CPABC in Focus November/December 2013 | Page 8

NoTES & NEwS CPA Fall Recruit Program O n September 5 and 6, 2013, over 1,100 students and recent grads from all over British Columbia flocked to the Vancouver Convention Centre to attend the annual Mid-Size Firms & Industry and National Firms recruiting events in hopes of landing an articling position with one of the participating approved training offices. The Mid-Size Firms & Industry Recruiting Event took place on September 5, and featured representatives from D&H Group, Davidson & Company, DMCL, ICBC, James Stafford, KNV, Mackay, Manning Elliott, MNP, the Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Smythe Ratcliffe, TELUS, and Wolrige Mahon. The National Firms Recruiting Event was held the following day, and featured reps from BDO, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton, KPMG, and PwC. Recruiting events also took place on Vancouver Island and in BC’s Interior region in midSeptember. As is the case every year, the event days were followed by an application and interview period, and then a one-week offer period. Our thanks to everyone who participated in the fall recruit, and our congratulations to the students who received articling offers! Students and company/firm reps network at the two-day Fall Recruit event in Vancouver. Photos by Brian Hawkes Photographic Inc. Sharing Career Experiences at Industry Speakers Panel T he Young Professionals Forum hosted an Industry Speakers Panel on October 1 at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver. Over 85 members and students came out to hear panellists share their career experiences. Among the panellists were: Ryan Barrington-Foote, CPA, CA, managing director of accounting with Jim Pattison Group; Ali Pejman, CA, managing director of Canaccord Genuity; Irfan Shariff, CPA, CA, CFO of Spur Ventures and CFO/corporate secretary of Oceanic Iron Ore Corp.; and Ken Sim, CA, co-founder of Nurse Next Door and Rosemary Rocksalt Bagels; with Greg Campeau as moderator. The event was organized by four Forum members: Shoaib Ansari, CPA, CA; Adrian Dastur, CA, CGA; Ainslie Muzzin, CA; and Mirza Rahimani, CPA, CA. “The event was a great learning opportunity,” says Shoaib Ansari. “I enjoyed listening to the diverse career stories as told by highly successful members.” Ainslie Muzzin agrees: “It was interesting to hear the panellists’ perspectives on leadership, mentorship, and their transitions into different roles.” Adrian Dastur adds: “Working in my first industry role, I could relate to the speakers’ early experiences. They were fantastic.” “We were fortunate to have these panellists and moderator participate,” says Mirza Rahimani, “and we appreciate their time and efforts in making the event valuable to young professionals.” 8 CPABC in Focus • Nov/Dec 2013 The organizers would like to give special thanks to the event sponsor, CA Insurance Plans West.