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TELUS Executive Vice President and CFO Doug French shares his reminiscences of his early days with the firm in Toronto.

What’s the most valuable lesson you learned while working at EY?

One valuable lesson I learned at the outset of my career is to dig in to understand the key success factors and risks associated with a task, decision or transaction. It doesn’t matter what role you’re in — your ability to learn and understand the business and industry you’re operating in will help you stand out from your peers.

A partner I worked with early on once made me recreate a 50-page inventory section in just five pages, which really helped me understand what I was doing and enabled me to identify issues related to the fundamentals of the business.

Paying close attention and asking questions even if the subject matter isn’t your specialty will always advance your learning. Understanding all facets of the business you’re in will enable you to play a strategic role and connect the end-to-end data points to make better decisions.

Tell us about your career at EY and what it means to you to be an EY alum.

When I started at EY in Scarborough, my goal was to become a partner. I spent eight years at EY, and towards the end of my tenure I was a senior manager responsible for preparing Clearnet’s (one of TELUS’s predecessor companies) financial information as the organization prepared to go public. I was asked to take on a leadership role during those 11 months and learned a ton in the process.

Much of it was new and pushed me outside my comfort zone, since most of the clients I’d worked with to that point were small or medium-sized businesses. I had worked on two IPOs in two years as well as four other public offerings, and discovered that I loved it. The skills I developed and the opportunities EY presented me with gave me the confidence to do more.

I’m proud to be an EY alum. I have access to a broad and deep network that keeps me engaged in the industry. I have mentors and friends to this day that I met at EY, and that shared history is priceless. I believe that in life and work, it’s the people you surround yourself with and the culture of the organizations you align yourself with that matter to your success and happiness. EY has done a great job of recruiting and developing smart and ambitious talent over the years, which is reflected in the breadth of its alumni network.

What motivates you most about your work?

My parents taught me to work hard, be authentic and treat others well. That — combined with my love of sports, teamwork and competitiveness — has always guided me to work hard, always learn and always do the right thing.

At TELUS my personal mantra, and one I’ve been sharing with my team over the past several years, is about going “all in” on whatever you do. This concept really helps me stay present and engaged and reinforces the idea to always listen, learn, adopt a critical mindset and continually challenge the status quo.

I get fired up about helping our business achieve our strategic vision, and that passion has translated into a hugely fulfilling career at TELUS. In the past year alone, we successfully navigated what ended up being the largest tech IPO in TSX history with TELUS International; we launched TELUS Agriculture, a new business unit dedicated to digitally transforming, protecting and improving the global food system; and we brought to life the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, a $100 million social impact investment fund created to power the biggest, boldest, bravest ideas in new responsible and sustainable startups.

These are game-changing initiatives that align with our belief at TELUS that doing well in business and doing good in our communities go hand in hand. We’re committed to applying our world-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Caring for our planet is a central pillar of this concept, and I’m lucky to support our bold and talented Sustainability team.

Culture and the people you work with are so important to your happiness and success. TELUS reflects the culture and team I’m proud to be part of and drives me to be a more thoughtful business leader and person. I’m able to broaden the depth and breadth of my business acumen by taking responsibility for areas outside the norm for many accountants and chief financial officers. We’re changing the world and it truly inspires me to do my best work every day when my objectives include both social and business impacts.

How have you and your team adapted to the changes brought on by the pandemic?

One COVID-related lesson our Corporate Affairs & Finance team will continue emphasizing in a post-pandemic world is creating a safe space at work for open and supportive discussions around mental health and wellbeing. At TELUS, we believe in treating mental health with the same importance as physical health and encourage all of our team members to seek out support if and when they need it. Good communication is important, which has been made more apparent than ever during COVID.

What advice would you give the younger you when you were setting out on your career journey?

I would tell myself that everyone’s path to success is different, and never give up chasing your dreams. It took me a long time to develop the grit and resilience I needed to become the senior leader I am today.

My best advice would be to learn from experience, internalize lessons from both professional and personal undertakings and be “all in” all the time, so that you don’t miss out on the great experiences life presents.

There’s great value in providing a helping hand at home, at work and in your communities. Most of all be authentic; the greatest progressions in my career came when I could be myself in an organizational culture that motivated me.