For chartered professional accountants, learning from peers who are at different stages in their careers can give you a richer, more dynamic foundation for your own growth. For example, early career colleagues often bring emerging ideas and skills, while mid career peers can offer practical wisdom about navigating challenges and building influence, and senior professionals can share strategic insight and long term thinking. Engaging with a network of diverse thinkers like this can expand your understanding of what’s possible. With this in mind, we asked three CPAs who were recently recognized for their impactful careers to share their strategies for growth.
Know who you are
“When it comes to building your career, a piece of advice I’d have for young professionals, especially those from diverse backgrounds, is to focus on understanding yourself,” says Henry Flowers, CPA, senior manager, risk assurance and digital accelerator at PwC Canada. Along with driving innovation through AI and data analytics at PwC, Henry is also a mentor and advisor who works with professionals to foster their growth and empowerment.
“Once you have a good framing of who you are, lean into your strengths,” he continues. “It’s important to understand yourself because lacking self-esteem can be detrimental to your professional progress. You need to have a degree of confidence to push things forward and get yourself into the positions you aspire to.”
“Another piece of advice is to think about your thinking,” Henry notes. “This idea began for me when I watched a YouTube video about learning strategies. It contained the concept that if you have a learning system (think of this as a bowl), you’re trying to fill it with information (think of this as water). Having a poor learning system is like having a crack in your bowl. No matter what you do, if you’re using the same bowl, you’re never going to retain what you need. That led me to ask, ‘Where are the gaps in my learning process?’ It’s so important for young professionals to figure this out because today we see the need for continuous learning and learning very quickly. Working on that skill set earlier in your career will be advantageous.”
Broaden your experience to expand your influence
Shelley Williams, FCPA, FCA, emphasizes that “For CPAs who aspire to lead, especially in governance roles, the best thing you can do is start broadening your experience, widening your strategic lens, and thinking about having a well rounded profile.” A seasoned corporate director with board roles at the Bank of Canada and the Boston Pizza Income Fund, Shelley has guided strategic, digital, and cultural transformations across multiple industries, helping organizations strengthen their governance, risk management, and reporting practices.
Her experience has reinforced a clear lesson: “The best board members are the ones who can contribute broadly and meaningfully in all board discussions, well beyond a specific area of expertise. I strongly encourage CPAs not to be limited by functional background, financial literacy skills are table stakes, but other areas like technology literacy are becoming equally as important.”
“Think about building your personal brand, the future needs that boards are going to have, and what you might bring to the table,” she continues. “Be very intentional and deliberate in the opportunities that you seek. Start by getting involved in governance areas that are in high demand, compensation design, business transformation, strategy, and enterprise risk management. From there, start enhancing your general management skills. You’re becoming a broader leader. Take on new roles and opportunities and really challenge yourself.”
People skills are core CPA skills
“In today’s world of data and AI, we have to maintain and hone our judgement skills,” says Elio Luongo, FCPA, FCA. Elio, who served as CEO and senior partner of KPMG Canada from 2016-24, is a corporate director with TD Bank Group, Blue J Legal, and Tolko Industries, contributing his deep expertise in global markets, geopolitical and macroeconomic risk, operational excellence, and governance. “One of the most essential skills you can learn as a CPA is how to evaluate information,” he continues. “You have to apply your judgment to everything and understand the true meaning behind it.”
However, Elio says, “CPAs are not merely analysts, they’re people, and this is a people business. We have a positive duty to help others, lift them up, and help them learn. A small interaction like giving advice or encouragement goes such a long way. I felt that in so many ways from my mentors. Sometimes I didn’t like the information that I heard, but it was constructive and it helped me be a better professional. Remember that encouragement and positive, constructive feedback are core to developing and supporting the people around you.” He concludes, “The best thing that we get out of our profession is helping people along the way, whether it’s clients, colleagues, or junior staff.”
Celebrate CPABC’s 2025 Member Recognition Program honourees! Join us for the gala Member Recognition Dinner on April 1, 2026.
Photos of Henry Flowers, CPA and Shelley Williams, FCPA, FCA courtesy of Kent Kallberg Studios. Photo of Elio Luongo, FCPA, FCA courtesy of BBZ Productions.
Leah Giesbrecht is a communications specialist at CPABC.
