Edmonton Women in Finance is grateful for the opportunity to match a number of mentors and mentees in the past year. We want to thank our mentors for providing guidance to our mentees, who are post-secondary students and professional women pursing a career in finance. We want to share their experiences with you, give them the stage to introduce themselves and tell us more about their views on finance and mentorship.
Meet: Ginger Collisson, CPA, CGA - Finance Manager at NDT Global
Q: What is the one thing you would have liked to know before starting a career in finance?
A: I would have liked to have started my career earlier, and it would have been helpful if people within my network had taken the time to explain those advantages as well as the diversity of career paths available within the profession.
Q: What motivated you to become a mentor with Edmonton Women in Finance?
A: Not everyone has a support system within their personal or workplace networks. Choosing to become an accounting professional is a journey, it's hard work, sometimes frustrating, often stressful, and sprinkled with successes. To have someone offering encouragement, empathy, and assurances can have a positive impact that propels one to achieve their goals. The opportunity to mentor is enriching and a benefit to the profession to be able to develop another strong and knowledgeable member.
Q: For any new graduates and professionals, what advice would you provide them as they start their careers?
A: Passion, you must possess it, or you need to re-evaluate your path. Learning and growth never stop and come in many forms seize them.
Q: How do you see mentorship changing in our new world with COVID?
A: In the pre-pandemic world, there was a tendency to focus on being able to meet in person; the shift has been to now be accepting of other forms of communication. The notion that the relationship will only be successful if you have a cup of coffee together has been released and this opens the door to different mentoring opportunities for all involved.