As we continue our Career Spotlight series this month, we feature Salina Dharamsi CPA, CA a “careerpreneur” who has followed a nonlinear yet highly successful career path. Salina has identified gaps in the profession, noted the technological advances, and, by tapping into her passion, aligned herself to build a brand to respond to the needs of the profession.
Salina Dharamsi CPA, CA
Born and raised in Vancouver, Salina attained her Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and E-Business from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Saskatchewan. She is a CPA, CA and holds additional designations in HR and Sustainability including the CPHR, SHRM-CP, and CSR-P.
Salina started her professional career in public accounting in Canada and South Africa, within the fields of audit, tax, and corporate finance. She then followed her passion for aligning people strategies to business objectives, leading talent acquisition as well as learning and development functions across a variety of industries. Salina is sought after in the HR community for her passion for client service, candidate experience, operational effectiveness, technology and diversity, as well as equity and inclusion.
Salina’s time outside of the office is mostly spent with her husband, volunteering in the community, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle through meditation and movement.
1. What career stage are you in?
You may remember my story from when I was featured as a Face of Tomorrow in CPA Canada’s national campaign, “The new face of CPA.” At the time, I was leveraging my designation in professional services to implement leading technologies to drive efficiencies through automation and mitigate biases to enable more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
It’s now been three years since that campaign, and I’ve continued to leverage my CPA designation as an HR leader in industry. The designation has continued to expand the possibilities available to me in my professional growth and been an invaluable cornerstone as I continue to reach increasingly senior levels of leadership.
2. What inspired you to enter the profession?
How the profession is typified, understood, and depicted in the media has continued to evolve to catch up to what I knew the profession offered even as early as my first public practice internship many years ago.
As I saw—and continue to see—CPAs are multi-dimensional leaders that can extend their influence up, down and laterally. They have access to the most critical information of a business and the competence to positively affect change and accelerate company trajectories.
Many of my mentors were making an impact in diverse roles across the C-suite and remarked that it all started with their decision to become a CPA. These factors and these leaders made it clear to me that joining the profession would yield exciting opportunities and good company.
3. Have you had to overcome any career obstacles? If so, tell us about these, and how you overcame them.
Macroeconomic factors and the acceleration of technology continue to inflict rapid changes in business and many professions, including ours. The landscape continues to change and as we reach one summit of understanding of a tool, standard, or technology, the next peak appears in the distance. It can feel never ending, because it is!
I’ve had the most success with managing constant change through anchoring less on end results and more on enjoying the process of reaching goals. It’s the same mindset I had when studying for the UFE (now CFE) all those years ago, but applied in a different setting. Yes, results day and walking the stage at CPA graduation are core memories, but I’m so glad I have the enjoyment I had in the journey I took to get there to also cherish.
4. How has CPA Alberta aided your career?
I’ve had a longstanding relationship with CPA Alberta and have continued to lean on the professional body as I grow my career. There are infinite ways the profession has supported me, including helping me build my network, providing me with opportunities to mentor and connect with the next generation of CPAs, and sharing outlets to apply my skills as a volunteer in the community. It truly is an affiliation I am so proud to have and that has evolved to meet me where I am at in my personal and professional development.
5. What advice would you give to someone just joining the profession?
CPAs are known for their technical expertise—this hallmark of the profession is so important and won’t change. Equally as important though is your ability to take a human-centered approach to your clients, peers, and work. While they can’t be codified or marked off a checklist, in the age of technology, soft skills make the difference. Being a good listener, an empathetic communicator, and collaborative teammate cannot be understated in importance. Soft skills are important cornerstones of our profession and essential components of our day to day work.
Do you want to share your experience?
If you’re interested in being featured in our Career Spotlight series, please submit a 200-word description of your personal career journey to careerservices@cpaalberta.ca. Your submission should include:
- Your career summary
- Details of your guiding philosophy
- Your major achievements
- A professional-looking headshot (not a selfie)
- A professional picture of you on the job/at your workstation (optional)
Career Spotlight submissions will be featured in Daily Dividends and on CPA Alberta’s Job Board to help build a strong community of career-driven CPAs who can support and empower each other.