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  • Celebrating The First 10 Years of the CPA Profession: Reflections on A Decade of Growth

    Celebrating The First 10 Years of the CPA Profession: Reflections on A Decade of Growth
    2025/06/26
    July 1, 2025, marks the 10th anniversary of the unified regulated accounting profession in Alberta. To celebrate this milestone, we're wrapping up the first season of Uncommon Sense with a look back at the unification process that led to the creation of the CPA designation, and the impact of unification on the profession over the last decade. And there's no one better to lead this discussion than two people who were at the forefront of the work to bring the old accounting designations together: Rachel Miller FCPA, FCA, CEO of CPA Alberta, and Greg Draper FCPA, FCGA, Board Chair at the time of unification. Rachel and Greg are the guests on this episode, and their conversation is both a nostalgic reflection on an historic (and occasionally hectic) time for the accounting profession and an overview of the growth of the CPA profession in the 10 years since unification became official. This episode marks the end of Season 1 of the Uncommon Sense podcast. The Hesje CPA Knowledge Centre team thanks everyone who has listened to our podcast since its launch last September. We're grateful to the CPAs who have been guests on the 47 episodes we've produced over the last 10 months; their knowledge and expertise are what have made the podcast a success. We won't be disappearing completely during the next six weeks. Through July and early August, listen for some "encore" episodes of Uncommon Sense and its predecessor podcast, "Straight From The CPA's Mouth." We'll be back with new episodes in mid-August. Happy Summer to all of our listeners and followers!
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    41 分
  • Leading the Way: A Conversation With Kandice Machado, CEO of Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis

    Leading the Way: A Conversation With Kandice Machado, CEO of Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis
    2025/06/19
    Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis—usually referred to as AGLC—is a crown corporation with a huge, complex, and important mandate when it comes to serving Alberta. As the organization's Chief Executive Officer, Kandice Machado CPA, CMA leads a team committed to effectively regulating alcohol, gaming and cannabis on behalf of Albertans while generating revenues that support charities across the province. In this episode, Kandice joins host Jessica de Groot to provide an informative, eye-opening look at the work of AGLC and how it balances its economic and social responsibilities. Kandice also shares her insights into how AGLC has evolved over the years to respond to the ever-changing nature of the gaming, liquor and cannabis industries. As well, she reflects on what she has learned about leadership, the value her CPA designation has brought to her career, and how to thrive professionally as an introvert.
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    39 分
  • A Mission-Driven Life: How I Bring Special Meaning to My Career

    A Mission-Driven Life: How I Bring Special Meaning to My Career
    2025/06/12
    Jennifer Neal CPA, CMA has dedicated much of her career to roles in the non-profit sector, or, as Jennifer more aptly calls it, the for-impact sector. She derives meaning from her work by helping to create possibilities for others. In this episode, Jennifer describes the work she does with AdaptAbilities, an organization that supports those with disabilities, and reflects on why it's important for any professional to get involved in the community and dedicate time to helping others. Jennifer's story is both personal and universal, and she has many powerful insights to share. In addition, Jennifer fills listeners in about the time her father, a celebrity radio DJ in Barrie, Ontario in the 1960s, attended a Beatles news conference in 1966 and took what might be Canada's first-ever selfie, with a Beatle or two in the background!
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    33 分
  • The Voices of Experience: Impromptu Conversations with Long-Serving CPAs

    The Voices of Experience: Impromptu Conversations with Long-Serving CPAs
    2025/06/05
    As part of its annual Elevate celebrations, CPA Alberta hosted the 2025 Chair's Long Service Awards ceremony on May 20. This year's celebration was in the form of a brunch at Edmonton's Fairmont Hotel MacDonald and was held to honour CPAs who had reached milestones of 40, 50, 60, and even 70 years as designated accountants. The Uncommon Sense team dropped into the brunch to chat with many of the honourees and reflect on their careers and the lessons they learned. Their insights, humour, and humility, honed through decades of experience as CPAs, make for enjoyable and thoughtful conversations, as you'll hear. In this "person on the street" episode, you'll also hear from CPA Alberta's Chair, Ruth McHugh FCPA, FCMA, as she reflects on the achievements and contributions of these remarkable honourees.
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    28 分
  • From Stand-out Student to Stand-out CPA

    From Stand-out Student to Stand-out CPA
    2025/05/29
    To earn one of the CPA Education Foundation's awards is a notable accomplishment for any student. To receive four of those awards, as CPA Sydney Eyre did during her time as a student, is an unprecedented achievement. Sydney joins us on this episode of Uncommon Sense to talk about her multiple-award-winning performance as a student at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business, her success in earning her CPA designation, and her current role as a Manager at Ernst and Young. She describes how some time studying in Scotland helped her to develop confidence as a student, and how she used that confidence to build her career and to become an enthusiastic spin cyclist and Spin Motivator. And, she reflects on what it was like to earn four awards from the Foundation. Her story is engaging and instructive for anyone pondering their next steps—in their career or their life.
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    36 分
  • If You Can See Her You Can Be Her

    If You Can See Her You Can Be Her
    2025/05/22
    This episode of Uncommon Sense features Carolyn Graham FCPA, FCA, a 2025 recipient of CPA Alberta's highest honour, the Lifetime Achievement Award. In this conversation with host Chris Pilger, Carolyn discusses some highlights of her distinguished career, her incredible record of board service and other types of volunteerism, and her thoughts on leadership. She also reflects on her experiences as Board Chair of Edmonton's MacEwan University and on her commitment to creating paths for women to succeed in business. Carolyn's insights and perspectives encapsulate the knowledge she has gained from a lifetime of principled professionalism and leadership, and her story is eye-opening and instructive for anyone who wants to make a positive difference at work and in their community.
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    31 分
  • A CPA in the World of Biotechnology: In Conversation with Matthew Alexander CPA, CA

    A CPA in the World of Biotechnology: In Conversation with Matthew Alexander CPA, CA
    2025/05/15
    If you have ever wondered how the common fruit fly can be used in groundbreaking scientific work (and who hasn't wondered that?), then you'll want to tune in to this episode of Uncommon Sense, featuring guest Matthew Alexander CPA, CA. Matthew is Vice President of Finance and Administration at Future Fields, an Edmonton-based biotechnology company. In this conversation with host Jessica de Groot, Matthew talks about the exciting work Future Fields is doing in developing proteins from fruit flies and how this technology can be applied in the areas of food science, health, and the environment. Matthew describes this work in plain language, so you don't need to be a biologist to understand him as he gives listeners a peek into the fascinating world of contemporary biotechnology and talks about how Alberta is poised to become a leader in this field.
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    30 分
  • The Case for Case Competitions: A Discussion with Trish Stringer FCPA, FCMA, FCA

    The Case for Case Competitions: A Discussion with Trish Stringer FCPA, FCMA, FCA
    2025/05/08
    With over 15 years of experience as an accounting educator and student mentor at the U of A's Alberta School of Business, Trish Stringer FCPA has made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of students. And, her contributions to student learning don't end at the classroom door. She has devoted countless hours to advising and coaching student case competition teams, including many of those that have participated in (and often won) the CPA Education Foundation's annual Business Challenge competition. In this episode of Uncommon Sense, Trish talks with host Jessica de Groot about her career move from the boardroom to the classroom, the evolution of accounting education over the past decade and a half, and her experiences with advising student case competition teams. She reveals the keys to building a successful team and talks about the importance and value of case competitions—for students and for advisors alike.
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    33 分