Meet Cody Austin CPA, CMA. His career isn’t just a journey through auditing and technology; it’s a narrative of innovation and boundary-pushing in two intersecting and dynamic industries.

From the outset of his academic journey at the University of Calgary, Cody was captivated not by the traditional paths in accounting, such as public accounting, but by the potential of managerial accounting within the energy sector. It was here that Cody found his calling in contract auditing.

A mentor who advocated for a broad, versatile approach to accounting—“an inch deep and a mile wide,” as Cody says—steered him in this direction. “Over the span of one year in contract auditing, I’m able to get the experience of someone who would have spent 10 years in a role looking at one specific area as I’m looking at 11 or 12 areas a year,” he says.

Cody Austin CPA, CMA

But what, exactly, is contract auditing? “Contract auditing is fundamentally about partnership,” Cody describes. “It’s when two parties come together to do business, each wanting to ensure everything is clear, correct, and beneficial.”

His career in contract auditing has taken him from the vast oilfields of North America to the innovative campuses of Google. “I’ve gone to the West Coast to work on [liquified natural gas] projects and liquid propane gas projects and everything in between,” he recalls. “Each assignment was a new adventure, presenting unique challenges. No two audits were ever the same.”

From audits to innovations

While analyzing joint ventures, Cody co-founded Integrity Technology Solutions, what he describes as a gateway to integrating machine learning with conventional auditing practices, pushing the envelope of what it means to be a contract auditor in today’s rapidly advancing tech and energy world. This wasn’t just about starting a business; it was about revolutionizing an industry!

“We became kind of trailblazers in audit technology. We used our background in audit and accounting to build out machine learning-based audit programs,” says Cody. “I think we started that at least five or six years before everyone even knew what machine learning and AI were.”

 His venture into tech continued with the co-founding of Digital Carbon Bank, an initiative to start layering audit and IT technology on emissions accounting, expanding on Cody’s commitment to using technology for good.

For Cody, his CPA designation is foundational for his success “The designation provides you with the fundamentals needed in financial and business acumen that you need for building in other areas. We wouldn’t have been as successful in building out tech companies without it,” he explains.

“It’s important for [students] to know…there are a lot of opportunities. You can work in large companies, FANG [Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google] companies, work in tech, and even start businesses!” Cody says. “Having a strong financial background—something that the CPA [designation] affords you—is an asset.”