15 Nov Meet Andrew, Assurance Manager at Clearline CPA

By Siobhan O’Connor

“How lucky do you consider yourself?”

This is one of the questions I asked Andrew to get to know him better. It may have been my personal pessimistic outlook on life, but I had not considered myself a very lucky person.

“Extremely,” he replied.

He did not have to think it over. He did not deliberate or reflect on his life; he is aware of the good fortune that has come his way and he is grateful.

I then asked him to tell me about his life so I could determine whether he was honestly living a very lucky life or simply had a greater outlook on the world.

Andrew grew up in Oakville, a suburban city in southern Ontario. Andrews’s mom worked for Air Canada which has given him the opportunity to travel all over the world including China, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, England, all over the beautiful island of Ireland (my emphasis and his), and the Caribbean where his mother is from.

Before joining Clearline, Andrew worked at Rolf Benson for four years where he got to work with Rebecca Davidson, another one of the shining stars at Clearline. Both have come to us with an eager and dependable work ethic. Andrew joined Clearline this October and became our newest assurance manager; he spends his day answering associates questions.

Andrew went to Bishops University where he studied Business and Economics. Although his father is an investment advisor, Andrew decided to pave his own path. In his third year of Business at Bishops University, he chose to pursue accounting. He explained how accounting made sense instantly for him. He felt he needed to understand how everything worked in a logical manner, and accounting gave him the opportunity to help people understand their own finances.

At Bishops University, he ran the business help center where he tutored 1st and 2nd year business students in accounting, finance, math and economics. During his summers, he taught one to 12 plus bronze medallion and bronze cross swimming lessons, which are pre-requisite courses for the lifeguard program.

He grew up absorbed in sports like skiing, soccer, swimming and skating. He continues to be very active since he moved to Vancouver and has organized hiking trips with staff whenever there has been a sunny weekend. He has encouraged many of us to begin skiing this season and has been enlisted as a coach for some of our staff members.

Reflecting on his story, there are countless reasons to agree that yes, Andrew has been very lucky. I also look at his story and see a high achiever, a go-getter and a person of action. Throughout his life and career, Andrew has seized opportunities and always made time to give back to those around him.