BERMUDA GOVERNMENT
Perseverance pays: why it’s never too late
Wendy Pond
Wendy Pond, one of Bermuda Government’s newest management accountants, credits the support of family and friends, as well as an active prayer life, with her successful time as a trainee management accountant. Annette Tucker charts her journey.
interviewed, knowing she didn’t meet the minimum educational requirements, but fi gured she had nothing to lose. After interviewing with George Outerbridge, the present postmaster general, who was then the assistant accountant general, she was told that she was not qualifi ed for the post, but he suggested she take an audit assistant post instead. He told her: “There is something about you I like. If you work hard, one day you will be become a trainee management accountant and, ultimately, a qualifi ed Bermudian accountant.”
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In the nine years she has been with the Government of Bermuda, she has had many opportunities, the latest of which was as a trainee management accountant. This was a three-year, temporary post in which she gained experience as an accountant, while working toward her Certifi ed Management Accountant (CMA) designation.
In 2003, when Wendy embarked on this “life-changing journey”, she was 32 years old. She was at the stage in her life where she was looking forward to one day getting married and starting a family, but knew she had to do something different if she wanted to be able to provide properly for them.
After much prayer, Wendy knew that God was showing her that she needed to go back to school full-time, in order to accomplish her goals. She says: “Knowing what to do was the easy part.” However, she did not know how she would be able to afford it.
It was around that time that the Accountant General’s department implemented a scholarship programme for employees who were interested in getting a degree related to any fi eld within the department. Wendy applied for the scholarship and was successful. She left Bermuda to go to school as a mature student, which she says was very diffi cult. “It was an emotionally draining experience. Leaving family and friends to go to a country where you don’t know anyone and going back to school after 17 years, where people were much younger and less mature, was a struggle at fi rst. I really had to readjust my mindset.”
The hardest part was carrying the responsibility of being the fi rst scholarship recipient. She knew she had to perform because she was laying the foundation for those to come. After four years of study, Wendy graduated from Acadia University with a 3.5 GPA
24 FAST TRACK / Careers module / 2010-2011
rior to 2001, Wendy had taken accounting classes at the Bermuda College. When she was out of work for a brief period, she saw an advertisement for a trainee management accountant post within the Government of Bermuda. She
[grade point average] and a BA in business administration, with a concentration in accounting.
Upon receiving her degree, she realised that in order to be able to do what she really wanted, she needed an accounting designation, but she was nervous because she had heard all the horror stories and wondered if she could really do it. After doing some research, and with encouragement from the Accountant General’s department staff, she decided to take on the Certifi ed Management Accountant designation (CMA) certifi cation programme. After much convincing, she became a trainee management accountant.
The mental and physical strain of the last three-year training was great. Wendy studied a minimum of 40 hours per week. It was a challenge balancing school, the demands of work and her personal life, but she says God blessed her with a wonderful partner, Scotty, who provided her with a strong support system. Wendy says the key was lots of prayer, being disciplined and limiting distractions.
Unlike some who were able to attend the Bermuda College to assist with their accreditation, Wendy had to do the accelerated programme by correspondence. This included taking and passing four exams in order to qualify to take the entrance exam. Upon passing the entrance exam, she embarked on the 18-month Strategic Leadership Programme.
This programme uses case studies to simulate real-life situations. The participants develop both analytical and management skills with this method. During the fi rst year, the work is done individually. The next portion is group work, which teaches participants how to work with and get along with others as they work through differing personalities and each other’s schedules. The group meet every weekend and twice during the week. This section of the programme is broken into six, six-week modules. At the end of each module, Wendy fl ew overseas for weekend classes, which helped solidify the learning. At the end of the second year, her group presented and defended a board report of 10,000 words to a CMA board made up of Bermudian members.
Overall, the trainee programme was rigorous and Wendy wants to thank Wesley Trott, senior management accountant within the Accountant General’s department, for laying the foundation for the many improvements to the programme. She states: “Wesley is an unsung hero who became our voice. He saw the programme wasn’t working and took the time to make it better. The trainees coming in now are having a richer experience because of his dedication to the programme.”
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