Education/training | Making Connections | Personal Advancement | Self-employment | Career Options

Career Options

Cool calculators

Some accountants are driven to score that coveted corner office, while others get their kicks off the beaten track, in Aid work, TV and music. Meet three bookkeepers who dance to the beat of a different drum.

by Susan Kelly

[ 2006-12-01 ]

Send to a friend

Do you know your strengths, weaknesses and best job fits?
To find out, take this test by eCareerFit, the career assessment experts.

Frédéric Manseau, CA, on the road between Lubumbashi and Kasumbalesa (Democratic Republic of Congo)
photo : Frédéric Manseau

Frédéric Manseau, CA

Executive suites may look out onto sweeping downtown skylines, but Frédéric Manseau, CA, prefers an office with a different view. “I’ve gone from working under the Big Top to a field tent,” he laughs.

That’s because the former manager for a European tour of Cirque du Soleil now serves as financial coordinator for a Doctors Without Borders (DWB) mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He’s yet to rough it in a tent, but the young accountant is thrilled with a career path that’s taken him to the far corners of the earth.

Manseau became a CA in 2001 following completion of an undergraduate degree and graduate diploma in public accountancy at Montreal’s École des hautes études commerciales (HEC Montréal). By 2003 he was an external audit manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the firm where he did his internship. He was involved with assessment and auditing functions for large and medium-sized companies, mostly in the mining and hitech sectors.

“As an auditor you function as external consultant to a company, and are not really part of the process,” he says. “I wanted more direct involvement to serve as an integral part of a team, while exploiting my passion for travel.” Manseau, who hails from the Montreal suburb of Boucherville, began his search by accepting a short contract from PricewaterhouseCoopers in Papua New Guinea, before moving on to the Australian Stock Exchange in Sydney.

Then in October 2004 an opening appeared for a chief accountant with Cirque du Soleil. The position meant going on the road with the Dralion show, which was touring Western Europe from Switzerland to Spain. Manseau leapt at the chance to get onboard. “I really felt a part of one of the biggest success stories to come out of my home province,” he says. “And where else can you meet such colourful people? Or find yourself discussing such serious matters as tax deductions with someone in clown makeup?”

As chief accountant, he supervised the show’s Accounting and Administrative Department. In addition to vital monthly results and accounts analyses, he also took on functions that required him to be onsite, such as treasury, payroll and accounts payable for the 150-person staff — two thirds of whom were support personnel. At the same time, he kept an eye on operations in order to improve the accounting and information system.

The downside of this tour, like any other, was that it had to end. Manseau cast about for a position that would be “truly meaningful, that would also be adventurous and challenging.” He found it as a volunteer with DWB. In March 2006, he accepted a posting to Lubumbashi, a city in the south of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).

He is now part of the mission’s four-person management team, and helps administrate three DWB-led projects in the southern province of Katanga. According to recent DWB reports, 170,000 people are displaced in the whole of the province, while 300,000 people are affected by the conflict between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and opposing Mai-Mai militias.

Manseau hopes to “bear witness to a very difficult situation,” he says. “I’m excited by the challenges, but also a little apprehensive about my ability to cope with facing human misery of this scope.”

The mission provides medical services to a region that is rebuilding its infrastructure after decades of civil war. From his office in the provincial capital, Manseau leads a staff of 50 foreigners and 110 local personnel and makes forays into the field to assist the displaced population. A recent trip took him deep into the heart of Mai-Mai territory to help people who have had no access to healthcare for many years and where the threat of further bloodshed is always present.

“There is still a glass ceiling in most industries. But progress is always possible. I believe my education and experience together have contributed to my success. The key is to work hard and always improve yourself through education so you are prepared to make the most of any opportunity.”
– Johanne Brunet

As financial coordinator, he oversees the financial, administrative and human resource aspects of the mission, including budget control, and the financing and development of local administrative procedures. He also represents Doctors Without Borders when meeting with other NGOs or local authorities. “Accounting is a tool that can be applied almost anywhere,” he affirms, “and I have found that my Canadian designation is highly respected in other countries.” Accounting skills can open up the entire world, says Manseau, and all it takes is a little imagination: “It’s really what you choose to do with this knowledge that makes it interesting.”

JOHANNE BRUNET, CGA

Reach for the top. Never stop, even when you hit the glass ceiling. This philosophy could sum up the life and career of Johanne Brunet, CGA. In April 2005, she was appointed to the board of directors of the CBC for a five-year term, which makes her one of the few women to have cracked the elite club of major corporate leaders. This latest honour comes on the heels of a distinguished broadcasting career that dates back to the 1970s. The key to her success as producer, director and administrator? Accounting!

“My background in accounting has proven a definite asset at every step of my career,” says Brunet. “Even when involved in the creative side of television or film, there are always budgets to administer. And accounting helps when it comes to understanding such issues as development money, inventories, buying rights — everything on the numbers side.”

Brunet’s number-crunching skills got her career rolling in 1977, as she was completing her CGA training at the University of British Columbia. The CBC was just starting up a French-language service in that province, and found itself in need of a bilingual accountant. This first job gave Brunet the chance to use her training in the milieu she wanted.

“In those times there was very little independent television production,” she says. “So if you wanted to be in Canadian media, a national broadcaster was the place to be. The experience I gained was invaluable.” She quickly rose from accounts to assisting the general manager. In 1979, she landed her first directorship, taking over the reins of Current Affairs.