COFFEE CHAT WITH KAREN MEADES

I recently had the privilege of having a conversation with Karen Meades, a distinguished professional who is President of Meades Consulting as well as Chief Financial Officer and Director at the Medical Council of Canada. Her commitment to her field is incredible and astonishing. Coming from a modest family and rising with hard work and determination she is the inspiration for many.

The conversation was built up around how her career journey and shedding light on her experiences since she joined this field and how this field has evolved over the years.

·KEY TAKEAWAYS

The industry is changing. The leadership roles in this industry are evolving, in today’s times, it’s more about coming together and using the skills and capabilities of each other to achieve the objective.

When choosing a workplace or career, it’s always important to ask ourselves that does the objectives of the workplace or career resonate with what I can relate to, or am interested in. She wanted to make a difference in the lives of the people. She started her career journey in health sector. She loved what she does and thus it makes her career journey more enjoyable.

NETWORKING AND EDUCATION

It is very important to focus on networking. Nowadays, meeting right people and aiming for higher academic milestones is very important. Both opens door for opportunities and broadens our viewpoint which further helps in advancement in life and career.

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT- I was very touched by the thought she shared that we complain a lot in our life, we always say I don’t want this in my life, I don’t want this to happen. But the most difficult question to answer is – “What do you want in life?” The day we can answer the question, it will become easy to move towards our journey in life and our career.

·   ADVICE

 Like other professions, CPA profession holds a great responsibility. It helps in making decisions. The accountants should be able to make others understand in simple words. Not everyone they are talking to will be accountant or will have accounting background. One of the questions we ask ourselves is “why” to make others understand financials more clearly. We should be able to make them understand result of financial statements in more of like storytelling way.

Conclusion

I learned a lot from this chat. It is important to network and moving ahead. Always know what you want and know that we can work more efficiently in the environment where we love what we do. It is difficult to find job in today’s competitive market, always try to volunteer for companies or non-profit organizations to gain experience and skills required for career development.