Graduate Success Stories

Entrepreneurship is more than launching a business—it’s about solving problems, embracing risk, and building something meaningful from the ground up. This month, we’re spotlighting two inspiring alumni from the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) who have turned their passions and professional experiences into thriving ventures. 

Their journeys from corporate roles to entrepreneurial leadership highlight the resilience, adaptability and strategic thinking that Waterloo alumni bring to the business world.  

In honour of World Teachers’ Day this month, the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) is celebrating alumni who have returned to the classroom—bringing the lessons they’ve learned in industry back to where their own journeys began.  

Balancing careers in both business and academia, our alumni bridge theory and practice, offering their insights and experiences to give our students a firsthand look at how classroom concepts come to life in real-world settings. 

The end of summer means back to school and back to routines with the spirit of learning in full swing. For SAF alumni, crossing the stage at Convocation isn't the end of their educational journey, but the start of a new chapter. Many decide to give back and share their knowledge by mentoring students, guest lecturing and promoting financial literacy in their communities. These alumni create a ripple effect that inspires and support future generations. 

Mentorship shaped his student experience, and now Dean Ah Sen (MAcc ’16) has come full circle, giving back to the SAF community as a Fellowship Honouree. While leading financial reporting at CAPREIT, he continues to help students navigate challenges and step outside their comfort zones.

School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) alumni are finding success early in their careers, proving that with the right mix of curiosity, courage and foundation, great things can happen fast.

Whether they’re helping launch startups or preparing expert reports for high-stakes litigation, these young professionals are already leaving a mark on their industries.  

The 2025 SAF Alumni Excellence Gala brought together over 130 alumni, donors, students, faculty, and university leaders to celebrate excellence, innovation and the vibrant future of our community.

The evening featured the presentation of the SAF Lifetime Achievement Award, the launch of a new doctoral scholarship, and a warm welcome to the new Chair of the SAF Advisory Council.

In September 2024, thousands of candidates nationwide took the final step in the journey to becoming a Chartered Professional Account (CPA) by writing the Common Final Exam (CFE), widely regarded as one of the most challenging professional exams in Canada.

Seven outstanding alumni from the School of Accounting and Finance placed in the top one percent, earning a place on the CPA Canada Honour Roll.

In honour of International Women's Day this month, we're highlighting some incredible SAF alumni who are making waves in the finance industry.

Building a strong foundation for success through SAF's co-op program, networking opportunities and development of technical business skills, our featured alumni––Renee Milligan and Lucy Qi––have shown how women can bring unique abilities to the table, reshaping the future of finance to uplift the current and future women in the industry.

February reminds us to take a moment and slow down to appreciate our loved ones. This Family Day we're celebrating SAF alumni sibling duos who are paving the way together!

Ayman and Ammar Kamran (CFM '23), twin software engineers who took their skills to different cities: Ayman at Bloomberg in NYC, the heart of finance, and Ammar at Securiti.ai at the tech hub of the world, San Jose. 

Sisters Puneet, an M&A Analyst at Banyan Software, and Mahek, a soon-to-be consultant at McKinsey, share how their journey at SAF helped them discover their true passions within the accounting and finance industry. 

January often brings about change and new beginnings, which is why the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) is highlighting alumni who have made exciting career changes, promoting growth and diversifying their expertise. In pivoting to unique and multidisciplinary fields, their stories demonstrate the flexibility possible with a foundation in accounting and finance.

For Global Entrepreneurship Week, the University of Waterloo is spotlighting some incredible entrepreneurs making a difference for humanity and our world.

School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) alum Jade Choy (BAFM ’17) co-founded Epoch alongside her brother Keith Choy (BAFM ’16, MAcc ’16) and close friend Michael Miller. Like many of her Accounting and Finance peers at Waterloo, Choy was on a more traditional career path — aiming for a future in management consulting. However, a side project related to non-profit work sparked a much larger idea, one that would eventually evolve into Epoch.

Learn more about The School of Accounting and Finance's newest Advisory Council Chair, Lana Paton.

Widely regarded as one of the most challenging professional exams in Canada, the CFE spans three days and rigorously tests not only technical accounting knowledge but also problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities.  

This makes Rebecca Lee's (MAcc ’23) 2023 Provincial Gold Medal win an extraordinary achievement—one that will undoubtedly illuminate her career for years to come.

SAF PhD student Jillian Adams is recognized for her achievements as the 2024 Faculty of Arts valedictorian.

School of Accounting and Finance alum, Benjie Thomas (PDAcc '98), is the new CEO of KPMG in Canada.

Chen is the very deserving 2024 School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) valedictorian of 2024. She is completing her degree on the Dean’s Honours List and is graduating with a Bachelor of Accounting and Financial Management (AFM, with both a Professional Accountant Specialization and Financial Leadership Specialization. She is currently pursuing her Master of Accounting degree, with a convocation in 2025.

One of the top women in finance in Canada, Jeannine LiChong is a dedicated mentor and community builder.

