This CPA follows in her father’s footsteps with a stable hand

CPA Ariana Azhari joined CARD because its mission statement resonated with her (Patrick Marcoux)

What led you to become a CPA?
Ariana Azhari: After graduating from university, I worked at a rehab clinic and in finance. I saw the scope of what you could accomplish in finance, beyond just accounting. My boss encouraged me to pursue my CPA certification, and I never looked back.

What is your focus in your current professional role?
I’m senior manager of finance for Mattamy Homes, both the land and joint venture finance sides, kind of two separate teams. On the land side, we deal with pre-acquisition investigations, ad-hoc analysis and project budgeting. While on the joint venture partnership, I deal directly with some of our partners, preparing their financial packages and ensuring that the joint venture has sufficient cash.

What is CARD?
CARD is a therapeutic horse-riding program. Under the supervision of physiotherapists and equestrian staff, riders gain greater physical, cognitive, psychological and social skills, helping improve their balance, coordination, and even confidence and self-esteem. Our mission is to improve the standard of living not only for children, but for anyone with disabilities or mental health issues like anxiety, for example.

What inspired you to get involved with CARD?
My dad was a human rights activist in the 70s in a country where you could go to jail for your political affiliations. So, he was very supportive of me doing something outside of my career that left a stamp on the world, like volunteering. Due to my background working in rehab, CARD’s mission statement resonated with me and that’s why I got involved with them.

When did you join as a volunteer?
I joined CARD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic was very hard on our operations. So, the focus right now is on risk management and ensuring that if there’s another scenario where we’re not receiving riders’ fees, we’ll be able to stay in business to continue helping the community that we’ve set out to support.

What do you like best about being a CPA?
The beauty of being a CPA, and the reason why I gravitated toward it, is that there’s always a need for someone with financial expertise. And being a CPA also allows me to contribute in a different way in my volunteer work so that I can help support whichever organization I choose.

GIVING BACK

Read more about CPAs with a passion for volunteering.