Career Options
Fiscal responsibilityAn accounting career promises great rewards — some of which can come from helping those in need. Discover how three accountants have balanced their work with a desire to get involved in cancer research, crime fighting or international aid. By Oana Avasilichioaei |
|
 [ 2008-10-07 ] |
To find out, take this test by eCareerFit, the career assessment experts.
Mario Meloche, CGA, director of Finance
and Information Technology, Cancer Research Society
Photo: Marie-Claude Hamel
COMING HOME TO SAVE LIVES
Mario Meloche, CGA
In 1987, Mario Meloche began working toward his CGA accreditation. It took 10 years of night courses at the Université du Québec à Montréal and four rigorous exams in accounting, finance, auditing and taxation — no small feat for a new father — but it was worth it, because he now finds himself Director of Finance and Information Technology at the Cancer Research Society (CRS) in Montreal. “I think now I’ve got the best job, because you have an impact, you have a say in how [a project] is going to look, the way you are going to invest, to motivate people, to foresee the future.”
During his years at school, Meloche continued to work in accounting. From 1990 to 1998, he did stints at various public companies and government agencies, especially the Association des centres d’accueil du Québec (now the AERDPQ). There, Meloche was part of a team that assisted rehabilitation and retirement centres with financial and legal services, human resources support and workplace conflict resolution.
In 1998, after he had received his certification, he took a senior accounting position at Hydro-Québec International. In close collaboration with his project manager, he reviewed all financial agreements that the company undertook. This work involved him with overseas projects in Kuwait, Libya and Morocco, as well as with organizations such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which was helping Haiti develop its energy resources.
Despite the positive impact of his work, Meloche began to feel unsatisfied with the limitations of his role as “specialist”: he was hired to do a particular task, such as a project evaluation, but then denied the satisfaction of seeing the result of his labours. “I left Hydro-Québec for a new challenge … I like to be involved,” he recounts. He wished to work in an environment where he could take a task from start to finish and witness the effect of the energies he had invested. In 2005, he shifted to a position at the CRS, a charitable organization that would allow him to do precisely that.
The CRS is a non-profit organization that raises public and private funding for national cancer research initiatives. It was founded by four women in 1945, at a time when cancer research was almost non-existent in Canada. “When I got hired, we were giving out $5.5 million [annually] for research,” Meloche remembers. “We’re now up to $7 million.” He is proud to ensure that 85-86% of all donations go towards cancer research rather than operating costs. Charities are required by law to disburse at least 80% of their income on charitable projects — and Meloche keeps the CRS well ahead of the game. His responsibilities don’t end with numbers, however.
Meloche has also been very active in restructuring the society and making improvements to its human resources and information technology areas, which had been gathering dust when he first arrived. “Human resources is the main element of the CRS,” he explains. “The way you work with your employees is going to be reflected in the way you work with your donors or your partners.” To help ensure that the CRS maintains good donor relations, Meloche uses various software that not only monitor the charity’s finances, but keep track of the society’s volunteers and partnerships with other organizations, including government bodies such as the Quebec Ministry of Health.
For this socially engaged accountant, interaction with people has combined with dollars and cents to create the ideal career. “With the team we have, it’s fun. You’re working with different types of professionals, professional data entry, professional communications and others, and you will learn a lot if you listen a little.”
Are you aware of substance abuse in your workplace?