CPA Path to Success
The event’s special guests. Back row (l to r): Cameron Mann (candidate); Nemo Wang (candidate); Gursimrat Gill (candidate); Hoang Nguyen, CPA (panelist); Jaden Hwang, CPA; Arshdeep Kaur (candidate); Lloyd Juliane, CPA. Front row (l to r): CPABC Board Chair Peter Guo, CPA, CA; Emily Heinrich, CPA, CPA (Oregon) (keynote speaker); Tara Thackeray, CPA, CAMS (panelist); Aseem Ghadiali, CPA, CA (India) (panelist).
Photo by Jing Zhong
On November 21, 2024, CPABC held its inaugural CPA Path to Success event at the Delta Hotels Vancouver Downtown Suites. This event is designed to give aspiring CPAs the chance to gain insights from CPAs with diverse educational and profes¬sional backgrounds as they describe their career journeys, including the challenges they’ve faced and overcome and the strategies they’ve used to secure employment opportunities.
The inaugural event kicked off with a keynote address from Emily Heinrich, CPA, CPA (Oregon), a partner in US corporate tax with BDO, who emphasized the importance of CPAs in the business landscape and described what the future holds for designees. An engaging panel discussion with three seasoned CPAs followed: Aseem Ghadiali, CPA, CA (India), a partner with Advinor CPA Ltd., shared his experience as an international designee; Hoang Nguyen, CPA, a senior associate in assurance with PwC, shared his experience navigating BC’s public accounting recruitment process; and Tara Thackeray, CPA, CAMS, a trust auditor with the Law Society of British Columbia, shared her experience as a career-changer with a non-business background.
Up next was a facilitated networking session during which the three panelists and additional guest CPAs and candidates—representing public accounting firms and industry and spanning junior to senior levels—were split into three groups. Attendees were invited to choose the group that best aligned with their backgrounds and interests. An open networking session with all guests and attendees followed, rounding out the evening.
The event attracted more than 80 aspiring CPAs, made up of post-secondary students, working professionals, newcomers to Canada, and internationally designated accountants.