What is your current position at FCR and when did you start? 

I am currently a Manager and I started back in April 2018 as a staff accountant.

What is a value or belief that motivates or guides you?

My personal motto – Be the leader that people want to work for, by being the person that people want to work with.

What’s your personal guiding principle? Is there a quote or belief that influences how you work or live? 

While public success in your work life may be important, it is no substitute for private success in your home life.  Endeavour to achieve both by always being and doing your very best, but with the humility and understanding that neither is achievable without the help of others along the way.

Can you share your career journey at FCR and how you progressed to your current role?

I graduated from Laurentian University with my Honours Bachelor of Commerce in 1994 and worked in the investment industry for several years but I eventually gave up my career to focus on my growing family.  As my three children grew and became more and more independent, I started to get the itch to get back into the workforce and a good friend who was a tax specialist at FCR encouraged me to get into bookkeeping.  We had both graduated from the Commerce program at Laurentian and he knew there was a demand for good bookkeepers in Sudbury. 

So with his faith in me, the support of my family and an introduction to one of the partners at FCR, I “hung up my sign” and was fortunate to receive several referrals from FCR.  I soon found that I loved working with small business owners and playing a small part in their success. 

After a few years, I wanted to be able to do more for my clients and I decided to pursue my CPA designation.  Once enrolled, I let the partners at FCR know that I’d be interested in working for them if any opportunities became available.  Soon after our discussion, I was hired as a staff accountant at FCR and continued to work on completing the CPA program while working full time and managing a very busy home and extracurricular life. 

So, when I walked across the stage at Roy Thomson Hall in early 2022 to receive my CPA certificate, it was a very proud moment indeed – one that could not have been possible without the support of my FCR family.  Just shortly before that moment, the partners at FCR had rewarded me with a promotion to manager, a role which I have held for a little over three years.  During this time, I have taken advantage of every opportunity to get involved and participate in work related projects such as being a member of the team working with CPA Canada to improve and update their professional engagement guides, updating the annual course offered by CPA Ontario for non-profit organizations and being a part of the team that initially introduced the FCR Engage program. 

With my recent promotion, I will soon be looking after the FCR Engage program, a role which has brought me full circle and will enable me to provide the kind of service to small business owners that motivated me to pursue my CPA in the first place.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career at FCR?

Don’t hesitate – I don’t think there is a better place to work in Sudbury.  FCR is a company with a wonderful corporate culture and any job search has to start with that in mind.  I have always said that a great corporate culture starts at the top and FCR is the perfect example of this.  It is a great company to work for because from the top down, you are treated like family.  The partners are so approachable and supportive.  We have an open door policy which means that you can go to anyone at any level to seek guidance and support.  In addition to the great personalities, FCR provides many opportunities for professional development so we never stop learning.

What does well-being mean to you, and how have you felt supported in that area?

Mental well-being is key to being able to do the best that I can at work.  I have always felt supported and cared for at work.  That became particularly clear, when I ended up with a rare and serious illness that hospitalized me for weeks and kept me away from work for months. It was a difficult time for me and for my family, but FCR had my back through the entire ordeal. I will be forever grateful for that support when I needed it most.

What’s something that surprised you about working here?

Working at FCR I have always felt more like a family member rather than just an employee.  People are valued not only for their work output, but also for the people they are, and what they bring to the workplace culture and environment on a more personal level.