Is inclusive leadership a powerful catalyst for disruption?

Our alumni all take different paths after their time at EY. But what’s it like to leave a well-established, multidisciplinary global organization to join not just a brand new company, but an industry in its infancy?

Accelerating her career at EY

“I didn’t leave EY because I didn’t want to stay,” Melissa recalls. “I just felt I had a gap I needed to fill in my career. It was almost like taking a year off to backpack to find what I’m passionate about.

“I felt incredibly supported by the partner team. Kirsten Tisdale is a dynamo — so dedicated, kind and encouraging. I really respect how driven she was to help the practice succeed. And Bill Kessels is such a pragmatic leader. You never felt stressed working with him. So while it was sad to part ways, I just felt like I wanted a new experience.”

Melissa believes the EY experience gives up-and-coming professionals a solid grounding in their careers.

“What I think I value most about my experience at EY is the amazing level of exposure I had to such a wide variety of organizations, different types of governance and different industries,” she says. “That helped me build an incredible breadth of knowledge in a very short time. It’s been extremely helpful to me in what I do today and in helping to coach up-and-coming professionals.”

Melissa notes that EY gave her the opportunity to engage with people at the highest levels at our clients. “Part of that great learning experience was my interaction with so many different people, including senior people on boards, even when I was brand new staff in 2011.

“You’re presenting to the board and audit committee and you’re expected to communicate to a senior level that you just wouldn’t get elsewhere. I was often the youngest person in the room speaking with authority to lots of more seasoned individuals. It really accelerated my career. Now I run the internal audit function for Aurora, and all the tips and tricks I learned at EY serve me very well every day.”

That’s an aspect of her EY experience that Melissa feels is most empowering. “Other people who haven’t had those opportunities often get nervous, but it’s second nature to me. That kind of engagement really gives you an interesting perspective on the art of the possible — you have so much exposure to so many industries and organizations. It gives you the chance to figure out what you like to do and what you don’t, so you can avoid going down the wrong rabbit hole in your career.”

A new role in a nascent sector

When Melissa joined Aurora in May 2019, there was no internal audit (IA) function. That presented her with a blank canvas to which she could bring her multiple talents.

“I went in with the idea that my experience in consulting could help me establish the IA function. Now the ERM framework is 10% of our work. I manage our corporate insurance program, including property, key person and D&O insurance, and all corporate-level insurance.”

She was supportive of the legalization of recreational cannabis even before she joined the company, and says the sector has a lot of dedicated people who were champing at the bit because they knew how they could help make the legalized cannabis sector work.

“I think it was clear long ago that criminalization was not a way to deal with addiction,” she notes. “And cannabis has been shown to have much different addiction rates than, say, alcohol. From a safety and commercial perspective, legalization just made sense. At least now we’re collecting tax revenue.”

But it’s not only the practical implications that Melissa found so appealing. “The sector has attracted the dedicated type of resources and talent that it needs to be successful. These fantastic professionals really want it to be seen as a legitimate business on par with other industries.

“It’s been great to see how so many smart people quickly professionalized all the corporate functions in the sector. Securities compliance and regulatory compliance are so important. There was a huge push to get to that professionalization at the board level and with management.”

On the regulatory side, she says cannabis has had a very different experience than the tobacco industry. “Decisions that were made early on were mostly made for the health benefit of consumers. Ours is a medical patients-first philosophy with proven health benefits, and it’s evolved from there. Unlike tobacco, we’ve already gone through three iterations of regulations in three years, so we’ve really had to be agile.”

The value of inclusive leadership

In her years at EY, Melissa says she saw the benefits of the firm’s inclusive culture.

“EY is a diverse place, and they create a safe space where people feel they can be vocal without negative repercussions. I remember when I was a manager, I always felt free to speak my mind in performance roundtable discussions, for example, where candour is critical. When talking about promotions, in some cases where there may have been some hesitance to move a woman up, I would ask if the person were male would you still say they needed more time before moving up into the new role?”

Melissa felt she had allies who were on the same page. “I’d like to give a shout-out to James Chan in Toronto. I remember a chat we had in 2011 we were talking about D&I, and he had some great insights into getting more diversity at higher levels.

“EY fostered a sense of belonging and gave me the gusto to be vocal. In other organizations, it doesn’t always feel as safe. You have to pick your battles and come up with a way where you can get the outcome you want.

“In my new role as Chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council, I have an excellent perspective on how the board is addressing the lack of diversity in Vancouver, which is just a bit behind Ontario at the board and senior executive levels. It’s a great official way of recognizing that we have to do something, and they’ve brought together some very passionate people.”

But she says it’s important to appreciate that equity won’t happen overnight. “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, a continuous process to make things better. But I’m confident we’ll get there.”