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CURRICULUM VITAE

Santha Tsang (stage name Samantha Lai)

DTM, OCELT, CPA, CMA, MAcc, BA

Santha as

Singer

Santha Tsang is a singer, dancer, and vocal coach.

Santha has been a lead singer and recording artist for numerous songwriters such as Robin Jayasekera, Milky Whites and The Bluesmen, and Kalsen Cheung. She performs often for Tina’s Talent Agency at many retirement homes in the GTA.


She has a powerful voice with a wide vocal range of 4.5 octaves, incredible breath control and vocal projection. She has a versatile voice and sings R&B, Rock, Pop, Broadway, Golden Oldies, Jazz, Blues, Opera, and Country, in fluent English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, and French.  

She was a soloist in school choirs since age 13, and sang as a Soprano 1 in the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir at age 18 and then in the Waterloo University Choir at age 20.  

She won the 1991 Graduate Music Award at Georges Vanier Secondary School, and won Second Place in the 1992 Heart & Stroke Foundation’s Sing for Your Heart Singing Contest.

She was a lead singer in the Fifth Business Band (1990-1991), the Toronto CarryOn Band (1992-2011), Ray’s Band (2008-2009), and The XChange Band (2011-2012).  

Santha has sung at many galas, concerts (such as the annual Canada’s Diversity Celebration Concert at the Markham Theatre where she was also a Co-Master of Ceremonies), fundraising events (including the Dragon Ball, Phoenix Ball, Cathay Ball, etc., for up to thousands of audience), corporate functions, weddings and private events.  

She has coached children, adults, singers and professionals to help build their confidence in singing and speaking with power and projection.

Santha has organized and sung at the Mary Wong & Friends Charity Concert on October 23, 2011 at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto’s PC Ho Theatre for 600+ attendees, and recorded/sang 3 of the 10 songs in the Mary Wong & Family’s CD (which were sold at the concert).  


(Mary Wong is Santha’s mother who was a famous charity singer in Malaysia).  

Santha also sang and recorded “The Greatest Love of All” song in the 2009 Superstars CD by Indigo Records and performed it at the Sick Kids Fundraising Gala. 

Santha as

Speaker

Santha is a humorous speaker and a dramatic improviser. She has won Top 3 in 35+ Toastmaster speech contests since 2001.

She has coached youth and adults of all ages and diverse backgrounds in public speaking, communication, and interviewing skills.

She has served as the Toastmaster Area 35 Governor in District 60 in 2012-2013 and as President/VP Public Relations at various Toastmaster clubs since 2002.

She attained the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) designation in March 2019.

She has spoken in hundreds of classrooms since 2001 to thousands of students in high schools, colleges and universities in the GTA on CMA and career planning.  

She was an Associate Trainer/Facilitator with Just Choose Results Training& Development and had conducted soft-skill training on Public Speaking, Life Coaching and Effective Networking to university student clubs and the Ontario Public Service’s East Asian Diversity Networking Group.  

She speaks, reads, and writes fluent English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Santha as

Teacher/Tutor

Santha is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) since 2000 and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) since 2014 after the CA-CMA-CGA Ontario merger.

She has held diverse careers in accounting, marketing and university teaching.

She excels in teaching and tutoring students and Internationally Educated Professionals on Accounting English, Business English, Computer Accounting, and Canadian Workplace Culture and Communication, and Public Speaking.

Education

2014-present:
Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation

2013-present:
TESL Ontario Certified English Language Teacher (OCELT) designation

2013:
Graduate of the TESOL Certificate Program, University of Toronto’s Woodsworth College

2004:
Graduate of Coach University Coach Training Program (CTP)

2000:
Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation

1996:
Master of Accountancy, University of Waterloo

1996:
Bachelor of Arts in Honours Co-op Chartered Accountancy Studies, University of Waterloo

Experience as

Teacher/Tutor

2022 to Present
Assistant Dance Instructor at Dance Art Studio in Richmond Hill.

2021.09 to Present
English Teacher at Clearview School of Arts & Culture for bilingual Mandarin-English day school for grades 1-6.

2016.12 to 2019.12
Adult ESL Instructor at the York Region District School Board in Markham.

2015
ELP Instructor and Course Developer for "Speak Up" at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies, English Language Programs (Professional Programs).

2014.04 to 2015.07
Adult ESL Instructor at the York Catholic District School Board in Markham and Newmarket.

2014.01 to 2014.03
LINC Instructor at CICS (Centre for Immigrant and Community Services), York Region Immigrant Youth Centre in Markham.

2014
ESL Writing IV Instructor at Seneca College Faculty of Continuing Education & Training, Newnham Campus in North York.

2013.07 to 2014.07
ELT Computer Accounting Instructor and Course Developer at COSTI Immigrant Services Vaughan Welcome Centre to teach Excel, Simply Accounting, QuickBooks, and Accounting/Business English to Internationally Educated Accountants.

2013 to Present
Public Speaking Instructor and Vocal Coach for children and adults at Clearview School of Arts & Culture in Toronto.

2013
Part-time Tutor for Explanations Unlimited Educational Institution in English, ESL, writing, speaking, math and accounting to people of all ages in the GTA and York Region.

2013-2014
Public Speaking/Presentation Skill Instructor/English Tutor at Win-Win Education's summer camps and evening classes for teens and adults.

2013
Completed my TESOL Practicum through York Catholic District School Board and received “Excellent” ratings from my TESL Trainer for my practice teaching; received "Honours" grade in Practicum and Introduction to Practicum courses.

2010-2017
Sessional Accounting Lecturer for financial and management accounting courses at York University and Ryerson University.

2008 to 2012
Part-time Associate Trainer and Facilitator with Just Choose Results Training & Development -conduct soft-skill training workshops on Public Speaking, Effective Networking, and Life Coaching, to GTA university clubs & Ontario Public Service’s East Asian Diversity Group.

2008 to Present
Part-time Vocal Coach - teach singing and speaking in group and/or private lessons to help children, adults, singers and professionals strengthen their vocal projection and confidence in singing and speaking.

1997
Taught in Mandarin classes to Cantonese speaking staff at Deloitte & Touche to prepare them for projects in China (I am fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese –speaking/reading/writing).

Experience as

Professional

2020.01 to Present
Treasurer, Hakka Canadian Association & 31st World Hakka Conference in Markham 2022

2019.12 to 2021.08
Executive Assistant to Markham Regional Councillor Joe Li, City of Markham

2008
Director of Fundraising & Event Management, Mon Sheong Foundation, Downtown Toronto/Scarborough/Richmond Hill

2001-2008
Regional Director of Marketing & Communications – GTA/Peel/Halton/Kingston locations, Certified Management Accountants (CMA) of Ontario, Toronto

1999-2000
Financial Consultant/Corporate Controller, Financial Task Force Inc. (FTF), Toronto

1998-1999
Internal Auditor, Audit Services Department, Enbridge Consumers Gas, North York

1992-1997
Senior Staff Accountant, Financial Institutions Audit Group, Deloitte & Touche, Chartered Accountants, BCE Place, Toronto - Taught in the Mandarin classes to the Cantonese speaking staff to prepare for expansion into China.

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