Ben Cornell

School of Accounting and Finance Fellowship Honourees

Ben Cornell, BA Economics and Accounting

Ben was born and raised in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and moved to Kitchener, Ontario in 1961. In 1976 Ben graduated from the University of Waterloo with an Honours BA in Economics and Accounting and joined Clarkson Gordon (Now E&Y). Ben became a Chartered Accountant in 1978. He worked in industry as the Chief Financial Officer of a book-publishing firm, Maxwell Macmillan Canada for 14 years, and a Waterloo based further poultry processor Elmira Poultry for five years.

Ben joined Ward & Uptigrove in September 1999. In the summer of 2000 Ben started up the human resources (HR) consulting practice Ward & Uptigrove Human Resources Solutions (W&U HRS). W&U HRS now has four staff. W&U HRS provides a full range of HR services to the private and public sector including pay equity, pay administration, performance management, recruiting, wellness and health care spending accounts. Ben received his Human Resources Management Certificate in 2004 from the Conestoga College. He obtained his Certified HR Professional (CHRP) designation in 2006.

Ben married Bev in 1983. They adopted their only son Nathan, from Guatemala on Ben’s fortieth birthday in 1991. The family moved to Listowel in the summer of 2000.

Ben is on the Board of Listowel Big Brothers Big Sisters and does the Grand Bend to London annually to raise funds for MS.

He instructs spinning at a local gym and plays golf at the Listowel club.

2009 Fellow: Dylan Corey