As a senior manager in our Canadian domestic tax group, I help owner-operated business clients understand, navigate and plan for their existing and future tax issues. Predominantly, I assist with tax planning engagements such as corporate reorganizations, estate planning and separation of assets and income due to marital separation. I also help clients and my colleagues address issues that arise during ongoing tax compliance engagements and less routine transactions. Additionally, I advise third-party accounting firms and their clients on complex tax matters.
On any given day, you might find me conducting deep technical research, reviewing annual corporate tax returns for complex clients or helping clients facing life-changing experiences or non-routine transactions. No matter what I’m working on, my aim is to understand my clients’ underlying objectives so I can help them meet their unique goals, whether that involves realizing significant savings through income splitting strategies, deferring tax through estate freezes, implementing appropriate tax structures or resolving a host of other tax-related issues.
Prior to joining Grant Thornton, I worked for my father’s family business before earning my Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Camosun College. From there, I worked at a local firm for almost 10 years where I focused on tax planning, estate planning, marital separation and corporate reorganizations. I also worked at another large national firm, where I was primarily involved with corporate financial statement and tax compliance work. In 2015, I completed the CPA In-Depth Tax program—and am proud to now be starting my second year as a facilitator for the program.
I’m also committed to contributing to the community in other ways. I’m currently an apprentice member in the Association of Collaborative Family Separation Professionals, an organization that promotes collaborative family separations as an alternative to mediation, arbitration or court-administered divorce. In the past, I helped facilitate courses for the CPA Professional Education Program.
When not at work, I’ve recently been spending my time learning how to produce electronic music, which involves learning music theory, song structure, how to program synthesizers and drum machines, and how to play keyboards and other MIDI controllers. Not surprisingly, I go to a lot of concerts and music festivals, and otherwise stay active by walking most places, cycling, spinning, kickboxing or attending boot camps.
