Tell us about your career at EY and what is the most valuable lesson you learned while you were working at EY?
First, right from the beginning, the one thing I loved was the exposure to different sectors, clients, teams and geographies. Having this variety of work in front of you, especially at the beginning of your career, is priceless. I worked with banks and asset managers, major oil and gas, telecom and mining companies, to name a few. And this was actually fundamental for my role.
Second, the opportunity to choose my direction was also very valuable to me. At EY, you can voice what you’re interested in and your manager and partners will help you move into that area so you can learn and grow. That, combined with the wealth of collective knowledge and how easily everyone at EY is connected across the global network, was invaluable to me.
Finally, a couple of lessons I learned: 1) take risks and try different things so you can find what you are most passionate about, especially early in your career, and 2) once you find it, pursue it and nurture it.
Who stood out to you as a mentor or influencer during your time at EY?
Many people, but I will name three.
Cathy Cobey was leading Assurance Services in the CCaSS practice at the time. I had been mainly focused on advisory projects and assurance was relatively new to me. She was an amazing leader on that front, training not only me, but the entire CCaSS team. I learned a lot from her and I cannot thank her enough.
Thibaut Millet was the lead on Advisory Services during my time, and I admired how he was able to keep a national team of over 40 people so well integrated. He is very optimistic and personable and always made the time to chat whenever the team had an idea or concern. I felt really lucky to have great leaders in whom I could trust.
And then there’s Jason Clifton, someone who leads by example and exposed me to a lot of professional growth opportunities. I will always appreciate his relentlessness and unique way of energizing the whole team.
Tell us about your current role and what makes it most energizing or challenging.
In a nutshell, the Responsible Investing team at OTPP is an internal centre of excellence that enables investment teams to make more informed decisions. I lead the ESG integration pre-investments, which in practice translates to understanding and assessing ESG-related risks and opportunities in our investment strategies and deals.
I am also a member of OTPP’s Green Bond Council. Our green bond issuances raise proceeds that are allocated globally to companies that enable the net-zero transition, reduce carbon emissions, and build a sustainable economy. I also lead the publication of OTPP's responsible investing and climate strategy reports and contribute to the broader industry through external initiatives and holding seats on advisory boards and councils.
What keeps me energized is how our work influences companies and markets. I get to work across sectors, geographies and with various teams in very meaningful transactions. The scale and time horizon of OTPP’s investment portfolio is just extraordinary. And we use that position to create a lasting, positive impact in the world.
Tell us about your most rewarding career moments.
My time at EY certainly had a few. The implementation of a global Environmental Management System for a resources company alongside more than 40 colleagues was one. A one-year project with a bank, renewing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy was another. We got to work with stakeholders in key markets across the globe — seeing it take shape through different initiatives their leadership later applied was very rewarding.
