Date & Time:
Location:
Check-in: 5:30pm-6:15pm
Program: 6:15pm-7:30pm
Reception: 7:30pm-8:30pm (complimentary canapes and one non-alcoholic drink included)
Open to all Sauder students
This event will feature a rare opportunity to hear first-hand stories and advice from Fiona Macfarlane, Managing Partner, British Columbia and Chief Inclusiveness Officer at Ernst & Young LLP. Fiona’s professional achievements and volunteer commitments have earned her many awards and accolades. In 2011 and 2012, she was named among Canada’s most powerful women and, in 2015, she was recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s influential women of business. Prior to her current role, Fiona was the Canadian Managing Partner, People, and Ernst & Young’s Americas Chief Operating Officer, Tax. Previously, she held the role of Ernst & Young’s Tax Managing Partner for the Canadian Tax practice, a team of more than 800 tax practitioners. Fiona is the first woman among the Big Four accounting firms to have held such a position. Her passion for inclusion, diversity and women’s leadership in the workplace have been widely celebrated, and she is a regular speaker and writer on the topics of diversity, inclusiveness and leadership.
We’re delighted to welcome Fiona to the Dean’s Speaker Series, which offers students a unique opportunity to gain insights on life, careers, and responsible leadership from some of our most successful alumni and community partners. This event will be opened to our alumni community as well so the reception will be a fantastic opportunity for our students to network with many alumni business professionals. We encourage you to all attend the reception after the main program to meet new people, practice your networking skills, and enjoy some light refreshments. Students will be given a drink ticket for a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage.
Speaker Bio
Fiona Macfarlane is currently the Managing Partner of the British Columbia practice for Ernst & Young LLP, as well as the firm's Chief Inclusiveness Officer. Prior to her current role, Fiona was the Canadian Managing Partner, People and Ernst & Young's Americas Chief Operating Officer, Tax; previously, she held the role of Ernst & Young's Tax Managing Partner for the Canadian Tax practice, a team of more than 800 tax practitioners. Fiona is the first woman among the Big Four accounting firms to have held such a position. Fiona is a member of the Board of Governors of the Business Council of British Columbia and serves on the organization's Executive Committee. She was appointed by the British Columbia Minister of Finance to the province's Expert Panel on Business Taxation. Fiona was previously a member of the Aboriginal Business Investment Council (a provincially established council) and currently sits on the Executive Board of the Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia. Additionally, she is Governor of the Board of UBC as well as Shawnigan Lake School. She is also a member of the Presidents Group.
Before joining Ernst & Young's South African firm in 1983, Fiona trained as a lawyer in Cape Town, where she was admitted to the bar. She joined the Canadian firm's Calgary Tax practice in 1987 and relocated to Vancouver two years later to build a commodity tax practice in Western Canada. She was admitted to the partnership in 1991 and became the Tax leader for the western region of Canada in 2001. Before relocating back to Vancouver, Fiona was on the cabinet of Pathways to Education, an organization that provides access to education for youth in disadvantaged areas. Fiona was previously a Director on the Canadian Board of the International Women's Forum (IWF), an organization dedicated to advancing women's leadership across careers, cultures and continents by connecting the world's most pre-eminent women. She co-chaired the IWF Canada Committee on Sponsorship of Women to Leadership roles. Fiona's efforts in the immigrant community have been recognized with two awards, the TRIEC CBC Business Leader Award in 2008 and York University's makeMORE Ontario Connections Award for Immigrants in 2010. Fiona's professional achievements and volunteer commitments garnered her a place among "Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100". She is a regular speaker and writer on the topics of diversity and inclusiveness and leadership.
Fiona has been recognized as a 'Women of Influence 2012 Canadian Diversity Champion', as one of 'Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100′ (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015), and was named as an IWF 'Woman Who Makes a Difference' in October 2013. In 2015, Fiona was selected as one of Business in Vancouver's 'Influential Women of Business'. She was recently featured in Canada 150 Women and recognized as BC's Top 25 Women Mentors in 2017.
For questions about this event, please email Marina Tischenko, Alumni Engagement Officer, at marina.tischenko@sauder.ubc.ca
Registration
Registration is limited for this event. If you do not see the registration form below, we have reached the maximum and you may register on the Waitlist.