by Patty Mah
Like International Women’s Day, the Women in Accounting and Finance Global Summit events serve to inspire 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.
As stated by Elaine Lee (BA ’03), Senior Manager, Change Management Office, The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and President of the UW SAF Alumni Association, a panelist from the 2020 event, “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.”
Carol Leaman (MAcc ’89, CPA), CEO of Axonify Inc., was one of the panelists from the 2021 Women in Accounting & Finance Global Summit. Carol firmly believes that it was the solid foundation in accounting from the University of Waterloo that 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.
After detailing her career path, Leaman answers questions submitted by event attendees.