Portrait
FROM:
SEP-OCT 2004 ISSUE
Reaching New Heights in Ontario
Underlying the many achievements of Diane Burgess, CGA, is a passionate work ethic and dedication to her profession.
"I have always taken great pride and honour in being a CGA," says Burgess. "It is a highly respected designation that is grounded in integrity and ethics, that teaches you how to manage multiple priorities — work, study, family — and teaches you how to think. It is the foundation on which you can build a solid and progressive career in any industry you choose."
Burgess, who took over as executive director of CGA Ontario in January 2003, is jubilant about the Ontario Legislature's June passage of
Bill 94, the
Public Accounting Act, 2004, which effectively ended an antiquated,
42-year-old monopoly in licensed public accounting. "The new criteria for licensing in Ontario will be transparent, objective, and rationally related to the purpose for which the licensing system was established — the protection of the public," says Burgess.
A CGA since 1989, Burgess earned her bachelor of commerce degree from McMaster University in 1984, and completed her MBA at
St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1996. She joined CGA Ontario after a long, successful career in the pharmaceutical industry: Burgess spent 12 of her
20-year career span with DuPont Pharma, where she rose from manager of finance to director of finance to chief financial officer. She then became president of the company.
"During my tenure as president, and with an excellent team in place, we achieved unprecedented success during a time of significant challenge. It was a place where my CGA designation served me well, as I had developed a solid skill set including the ability to think through problems to find solutions, and the desire to continually learn," she says.
Over the years, Burgess has also worked in accounting assurance at Spicer MacGillivray Chartered Accountants, in telecommunications at Canadian Satellite Communications, and in public relations at Hill and Knowlton.
Burgess was born in Edmonton, but her family moved to Germany when she was four years old; in fact, her first language was German. After two years abroad, her family relocated to Ontario, where she still makes her home. She and her husband Richard, a professional engineer, have been married for almost
21 years. They have two children, Ryan, 13, and Nicole, 10, and live in Milton, a rapidly growing town west of Toronto.
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On Target in New Brunswick
Trudy Dryden, FCGA, and executive director of CGA-New Brunswick, is a person with steady aim who may have been fated from childhood to be an accountant. "Growing up, I always liked math and seemed to be good with numbers," says Dryden, who has been with
CGA-NB since 1987.
Dryden spent her first five years in California before her family settled in
New Brunswick in the '60s. "I was brought up on a dairy farm and was the oldest of seven children — I had six brothers and no sisters. This farming background gave me the basics of hard work and the ‘stick to it' attitude," she says.
After earning her diploma in accountancy from the College of
New Brunswick, Dryden went to work for a family-owned insurance and real estate company. The business was sold in the mid-80s, and she found herself suddenly out of a job, until a friend told her of a part-time position available with
CGA-NB.
Dryden started to work for CGA-NB
three days a week in 1987, which is how the
CGA-NB office began: one part-time staff member in a small office with a computer and printer. Several years later, Dryden decided to pursue her CGA designation.
"With the support of my husband and children, and the encouragement of
Roger Bourque, FCGA, who was past president at the time, I went back to studying in 1990," says Dryden.
Six years later, she received her designation. Then, in 2003, she was named an FCGA. "I really enjoy meeting and working with other CGAs," says Dryden. "It is truly like a family."
Dryden and her husband Robert will celebrate their 30
th anniversary this November. They have three children: Angela, 26, Darrell, 23, and Shelley, 17. While raising the kids, Dryden says she found herself becoming involved in whatever they were doing, and filled roles from brownie troop leader to treasurer for the local Sea Cadet club.
But these days, Dryden and her husband have taken up a new sport: competitive archery. She currently serves as the secretary for the Archers Association of
New Brunswick, and treasurer of the committee bringing the National Archery Championships to
Saint John.
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