1. What’s your background?
I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. My parents were immigrants from Italy, and I was the youngest girl in my family. I was taught to work hard, and I also went to an all-girls high school, where they really emphasized that a woman can be the best at anything. Then I met my husband – my high school sweetheart – who has been supportive of me in everything I do. We moved to Ottawa in the late ’90s for what was supposed to be one year, but we fell in love with the city and the office, and we stayed. The rest is history.

2. How would you describe the contribution you make to your firm?
I wear multiple hats at BT Ottawa. I am a tax partner with a very specific specialty, but I also have a fairly significant client list, which I service. I wear the business development and marketing hat, where I consistently focus on ways to showcase what a great firm we are and how our people can serve clients of any size. We have technical expertise and we are also entrepreneurs ourselves, so we understand what it means to run a business. 

3. What’s the best advice you ever received?
My mentor told me multiple times, “I don’t come to work each day thinking about your success. It is up to you to decide what success means to you.” That really made me think about what I wanted in my career and my experiences. If I had to give advice to anyone else, I would say, “Don’t say no to opportunities” because you don’t always know what an experience will bring you. You may learn about a technical matter, about people, about business, but you should always be learning.

4. If you weren’t in your current job, what profession would you pursue?
I am very much a people person. I like helping people – I have a hard time saying no when people ask for help – and I like the technical aspect of what we do, so it would have to be a profession that challenges me and allows me to help people.

5. How are you helping clients navigate COVID-19-related impacts to their business?
As soon as COVID-19 began, I started reaching out to clients to help them understand what government programs were available to them, determine who should apply for which programs and talk them through the changes necessary to help them navigate this uncertain time. We talked about strategy, how to change or “pivot,” so they could continue to operate – or change how they operate – while finding new sources of revenue and determining how to cut costs. Along the way, I was able to listen to their concerns and help them navigate the scary world of a pandemic that none of us saw coming.

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Meet the Author

Rosa Maria Iuliano
Ottawa, Ontario
D (613) 768-7558
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