CPABC in Focus September/October 2016 | Page 16

NOTES & NEWS Young Professionals Forum Update CPABC’s Young Professionals Forum (YPF) hosted two events in June 2016 Insolvency Information Session Up first was an information session on insolvency, which was held on June 9 at the CPABC offices in Vancouver. More than 40 members of the YPF attended the session, which was led by David Bowra, CPA, CA, CIRP, and featured Mario Mainella, CPA, CA, CIRP, Chris Bowra, CPA, CA, CIRP, and Gord Brown, CPA, CA—all of The Bowra Group. The speakers shared real-world experiences to describe what professionals could expect from a career in insolvency. Their message was clear: Gaining the insolvency specialty enables professionals to develop and hone a variety of transferable skills, including those related to decision making, report writing, communication, conflict resolution, and media and government relations. All four speakers offered similar career advice to the young professionals in attendance: Have fun, take risks, and create your own road map. Attendees had the opportunity to network while enjoying some appetizers before the seminar began. YPF/Young ACG/Pacific Club Summer Social On June 23, the YPF held a joint “Summer Social” event with the Young ACG group—part of the BC chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), an international organization serving investors, lenders, and advisers to middle-market companies—and the Pacific Club, a club for Vancouver’s young professionals. More than 80 professionals attended this networking event, which was held at Steamworks Brew Pub in Gastown. Amrit Minhas, CPA, CA, a Young ACG BC member and one of the event organizers, and Lena McLeod, the executive administrator of the ACG BC chapter, welcomed CPA members to the event and extended an invitation to future ACG-hosted events. The Pacific Club was represented by its treasurer, Kiran Rai, CPA, CA. “Joint events between members of CPABC’s Young Professionals Forum and other young professional groups, such as the Young ACG BC group and the Pacific Club, bring dealmakers together to help young pros achieve their business and professional goals,” says David Chiang, CPA, CA, CPABC’s VP of member services. Top: David Bowra, CPA, CA, CIRP, addresses a full house at the insolvency session. Bottom: Lena McLeod, executive administrator of the ACG BC chapter, with YPF member and Summer Social event organizer Amrit Minhas, CPA, CA. Join the YPF! Join the YPF to receive exclusive invites to upcoming info sessions and networking events by visiting the Member Forums page at bccpa.ca/members/connect/member-forums or by contacting David Chiang, CPA, CA, VP of member services, at [email protected]. The Member Forums page is where you’ll find info on all of CPABC's member forums, including the new Construction Sector Forum (see page 10). pay404/iStock/Thinkstock 16 CPABC in Focus • Sept/Oct 2016