MEMBER PROFILE
Sherry Tryssenaar, CPA, CMA
CFO, Ten Peaks Coffee Company
Although Sherry Tryssenaar admits to being
a “serious” coffee addict, she says her decision
to join Ten Peaks Coffee Company as CFO
had more to do with a passion for new experiences than a passion for java.
“I love a challenge,” she says. “It’s fair to say
I seek out positions and opportunities that
will allow me to continue to grow and develop
as a leader, and opportunities to apply what
I’ve learned to new situations.”
By the time Sherry joined Ten Peaks in 2009,
she’d worked extensively in the investment industry, holding leadership roles with Quorum
Funding, HSBC Securities, Research Capital
Corporation, and RBC Technology Ventures.
In 2003, she switched to the other side of the
industry to serve as CFO and VP of operations
and finance for OncoGenex, a start-up biotech
company for which she’d been providing
consulting services.
It was after taking on the role of CFO that
Sherry decided to pursue an accounting designation.
“Although I’d studied business during my undergrad, I didn’t aspire to be an accountant,”
says Sherry. The Simon Fraser University grad
(BBA with honours) also has an MSc from the
London School of Economics. “I had a strong
interest in business strategy and wanted to
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work with businesses to help them grow. And
after I became a CFO, I saw that an accounting
designation would support me in my career.”
Between her consulting and CFO work,
Sherry helped OncoGenex progress from initial product acquisition to clinical development
within four years. She then made the move
from biotech to clean tech, joining QuestAir
Technologies as CFO in 2005. Over the next
four years, she again helped raise considerable
capital to fund research and growth. By 2009,
she was ready for something new.
“I wanted to work for a more traditional
business—one that could fund its own growth
from operations,” she explains. “Ten Peaks’
predecessor entity, the Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Income Fund, was looking for
a CFO at the time. I love coffee, and I saw an
opportunity to contribute to the growth of the
business, so I joined.”
Ten Peaks owns all the interests of the Swiss
Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company Inc.
and owns and operates Seaforth Supply Chain
Solutions Inc.
“The most rewarding aspect of my job is
being able to work with a fabulous team of
people who are committed to delivering an
exceptional product,” says Sherry. “I’ve had
the opportunity to work on numerous projects
Profile by Michelle McRae
Photo by Roger Mahler
over the past seven years, and there’s always
something new to apply my skills to.”
Those skills haven