She has over 30 years of professional experience in audit, oversight and governance
Shelley Spence has recently assumed the role of the 14th Auditor General of Ontario, serving a ten-year term.
Spence's appointment came after a unanimous recommendation by a bi-partisan panel of Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) in December 2023. She brings to the role more than 30 years of professional experience in audit, oversight and governance as a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and Licensed Public Accountant in the public sector, and as a successful entrepreneur.
Born in Saskatchewan and raised in Alberta, Spence graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta. She obtained her Chartered Accountant designation at KPMG. She is currently a member of the Canadian Council of Legislative Auditors and has actively participated in many professional and volunteer not-for-profit organizations over the years.
Spence's most recent role as a partner with Deloitte LLP involved overseeing the Government and Public Service Assurance practice for over six years. Before joining Deloitte, she worked as an entrepreneur for 20 years, running her accounting practice. She was frequently engaged by the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario to assist with auditing the province's public accounts and value-for-money or performance audits. She also helped perform the first two reviews of the pre-election report.
Spence's experience extends across public and private sectors, having consulted for numerous clients. Her engagements cover federal, provincial, and municipal governments, agencies, government business enterprises, and the broader public sector. She served the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario for 12 years.
"I have a passion for public service and aim to focus on positive outcomes for government and its programs to make a positive difference for Ontarians," Spence said. "As a fully independent office, our recommendations to government will focus on accountability for the sound management of provincial resources."
Spence thanked Nick Stavropoulos for his service as acting auditor general over the past four months. She also expressed her gratitude to former auditor general Bonnie Lysyk, whose term ended in September 2023.
