Levelling up with the CPA designation

Choose your player! Will it be the tax expert with a passion for volunteering? The post-secondary instructor who realized her love of being on campus? Or the CEO with extensive international experience?

Alberta CPAs take many different career paths after gaining those three letters after their name, but most can agree on one thing: opportunities to level up your career are made all the more possible with the designation.

The instructor

“I never really considered becoming an accountant without getting [my designation],” says Kiersten Walker CPA, CA. “And I certainly never went to get my accounting designation thinking I’d end up in education.”

Kiersten’s path as an accounting instructor at NAIT began as just one night of teaching a week while still working in public practice. “Being on campus in university was my absolute favourite experience,” she says. “So to get back in the classroom, be back on a campus, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be really fun and a good challenge.’ But one night a week turned into…doing some contract work for a while and working my way in.”

Now a full-time instructor, Kiersten says a lot has changed since she was named a CPA Alberta Early Achievement Award recipient in 2019. Most of that change, however, came from something we’re all familiar with: the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Having to pivot all classes to online and teaching online, I definitely think I’ve had to change as a professional,” says Kiersten. “Part of what’s helped has been the skills of resiliency and adapting to change that I have as a result of my designation.”

But change isn’t always a bad thing! Kiersten is passionate about teaching future CPAs at NAIT, and she says the changing landscape of accounting ensures it’s never boring. “In a way, my future plans are status quo, but there is all that other constant change, so it definitely feels challenging,” she says.

At the end of the day, Kiersten believes the CPA designation creates an almost-instant network of CPAs, “who are so willing to help each other out,” and she says it opens up unlimited paths for success. “What I always encourage students to remember is that where you are right now is not necessarily where you’re going to end up,” she says. “You might not love every class. You might not love every audit. You might not love every moment you spend receiving your designation, but none of that is an indicator of how bright your future will be.”

The tax expert

“You don’t think about it very much afterward—you just know you are a CPA—but my designation is pretty integral to the foundation of my career,” says Hayat Kirameddine CPA, CA. “I don’t think I would be where I am without receiving the designation.”

Currently a Senior Manager in the tax group at EY, Hayat says her job wouldn’t even be possible if she wasn’t a CPA. “I spend all day every day advising clients,” she says. “My clients wouldn’t take my advice near as seriously without my designation.”

Since earning her designation in 2012, Hayat has also been able to use her financial know-how to “scoot in” (her words!) on some unexpected opportunities, such as teaching at the university level, teaching through CPA Canada, and volunteering with various organizations, such as the Winnifred Stewart Association and Latitude 53. And in 2016, she was named a CPA Alberta Early Achievement Award recipient for those endeavours.

She’s only continued to grow since then. “I think the more experience you have in the field, the more you’re able to own your own career and push it a bit further,” says Hayat. “I’m more independent; I’m able to provide advice and work with clients more independently.”

As for the future? Hayat loves doing consultant-based work in her current role, so she doesn’t see herself moving from there anytime soon. She would, however, like to add in more volunteering and teaching, two passions she took a step back from when she had a child.

Hayat’s two big pieces of advice for future CPAs are to remember that it’s hard work and not to get too tunnel-visioned along the way. “If you would have asked me 15 years ago if I’d be a nerdy tax consultant, I would have told you vehemently no,” Hayat says with a laugh. “Just let yourself see the things you’re good at and get excited about along the way. That will help guide where you might end up.”

The CEO

Shahid Qureshi CPA, CGA says if he were not a CPA, he might have struggled to reach where he is today as the CEO of an international consulting business. “A CPA designation gives you an instant recognition around your knowledge base and access to support from highly skilled experts,” he says.

In addition to his work as a CEO, Shahid is the Chair of the Calgary Parking Authority, sits on multiple international corporate boards, and has senior governance roles with the federal government. So he knows what he’s talking about when he says the CPA designation has recognition across the globe, and he considers it to be one of the best accounting designations available.

Though he has many areas of expertise—and, in turn, several qualifications and designations—Shahid says his CPA designation is foundational. “If I took my CPA designation out of my portfolio of qualifications, my portfolio would become less valuable,” he says. “Most of my professional education pivots around my finance qualification. A finance qualification gives you a holistic view of the business strategies that no other qualification is able to provide.”

Receiving the CPA Alberta Distinguished Service Award in 2018 only helped raise his profile: his social media post on the award netted him more than 100,000 views, and he’s still receiving congratulations for it years later.

It may already be apparent, but Shahid is a big believer in lifelong learning, and his plans for the future focus on doing just that. “I have been upgrading my professional skills since I graduated,” he says. “The benefits of lifelong learning go beyond career advancement.”

He recommends everyone strongly consider getting their CPA designation if they’re serious about finance or business. “The CPA designation gives you a very high probability of being reasonably successful at the top of the pyramid,” he says. “We’re not just looking at an ordinary comfortable job; if you have your CPA designation, the odds are highly in your favour to succeed in a senior leadership role—as long as you also work hard and have a little bit of luck on your side.”