Member Profile
Sepand Jazzi, CPA, CMA
Lecturer, Professor, Consultant, and CPA Mentor
Sepand Jazzi has spent most of his career as
an educator, and he says one his most fulfilling
roles is serving as a mentor to CPA students
and helping them develop the competencies
needed to succeed in the profession.
“As a mentor, I’m able to help aspiring
CPAs, supporting them and providing them
with insight that will be useful throughout
their careers,” explains Sepand. “In addition,
I have the opportunity to guide future CPAs
through the standards they’re expected to
uphold.”
Sepand has been involved in education
within the accounting profession for over a
decade, having served as a lecturer with the
Certified Management Accountants of British
Columbia and as external program director
for the CMABC Vancouver Chapter before
signing on as a lecturer with CPA Canada in
2013. That same year, he began volunteering
with the CPA Mentorship Program.
The CPA Mentorship Program is designed
to help students gain practical experience and
learn soft skills, such as professional and
ethical behaviour, problem-solving and
decision-making, communication, selfmanagement, and teamwork and leadership.
“One of the most rewarding parts of being
a mentor in this program is noticing the
46 CPABC in Focus • Nov/Dec 2016
changes in the confidence and professionalism
of my students,” says Sepand. “It gives me
great personal satisfaction to see people
achieve their goals.”
He describes his participation in the
mentorship program as a way to support a
profession that has given him a great deal.
“The connections I’ve made within the
profession have had a positive effect on my
career,” he says, “resulting i