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 â 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.