, tenacity and work ethic to his professional career that he did to his athletic career. Today he takes the lessons he learned as an Olympic athlete and applies them to his work within the firm. Jeff, speaking to the importance of teamwork, drew these parallels; “Rowing is the ultimate team sport. You are in a boat with four people, if one person is slightly off - if you are not in perfect harmony - you can lose. That sort of approach is very important to me, even if you help someone excel beyond yourself, you help them for the benefit of the team – working together you accomplish a lot more than if you focus just on yourself.”

The diversity of Jeff’s clients exposes him to a number of different people and types of businesses – all of whom benefit from his expertise in areas such as business advising, succession planning, and personal and corporate taxation. As would be expected of a top athlete, Jeff expects high standards – and as a practice inspector with The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario (ICAO) he regularly evaluates the performance of other accounting firms, making him the ideal accountant for his clients.

In keeping with Wilkinson’s commitment to community, Jeff regularly fundraises for organizations such as the Kiwanis Club and Camp Trillium and is a volunteer coach at the Bay of Quinte Rowing Club. Jeff is excited to be part of a growing firm that, situated as it is along the 401 corridor, is attracting more and more people.

“This area is growing. And Wilkinson is well positioned - with our reputation, our staff, and our combined knowledge - to handle this growth and help people moving here start, or expand their businesses.”