News

For this last week before we welcome the new year, we’re revisiting the inspirational stories of alums who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and skill with aplomb in navigating their careers to executive or C-suite levels. The pathways these alums and many others we’ve profiled over the past year have not been direct career routes, let alone the alum’s sole objective.

For the week of December 13^th, we’re revisiting stories of alums who push boundaries and go above and beyond to extend diversity and inclusion for all. In this round-up are stories of alums who faced and surpassed adversity, alums who transcended their humble career goals, and alums who are leveraging untapped talent to even the playing field.

For the week of December 6^th, we’re revisiting stories to celebrate the powerful women who inspire and motivate through the leadership and actions they take. In this round-up are stories of SAF women who face and overcome challenges head-on; advocate for equity, inclusion, and sustainability; and have successfully balanced work and life, all while effectively pivoting and leading their teams and organizations through and beyond a global pandemic.

For the week of November 28^th, we’re revisiting the entrepreneurial alums with which we’ve had the pleasure of sharing their stories. In this round-up are stories of a beer mogul, a start-up instigator, a tech start-up magnate, visionaries of education, and a Dragon’s Den pitch winner.

As a Mathematics/Chartered Professional Accountancy student, Nitish Sharma (BMath '14) was part of the second team that led the development of the hEDGE Financial Services Conference. Hosted annually in the heart of Toronto's financial district, hEDGE offers University of Waterloo students a comprehensive look into both sell-side and buy-side finance through six pillars of capital markets: asset management, equity and debt research, investment banking, private equity, sales and trading, and venture capital. The brainchild of School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) students, the conference’s goal is to showcase the impressive finance talent that is present at SAF and to inform students about recruitment and networking opportunities. What is particularly inspiring about the large and successful conference is that it continues to be completely student-run to this day.

Shubham Datta (BMath, MAcc '13) discovered his love for entrepreneurship while still going through the Mathematics/CPA program at Waterloo. Waterloo's innovative eco-system and entrepreneurial spirit encouraged Shubham to explore a career path that worked with start-ups and entrepreneurs. This interest morphed into a career in finance, working for Shopify.

Hear how Shubham navigated his career in accounting to finance through a love of entrepreneurship.

Work hard, play hard, and get involved in your community. SAF has allowed me to combine my passion for not-for-profit work with a strong foundational skill set to do what I love.

Tracy was nominated for the 2013 Alumni Award, and went on a trip of a lifetime with her family.

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.