EY Alumni Spotlight: Tomas Dauden | EY Calgary and Toronto, 2013-17; EY Brazil 2011-13

You started with EY in Brazil and moved to Canada in 2013. What led you to EY in the first place?

I was looking to restart my career in Brazil, my home country, after taking on a scholarship and completing a master’s degree in environmental sciences in Spain. I came across a trainee program at EY Brazil and was immediately attracted to the opportunity of learning while growing professionally. EY had a huge name and the Climate Change & Sustainability Services (CCaSS) practice was growing rapidly then, so it was a very exciting time to join the firm.

At that point in my life, I had travelled for education and personal reasons, and it was a goal of mine to also obtain international work experience. That was something else that drew me to EY — the exposure to global opportunities is endless.

Shortly after I joined the firm, our team started working with a major mining company that acquired operations in Canada. Because of my language skills and the work I was already doing in Brazil, I spent a year at the client’s operations in Ontario.

During that time, the EY Toronto office opened a CCaSS position for someone who had mining experience and spoke Spanish, which I do. I had also fallen in love with a Canadian, so when the role came up, it felt like it was meant to be. I got the job! The permanent move to a new country and the transition to EY Canada was seamless thanks to all the support the firm provided.  

Tell us about your career at EY and what is the most valuable lesson you learned while you were working at EY?

First, right from the beginning, the one thing I loved was the exposure to different sectors, clients, teams and geographies. Having this variety of work in front of you, especially at the beginning of your career, is priceless. I worked with banks and asset managers, major oil and gas, telecom and mining companies, to name a few. And this was actually fundamental for my role.

Second, the opportunity to choose my direction was also very valuable to me. At EY, you can voice what you’re interested in and your manager and partners will help you move into that area so you can learn and grow. That, combined with the wealth of collective knowledge and how easily everyone at EY is connected across the global network, was invaluable to me.

Finally, a couple of lessons I learned: 1) take risks and try different things so you can find what you are most passionate about, especially early in your career, and 2) once you find it, pursue it and nurture it.  

Who stood out to you as a mentor or influencer during your time at EY?

Many people, but I will name three.

Cathy Cobey was leading Assurance Services in the CCaSS practice at the time. I had been mainly focused on advisory projects and assurance was relatively new to me. She was an amazing leader on that front, training not only me, but the entire CCaSS team. I learned a lot from her and I cannot thank her enough.

Thibaut Millet was the lead on Advisory Services during my time, and I admired how he was able to keep a national team of over 40 people so well integrated. He is very optimistic and personable and always made the time to chat whenever the team had an idea or concern. I felt really lucky to have great leaders in whom I could trust.

And then there’s Jason Clifton, someone who leads by example and exposed me to a lot of professional growth opportunities. I will always appreciate his relentlessness and unique way of energizing the whole team.

Tell us about your current role and what makes it most energizing or challenging.

In a nutshell, the Responsible Investing team at OTPP is an internal centre of excellence that enables investment teams to make more informed decisions. I lead the ESG integration pre-investments, which in practice translates to understanding and assessing ESG-related risks and opportunities in our investment strategies and deals.

I am also a member of OTPP’s Green Bond Council. Our green bond issuances raise proceeds that are allocated globally to companies that enable the net-zero transition, reduce carbon emissions, and build a sustainable economy. I also lead the publication of OTPP's responsible investing and climate strategy reports and contribute to the broader industry through external initiatives and holding seats on advisory boards and councils.

What keeps me energized is how our work influences companies and markets. I get to work across sectors, geographies and with various teams in very meaningful transactions. The scale and time horizon of OTPP’s investment portfolio is just extraordinary. And we use that position to create a lasting, positive impact in the world. 

Tell us about your most rewarding career moments.

My time at EY certainly had a few. The implementation of a global Environmental Management System for a resources company alongside more than 40 colleagues was one. A one-year project with a bank, renewing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy was another. We got to work with stakeholders in key markets across the globe — seeing it take shape through different initiatives their leadership later applied was very rewarding. 

My move to and current role at OTPP is also extremely rewarding in itself. I feel privileged to work for one of the biggest institutional investors in the world. And like I said before, we don’t shy away from using our position to improve ESG practices in companies and markets, creating positive impact that ultimately helps us pay the pensions of the teachers of Ontario.

Like OTPP, EY has a big impact on sustainability given the breadth of our client base. When you were with EY, how did you see the firm making a difference on the ESG front?

In Audit, during any given year we would provide assurance to 100 or more entities in their greenhouse gas emissions and other ESG metrics reporting. And that is a foundational piece to what we are seeing nowadays in terms of new standards and regulations being implemented around ESG and climate reporting. In Advisory, we created CSR and ESG strategies for companies well before ESG became so globally recognized.

I think this highlights the role EY has had in this space, helping pave the way to higher-quality and reliable data and strategically positioning companies before ESG became table stakes.

What advice would you give the younger you when you were setting out on your career journey?

Be open to any kind of task or project that comes your way. If you have the right attitude, you can always learn something from what seems like the most mundane of tasks.