Five in five with: Janet Currie
1. What’s your background?
I was born and raised in the Collingwood area, and I’m very happy to be able to work and live in this community. I didn’t take the traditional co-op or school route to get my designations. Instead, I did the extra courses for my CMA through correspondence and wrote my CA exams after that. I tell my staff that the end goal is the achievement and what you learn along the way, no matter how you get there.
2. How would you describe the contribution you make to your firm?
I care about the people in our firm. Without our staff, we wouldn’t be as successful. Our firm has always treated staff like family and with respect. That’s why I managed some of the HR responsibilities in our office for a number of years: it allowed me to get to know the staff better. I like hearing about their kids or travels or hobbies.
3. What’s the best advice you ever received?
I believe it came from one of my retired partners: accountants are human and we will make mistakes. It’s how we handle the mistakes that counts.
4. What are the most common misconceptions about the accounting profession?
People think we just add numbers all day and computers do all the real work. It’s up to us to look at a client’s records and understand those numbers. We help them fulfill their tax obligations, but we also give advice on a variety of topics, including HR, payroll, cost analysis and improving profits.
5. What industry trends are likely to continue in the coming months?
We will continue to use electronic means for data management and mundane tasks, which will provide information for analysis and interpretation to provide more insight to clients. I think virtual meetings will also continue, as they can be efficient, although I do miss casual client lunches where ideas are shared and there’s more time to understand the challenges they face.
Janet Currie
Janet Currie