by
Patty
Mah
Global
Summit
of
Women
in
Accounting
and
Finance
showcases
women’s
leadership
and
SAF’s
global
presence
Globally,
2020
has
been
a
year
of
unanticipated
decision-making
as
organizations
pivoted
to
ensure
business
success,
often
with
very
tight
timelines.
With
the
common
theme
of
the
global
pandemic
as
the
driving
force
of
these
strategies,
the
School
of
Accounting
and
Finance
leveraged
its
annual
Women
In
Accounting
and
Finance
event
to
invite
five
SAF
alumni
from
across
the
globe
to
share
their
stories
and
insights
in
managing
and
pivoting
their
teams,
organizations,
and
personal
lives
through
the
global
pandemic.
Marking
the
eighth
year
of
hosting
the
Women
In
Accounting
and
Finance
event,
the
global
pandemic
provided
an
opportunity
to
engage
a
panel
of
alumni
from
Toronto,
Boston,
San
Francisco,
London
UK,
and
the
Netherlands.
Moderated
expertly
by
Elaine
Lee,
(BA
’03),
Senior
Manager,
Change
Management
Office,
The
Alcohol
and
Gaming
Commission
of
Ontario,
and
President,
UW
SAF
Alumni
Association,
who
kick
started
the
event
by
noting
the
importance
of
female
leadership
and
perspectives
in
business,
“We
need
more
stories
of
successes
and
leadership
to
continue
to
inspire
young
women
to
make
a
mark
in
fields
that
are
traditionally
dominated
by
men.”
Global
leadership
and
role
models
This
year’s
panelist
discussion
truly
exemplified
the
leadership
of
SAF’s
female
graduates.
The
panelists
spoke
of
strategies
they
each
have
implemented
within
their
organizations
and
teams
to
stay
connected
remotely
while
ensuring
that
their
teams
continued
to
produce
high
quality
work.
Siddhi
Purohit
(MAcc
’08),
Associate
Portfolio
Manager,
European
Equities,
RBC
Global
Asset
Management,
London
UK,
spoke
of
staying
connected
with
colleagues
to
maintain
positivity,
“What
you
don’t
get
is
communication
with
other
teams.
So,
we
started
having
weekly
office
meetings
and
remain
focused
on
the
positive.”
Siddhi
implemented
a
“guess
the
workspace”
virtual
game
for
her
team
as
a
way
to
encourage
and
create
connections
between
colleagues.
Shana
Laurie
de
Hernandez,
(MAcc
’98),
Chair
of
the
Board
of
PwC
Europe,
Netherlands,
addressed
the
need
for
all
organizations
to
shift
strategy
to
ensure
business
success.
“What
is
needed
for
businesses
during
this
pandemic
is
changes
to
strategy
and
frameworks.
We
have
to
move
from
survival
mode
to
strategy
mode.
We
need
to
take
a
local
and
a
global
approach…a
‘no
one
size
fits
all’
approach.”
The
gender
challenge
The
event
was
also
timely
as
Canada
and
the
US
grapples
with
an
additional
negative
effect
of
the
pandemic
with
media
spotlighting
issues
of
gender
and
racial
equality
and
diversity.
Now,
more
than
ever,
aspiring
professionals
in
under-represented
industries
and
marginalized
racial
groups
require
role
models
and
leadership
to
inspire
young
females
from
diverse
backgrounds
to
succeed
in
today’s
global
economy.
Joanne
Gutwinski
(MAcc
’14),
MBA
Candidate,
Harvard
Business
School
and
Private
Equity,
Blackstone
Group,
the
youngest
member
of
the
panel
spoke
of
her
success
strategy
as
a
young
aspiring
female
professional
in
finance,
“I
always
want
to
surround
myself
at
work
with
professionals
–
female
or
male
–
that
I
feel
are
more
successful
or
accomplished
than
myself.
This
inspires
and
motivates
me
to
continue
to
work
towards
my
professional
goals.”
Joanne
also
re-evaluates
her
current
role
as
well
as
roles
she
aspires
to
achieve
each
year
to
gauge
whether
it’s
still
exciting
to
her
and
worthy
of
working
towards.
Michelle
Lam,
(MAcc
’01),
Former
Co-Founder
and
CEO,
True
&
Co,
shared
insights
on
how
she
didn’t
have
a
career
plan
when
she
graduated.
Instead,
she
reflected
on
her
value
system
and
how
a
young
female
guest
speaker
to
one
of
her
undergraduate
courses
inspired
and
motivated
her
to
keep
her
career
path
open
and
to
follow
her
passions.
Michelle’s
career
has
spanned
across
the
tech
industry
to
private
equity,
to
start-ups,
with
each
shift
of
her
career
being
“a
way
to
break
boundaries
but
figure
out
what
else
was
out
there.”
The
event
touched
on
many
aspects
and
challenges
that
still
exist
today
for
professional
women.
With
a
united
goal
to
continue
to
move
forward
to
create
a
world
that’s
equitable
for
all,
the
SAF
and
the
University
collectively
support
and
provide
opportunities
and
inspiration
for
young
women
to
work
and
succeed
in
under-represented
fields
such
as
accounting
and
finance.
Global
Summit
of
Women
in
Accounting
and
Finance
showcases
women’s
leadership
and
SAF’s
global
presence
