Workplace
LEADERSHIP
moved from Toronto to the UK for a year when I was in Grade 7. Aſter I earned my CPA, I took a 13-month trip around the world. One of the best parts was sitting with mountain gorillas in the Congo. It was a mind-blowing experience. At G Adventures I used my accounting skills and indulged my love of world travel.
Q: How did you know it was time to move on from the company?
Going Her Own Way
Stephanie Bird, former vice- president of finance at travel company G Adventures in Toronto, on passion, knowing when to move on and her love of a good journey
Q
How did you end up in finance in the travel business? I have a longtime affinity
for numbers that I come by naturally. My mom is a math teacher, so is one of my sisters and my other sister is an accountant. I also have a love of travel, which started when my family and I
I realized it was very important for Bruce [Poon Tip, G’s owner and founder] and I as his head of finance to have a fulsome working relationship as the company moved forward. I would have loved to have continued to develop the worldwide finance team, pursue other acquisitions and areas of growth and address other additional areas of improvement and efficiency. But at the end of the day, the owner’s company should have the financial leader who he will be in lockstep with in order to have the best possible result for the company.
Q: What drives you in business and in leadership roles?
Challenge and change. I’m not a “close the books and move on to the next month” type of accountant. The skills
I gleaned from the time I spent at Just Energy (a retailer of green energy, power and natural gas to residential and commercial customers) and Arthur Andersen LLP helped me in my position at G Adventures.
Q: Where are you hoping your travels will take you this year?
My family and I are true weekend warriors and plan one big trip a year. There’s been a spanner thrown in the works in the trip we were planning. We were hoping to fly to Winnipeg around Thanksgiving, take the train to Churchill, Man., and see the polar bears and northern lights. It’s my son’s turn [to choose a destination] this year and the train was an integral part of his decision to pick this trip. Unfortunately the train line is washed out and we are now in the process of figuring out the replacement trip, which will likely be Costa Rica or Peru over Christmas.
Stephanie Bird was at G Adventures, a tour operator specializing in small group adventures, safaris and expeditions, for three years. She worked for Just Energy and Arthur Andersen prior to making the move. — Stacy Lee Kong
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David Trahair, CPA, CA
NOVEMBER 2017 | CPA MAGAZINE | 19 10/10/2017 10:45:46 AM
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