2017 CPA Manitoba Member Recognition Spotlight MemberRecognitionSpotlight2017 | Page 5

CPA Manitoba Lifetime Achievement Award
databases were becoming the applications of choice for accountants.
In the late ‘90s, the RCMP had overspent their budget and knowing that an overhaul was
needed, they implemented a number of changes. One such change was the hiring of four
senior financial officers from across Canada to strengthen their financial processes.
“I was one of them. I started off as the Director of Financial Management and Accounting
Operations for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut,” he
explains.
Stoesz led a talented team that developed new financial processes and applications for
the RCMP. The process took years. They used cutting-edge thinking and programming,
and many of the processes are still in place today.
Stoesz’s innovative work was not the only thing he was becoming known for. It was around
this time that his fondness for clichés was established.
“It’s true, I live by a lot of clichés,” he says with a laugh. “I have probably said the same
things a hundred times a month, to the point where my staff thought I was crazy.”
It wasn’t without good reason, however. His strategy of repetition would prove highly
effective.
“When I became a Director at the RCMP, I broke down the work into what was really
important: planning, budgeting, reporting, forecasting, advice and guidance, and
measuring performance. I’d say those things over and over to everyone, all the time.”
It helped build Stoesz’s reputation as someone who gets things accomplished.
“Government has a reputation for not getting a lot of things done, but during my time
there I had quite the opposite experience. On the great teams I worked with, we were
always successful in reaching our goals.”
In addition to his career, giving back was a priority for Stoesz.
“Volunteering and contributing to the accountin g profession was one of my biggest
passions. It started back in 1988 when I was asked to participate on a board. I still had
young children and time was tight, but once I got started I absolutely loved it.”
And get started he did. He tirelessly volunteered his time helping various accounting
boards and committees reach their goals and mandates in education, event planning and
member services. Stoesz was the provincial President for CMA Manitoba in the mid-1990s
before joining the CMA Canada board and eventually served as national Chair in 2006 and
2007.
“Looking back, I see it this way: the career was great, but the volunteer work for CMA was
my passion. It was like another career where I really had an impact. I loved it.”