CPAs: There’s more the story
CPAs are Clark Kent and Superman—they have a superhero-level impact on the people and organizations in our province, but you might not even know it
“The most common question I always get is, ‘Can you do my taxes?’” says Aneese Rakka CPA with a laugh. “A lot of people think of accountants as only tax people…but we’re so much more than that.”
Adebanke Adewumi CPA, who followed her mother’s footsteps into the profession, didn’t even really know what a designated accountant did until she dove in herself. “My mom is an accountant in Nigeria. Out of curiosity—just kind of ‘OK, what does this woman actually do all day…?’—I decided to take an accounting class,” she says, shaking her head. “And I was good at it!”
Indeed, CPAs are fundamental to most organizations, but unless you dig a bit deeper, you might not realize it.
From helping companies reduce their emissions and lower costs to guiding startups into the future and playing a part in affordable housing, there’s a CPA behind the scenes. They’re leveraging their technical skills beyond what may be expected—to translate the story they see in the numbers and build relationships with others, to strategically impact organizations and communities, to solve problems and leave things better than they found them.
CPAs are telling stories and building relationships
Matia Antulov CPA, Finance Manager at Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), says CPAs are the financial lens for an organization; they go beyond the numbers to explain the story in a way others can understand. “Being precise in your numbers is the baseline,” she says.
“The numbers tell the story of where the company wants to go and where it’s been,” says Aneese, the Executive Director of Finance and Operations at Effica. “Your information is directing budget and forecasts and strategic decisions within the company.”
Almost anyone can look at a few financial figures or fumble their way through a spreadsheet to get something, but not everyone has the skills to take those numbers and data sets and understand the story they are telling. And then, most importantly, share that with others in a way they can understand.
This requires CPAs to leverage a number of skills beyond their technical expertise—communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and relationship-building, just to name a few.
“Sometimes I’m relating to people who are not accountants, and we all have to realize we do have a common goal in mind,” says Adebanke, Regional Accountant at Canada Lands Company. “Maybe the ideas on how to get to that goal might be different, but that’s [what makes communication so important].”
“People have a view that accountants are really just in the dark corner, not interacting with others,” says Matia. “But being able to explain your financial thoughts in a way other people will understand is integral.
“Generally, it’s a really big deal to be friendly with everybody and be able to navigate the different relationships in an office. You want to be able to provide feedback in a way that’s not insulting to others. You want to be able to delegate work and have the confidence that people are actually going to do what you’re asking them to do. That all comes from relationship-building.”
CPAs are shaping the future
As Aneese mentioned, one of the stories the numbers can tell is where a company has been and, more importantly, where it can go. Especially in today’s quickly changing business world with technology developing faster than we’ve ever seen before, it’s important for organizations to know the right steps to take into the future.
“We operate with strategic goals and really help companies align to where they want to go,” says Aneese. “A strong strategic vision is your northern star. If you know where you’re going, everything else kind of falls into place.”
Matia enjoys being an important checkbox in a process that helps deliver interesting, innovative projects that reduce emissions or increase energy efficiency, projects that might not have happened if they hadn’t received funding from the ERA. Part of her job is to help vet these projects to determine if they should receive funding.
“Again, taking that financial lens,” Matia says, “and looking through their financials, looking through their package to determine if they’re able to successfully complete the project—or, at least, if they have the financial ability to do so.”
Similarly, Adebanke is proud her work helps enable housing and affordable housing across the country. Canada Lands, a federal Crown corporation, acquires, transforms, and reintegrates surplus federal lands into sought-after communities, helping to create housing. Canada Lands is also a recognized leader in managing iconic tourist attractions, including the CN Tower and Downsview Park in Toronto, the Montreal Science Centre, and the Old Port of Montreal.
“I would definitely say that, somehow along the line, a lot of what I do is helping with that,” says Adebanke.
CPAs are improving everything they touch
Part of having an impact is innovating and determining what is working and what isn’t and how to fix the latter. “I love looking at our processes and making them better,” Matia says.
She looks at solving problems as the tortoise might, rather than the hare. “If we just get one per cent better every time we do this, eventually we’re going to get to that point where we’ve completely evolved and changed the process,” she says. “So I think each time I look at something, ‘This is an iteration…. How can we do it better and more efficiently next time?’
“It’s not about ‘We have to change the way we’re doing it right now’; it’s about ‘If we had to do this again, do we want to do the same process or is there a better way to do it? And what is that better way?’”
Adebanke adds that, to make meaningful change, it’s important to first be confident in the basics. “If you don’t have a good understanding of the accounting concepts, I find it might just make the whole thing even more confusing,” she says.
But it’s all a balance—once you have those fundamentals down, it’s integral to not be too tied to them. Once you know the rules, don’t be afraid to go beyond the basics. Adebanke says being open and continually learning are integral to not only increasing her skills as a CPA and a trusted professional, but also to better helping those that trust her.
CPAs are unlocking every opportunity
As trusted professionals, CPAs are in almost every industry, every organization, and every corner of this province.
“The options are endless,” says Matia. “Adding a designation to your name gives you a lot of credibility and gives people a lot of trust that you can do hard things and take on whatever challenges they give you…. You can do whatever you want to do, and the designation sets you up to be noticed in a pile of resumes.”
Adebanke encourages future CPAs to take every opportunity presented to them—and create their own opportunities when they aren’t. She encourages getting involved in school activities like case competitions and co-op terms and being proactive about your own career trajectory. But, revisiting the idea of balance, she says not to be too sad if it doesn’t work out the way you might’ve originally expected. “Life happens,” she says.
And, sometimes, the unexpected opportunities end up being the most valuable. Aneese believes accounting is only the beginning with a CPA designation.
“You can end up anywhere in a business as long as you’re willing to ask questions and understand the business and just really take a risk,” he says. “The designation gives you a strong fundamental background, gets your foot in the door, and then it’s up to you where you want to take your career.”