Growing up in South Africa, I never imagined that one day, I would end up living in Canada working as a coach, learning and talent consultant, and social entrepreneur. As a child, I had an incredible passion for learning, writing, public speaking and most importantly—building meaningful connections with others. I also had a love of math and accounting, and started helping out with my father’s bookkeeping at the ripe old age of 10 (who needs toys when you have journal entries?). My first dream was to become an actuary (I was a very practical child), but after spending my first few weeks in university studying actuarial science, I thought that accounting might be a better fit and provide more opportunities when I moved to Canada.

After completing my BBA at the Schulich School of Business, I became a CPA, CA and spent the next few years working at EY (including a short stint in their Sydney office), Deloitte, and a 3D animation software company called Alias|Wavefront (who won an Oscar by the way). It wasn’t until I joined Oxford Properties as their Director of Financial Compliance that my career really started to develop. Over the next eight years, my responsibility grew from a department of one to leading over 50 people across six different departments—including corporate accounting, risk and governance, and learning and development. I had the opportunity to design, build and transform new teams, processes and business functions—three passions that have remained consistent throughout my life.

This chapter of my story culminated in securing a position as the VP, Enterprise Risk Management at OMERS (Oxford Properties’ parent company) at the age of 38, overseeing strategic risk management for one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans (with over $72 billion of net assets at the time). On paper, I appeared to have the trappings of success—but something felt missing, a misalignment of sorts with the things that truly brought me energy and joy. And that’s where the second chapter of my career story begins…

In 2015, I took a giant leap of faith, left my job at OMERS, and embarked on a personal and professional development journey as a certified coach, consultant, educator, and photographer. This chapter of my career started at Royal Roads University, completing a graduate certificate in executive coaching and obtaining my Certified Executive Coach (CEC) designation. To say that coaching has changed my life is an understatement. It has made me a better listener, a more present leader, and someone who embraces curiosity over judgment. Coaching has helped me see people—and myself—with greater compassion and possibility. It has shifted how I define success and deepened my commitment to helping others grow, lead, and find their authentic voice. In short, coaching has significantly changed my approach to everything—from building relationships and facilitating workshops to solving complex challenges.

In 2018, I joined the Intercultural Skills Lab at the Rotman School of Management—another experience that deeply changed the trajectory of my career. Working with internationally-trained professionals as an instructor and coach, I saw the strength and potential of immigrant talent, as well as the systemic barriers they face. This work reinforced my commitment to increasing access to coaching, career development, and skills-building opportunities in underserved communities. It also led me to complete an executive program in Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania, where I explored how coaching, education, and systems thinking can come together to drive meaningful social change.

As I prepare to write the third chapter of my career, I’m excited to take everything I’ve learned to help organizations drive people and transformation initiatives at scale. This chapter would see me moving into a senior leadership role in learning, talent management, and transformation with an organization that truly values innovation, trust and community.