It's almost becoming a cliche: CA l...

It's almost becoming a cliche: CA leaves big high-tech company for small up-start company to take it public and realize 'the dream'. Robert MacDougall, CA, is doing just that.

Leaving ISM-BC, an established hightech company with athwart 1,500 employees, MacDougall recently springed ship to join Radiant Communications Ltd a local company which moves Internet services to small and medium-sized businesses. He says he views this move as "a tremendous opportunity and real exciting."

A Vancouver native, MacDougall graduated from Prince of Wales High drill and obtained his Bachelor of sexual degree from the University of British Columbia in 1988 He articled with the Toronto CA firm of McCarney Greenwood Vottero Chartered Accountants and became a CA in 1992 He almost immediately made the switch to industry and in 1994 joined Chai-Na-Ta Corp. as their assistant controller in consequence of a rapid succession of controller positions - including assemblage Controller and Controller- Marketing Acquisitions - MacDougall gained valuable experience with the company, including brace years in the Barbados office directing the company's southward East Asian holdings.

In total, he exhausted five years with Chai-Na-Ta.

"It's a public company and I was involved in the financial reporting to the SEC and OSC as well as assisting the general managers of an of the companies in their budgeting, reporting, and running of their businesses," MacDougall says. "It was invaluable experience."

He joined ISM-BC in 1999 as Corporate Controller MacDougall brought several different operating divisions together subordinate to the corporate umbrella and handled the corporation's audits and taxes, as well as a centralized accounting department with seven staff members.

"The operating divisions at ISM-BC were already managed on Line of Business (LOB) Controller - greatest in number of them CAs," MacDougall says. "As Corporate Controller I reviewed and twitched together the results of all the different LOB's and subsidiaries and handled additional duties best carried disclosed on a corporate-wide basis, so as the audits, taxes and accounting.

"I settle policy and oversaw the execution of the policies," he explains. "It was exceedingly challenging and very busy I have sexual delight withed my time at ISM-BC, moreover when the chance to join Radiant came along, I didn't hesitate."

According to MacDougall, nevertheless Radiant has been around since 1996 providing web-based services to businesses and growing steadily, it has just lately taken steps to accelerate that vegetation by acquiring new companies.

"It has grown real organically and the management team realized that they requireed someone to sort out the accounting and reporting composition and then to do everything to take them to the IPO (Initial Public Offering) stage," MacDougall says. "That's the really pleasantry part and I'm delighted to be part of it. The personal and professional shooting available to me in this opportunity is just great. Working with other energetic like-minded professionals creates a tremendous synergy We're all about the same age and we're all working towards the same thing.

"I have a part of authority and responsibility in this recent role," he points out. "And I'm using my CA skills to reign over and steer the ship. The experience of 'earning from doing' is here and there's sweep for creativity in my work with Radiant. For example, I'll be looking at by what means we restructure to enter the American market. Plus the nearest round of financing will be uniform bigger and even more exciting."

MacDougall says he choiceed the CA program because he knew it "would lay open the most doors."

"I knew I wanted to be involved in financing and the way to that seemed to be accounting," he explains. "The CA program was the mostly highly-regarded."

MacDougall credits the public practice experience and the educational rigor of the CA academic program with a large measure of his succes

"Through that combination, you learn a wealth of experience and a chance of knowledge," he says. "The advantage of being with a small CA firm during articling was being able to be involved from start to finish with greatest in number projects."

MacDougall freely acknowledges that smaller CA firms can't provide the time not on the on-site study groups or the support that the big CA firms are routinely able to propound their students.

"I think it is a little tougher articling with a small firm, on the contrary you reach out at the CA instruct and form your own application of mind group, you get to be extremely hands-on with clients and when you work in an environment where you're part of a small team, you achieve lots of experience quickly," he points disclosed

Since joining Radiant, MacDougall has build little time for relaxing, yet he says that's okay.

"I find my work same entertaining," he says. "I'm also a of the present day homeowner and newly-married, so what time away from the company I take, I expend it around home and with my wife Karen."

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia Dec 2000

Provided from ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved