As a CPA, a career that aligns with your values and talents can bring exciting opportunities to your day-to-day. For chartered professional accountant Daniel Gardiner-McAuley, this has meant a role as senior vice-president of KPMG Corporate Finance in Vancouver. “My personality is very spontaneous and I enjoy dynamic working environments, so a career in mergers and acquisitions is a great fit,” he says. “You’re constantly learning and adapting to a shifting world, whether it’s global macroeconomic developments or changing client priorities.”
Daniel, a recent recipient of CPABC’s Early Achievement Award, chatted with us about how he has built a career that he is passionate about and a memorable deal along the way.
Identifying risks, solving problems, and closing deals
Daniel is responsible for leading KPMG’s software and technology investment banking team for Western Canada and advises tech companies seeking full or partial liquidity, long-term capital partners, or alternative financing options. He has recently closed over 15 M&A deals, across industries such as fintech, enterprise software, video gaming, virtual effects, telecommunications infrastructure, and more.
One skill that underpins his success is helping clients to see their situation from all angles. “I really value working with clients to solve their deal-specific issues. I focus on first principles to identify the core underlying risk, then draw a box around what each issue means in the context of the deal to get to a fair outcome,” he says.
Engaging with and learning from diverse professionals is also key to how Daniel guides transactions. “During M&A deals, I’m always working collaboratively with people who bring different perspectives to the table like lawyers, tax advisors, HR professionals, and technology leaders,” he says. Outside of the office, he stays active across this ecosystem by sharing insights on leadership, tech, and deal making as a speaker with groups such as the BC Tech Association, the Association for Corporate Growth in British Columbia, and Innovate BC.
Integrating AI into CPA careers
Daniel’s focus on tech has also translated into chairing KPMG’s national Corporate Finance, AI and Technology Committee. One of his responsibilities is guiding implementation of AI-enabled workflows across the country. With this strategic view, Daniel observes a significant shift in the accounting industry away from mundane work towards insightful advisory. “I’m super excited for CPAs, especially younger members, to spend less time doing repetitive work and instead add value by using smarter tools to advise clients,” he says.
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Supporting CPAs with training and mentorship
For those choosing to start their CPA careers in M&A, Daniel recognizes it’s important to acquire skills that are unique to the field as soon as possible. Along with coaching and mentoring team members throughout the M&A life cycle, he has also helped formalize a recruiting and training program for new staff.
“When I joined the team we learned on the job,” he notes. “My colleagues and I worked to formalize our onboarding and recruiting program by putting together examples to work through and exercises that build specific technical skills. Now, new team members have solid baseline knowledge as soon as they begin their M&A career and can start working on live deal execution.”
Contributing to flagship mergers and acquisitions
When asked if there have been any particularly memorable deals along the way, Daniel says, “One that stands out was advising on the sale of a BC-based fintech business to a public US company. It was a high-profile, flagship transaction for the Canadian payments industry. The buyer was very sophisticated and we were able to support our client to go from a letter of intent to closing in just over a month, which is the fastest deal I’ve ever done. This is a great example of our team’s approach to transaction preparation, which enables us to move fast and accelerate deal timelines when the opportunity arises.”
Added to that, says Daniel, “The CEO of the buyer on this transaction was also a commercial astronaut, which added to the excitement of our discussions. While we were negotiating the deal, he actually went to space!” Closer to home, the expertise that the KPMG team demonstrated on the transaction caught the attention of the Association for Corporate Growth in BC (ACGBC), and the team was recognized with the ACGBC Deal of the Year Award in 2024.
While his career is fast paced, Daniel also makes time for giving back. Having joined the board of directors of Basketball BC nearly seven years ago, he serves as the director of finance for this provincial sports organization. He also volunteers as a speaker at recruiting and educational events, reflecting, “I want to tell my story to students at different universities to broaden their understanding of what a career in finance can look like in BC.”
Do you know a CPA going above and beyond? Nominate them for a Member Recognition Award in 2026!
Leah Giesbrecht is a communications specialist at CPABC.