From SAF to Dragon's Den and beyond, Ian Weng is revolutionizing the frozen food market in Canada.

José R. Hernandez (MAcc '98), author of Broken Business, is an internationally recognized expert on crisis management, business integrity, and corporate misconduct.

It's all relative. What may seem like the most important decision of your life today, may not be once you look back and examine the series of decisions you make over a lifetime. So please don’t stress and miss out on the exciting stuff that each day has to offer!

I can’t imagine a school or a program that could offer students more leverage than SAF. If you want a career in finance, accounting, or tax, SAF will put you on the direct line to achieving this objective. Choose SAF and make a leap rather than just a first step toward your career goals!

Don’t be afraid to jump off the bandwagon and carve your own path to success!

Meng was a winner of the 2015 Young Alumni Award. 

Waterloo has an excellent reputation and brand, but it’s also a great place to meet new friends, get involved, and along the way, pick up a great education.

When she was a student at Waterloo, Cindy Kottoor (MAcc '97) never envisioned running her own company. "I assumed I'd work for established global organizations," she recalls. "Working for myself wasn't an option I was exposed to - or even recognized! So, when I started my business, I really had to figure out everything from scratch."

"I started TrueCo. in my living room, with 500 bras and a pen-and-paper survey that reminded me of the Cosmo quizzes my friends and I loved in high school," explains the company's CEO and co-founder, who concedes that she and her colleagues never imagined becoming bra experts. "But we love what we do, helping women find their perfect fit. We created a brand new way to fit women online in two minutes with no fitting rooms, no measuring tape!"

Preparing to launch the enterprise was both nervous and exciting, she admits. "It felt like jumping off a cliff! Accountants are typically risk adverse, and starting a new business from scratch was completely opposite to what I was used to."

"My career path has been anything but linear, which comes as a bit of a surprise even to me!" says Sharon Ng (MAcc '04). There's a back story and a front story here. Her daytime job as a merchandise planner is one thing, her nighttime job is quite another - and that's the front story for this posting: the popular "Backseat Stylers" fashion blog that she and her sister created. Their casual exploration of the fashion world spiraled into an addiction.

"It's somewhat embarrassing!" What Cynthia McIntyre [Loeffen] (MAcc '96) is talking about is the kind of faux pas we've all done or imagined doing. Years ago at Waterloo, she ticked the wrong box on a co-op job application form. "I think she did it 'accidentally on purpose,' "suggests her sister Heather Wright [Loeffen] (MAcc '98). Both are tax experts - and their career choices have proved to be exactly right.

If the license plate of the car ahead says "A TRIGUY," you're behind ace triathlon competitor and UW Accounting grad Scott Slaven (BA '82). And that could be fellow triathlete Bernie Linseman (BMath '81) beside him. Triathlons enable the London, Ontario duo to build their physical strength, focus their minds — and rekindle their youthful vigour. "The great thing is the inspiration you receive," Bernie reports.

There are many stories of couples meeting on campus, we wanted to share a few of them with you this Valentine's Day.

Celebrating the grads on the 2020 Honour Roll

Even during his time at the School of Accounting and Finance when studying in the Master of Accounting (MAcc) program, Langill was drawn to complex problems that needed solving. This curiosity and tenacity led Langill to build an impressive career in the financial services industry.

Oni Prisecaru, (MAcc ’16, CPA, CA) is one of a few co-op students who completed their co-op work terms and launched their careers with the same employer. Hired by Deloitte in their Audit Practice as a Junior Associate for his first co-op work term, Oni leveraged his accounting skills and knowledge and quickly became interested in the finance side of Deloitte’s business. As the Executive Director of the M&A Advisory team within Deloitte’s Corporate Finance area, Oni attributes his success to maintaining his intrinsic values, being open and coachable as a manager, and always seeking learning opportunities.

The Women in Accounting and Finance: Global Summit is an event that celebrates our female leaders and showcases their accomplishments in the field of accounting and finance. This year, though virtual, was a great opportunity to hear the unique and empowering stories of the panelists from around the globe.

As the world begins to transition back to business as usual, it is more important than ever to provide forums, such as the Women in Accounting and Finance events to serve as inspiration to current students and young alums in amplifying the importance of female leadership and perspectives in business. The 2021 Global Summit event for the Women in Accounting & Finance panel discussion brought together three School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) alums to share their career stories and answer questions from event attendees.

For Carol Leaman (MAcc ’89, CPA), the solid foundation in accounting from the University of Waterloo led her toward a winding, yet interesting and life changing career path of founding early-stage technology companies and leading them through to acquisition…four times over. From the wild rides of founding to the sale of the tech companies she’s led, Leaman has remained humble with the firm belief of creating an environment and culture that empowers everyone with knowledge, transparency, and honesty. Her latest start-up, Axonify, is a demonstration of Leaman exemplifying these qualities through her leadership which has translated into multiple years of recognition for Axonify as one of the best workplaces in Canada. Axonify was acquired last April by an American private equity firm to which Leaman has remained in the leadership role to take her passion project to the next stage of growth.