Five in five with: Thomas Blonde
1. What’s your background?
I grew up on a farm in Chatham-Kent and earned a degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Guelph. After graduating, I worked for the government for a couple years to pay off my student loans. Once that was complete, I left to become an accounting student, progressing to junior, senior, manager and then partner – all at Collins Barrow, which eventually became Baker Tilly.
2. What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
It stemmed from a tragic incident that occurred on May 1, 2020 during the original COVID-19 wave and right in the middle of tax season. When a local CPA sole proprietor was killed in a motorcycle accident, our firm was called in to help his staff get through the remainder of tax season. We also played an important role in wrapping up his practice and estate, which resulted in many challenges. Getting through this difficult situation was definitely my proudest professional accomplishment.
3. If you weren’t in your current job, what profession would you pursue?
Presenter on BBC’s Top Gear.
4. What are the qualities that make Baker Tilly Canada unique?
Every firm in the network has complete autonomy. This includes decisions related to choosing clients, hiring employees and the size of each practice. At the same time, these firms benefit from having access to the national and international expertise Baker Tilly provides.
5. What does the future hold for you and your profession?
Anything that can be commoditized in our profession (i.e., basic T1 tax returns, automated bookkeeping software) will disappear. At the same time, there will be more demand for specialized industry expertise (i.e., agriculture), as well as complex tax and estate planning work that cannot be easily commoditized.
Thomas Blonde
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Thomas Blonde