Ali Pejman, CA - Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC

Member Profile
CA Brand Emphasizes People Skills
Ali Pejman, CA, an associate in
Corporate Finance at Canaccord Capital
Corporation in Vancouver, says chartered
accountancy is “a people business.”
“Make no mistake, though the program
provides you with detailed technical training
and excellent opportunities to observe
different businesses and work in many
settings, the key is still the ability to deal
with people,” Pejman explains. “We are in a
position of trust and confidence with clients
and we learn how to work closely with them.
It’s been my observation of really successful
CAs I’ve known that they have the ability to
work well with clients and colleagues as
well as the technical expertise to back it up .”
With a bachelor’s degree in commerce,
Pejman graduated from the
University of British Columbia in 1994 as
president of his graduating class. He
began as a summer student with Coopers
& Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers)
in Vancouver, articled at the same firm and
received his CA designation in 1997.
“I enjoyed my articling period,” he
recalls. “In fact, it was memorable; the late
nights working with like-minded people
as we studied to earn our CA designation.
I think it was a real bonding process.”
Pejman says he selected the CA
program because he knew he wanted to be
in business and he felt the CA program
would provide the best hands-on technical
training combined with diverse client
contact.
“The CA brand is important in the
marketplace,” he observes. “All the CA
firms look for well-rounded individuals.
The CA ‘brand’ confers credibility.
“There are lots of places to get the
‘hard’ skills, the technical skills, and the CA
program has all those, too, but it also offers
you the chance to hone your ‘softer’ skills
by dealing with multiple clients and, for
me, that’s one of the key values of the CA
designation,” he says.
At Canaccord, Pejman enjoys the
people, the fast pace and the way decisions
are made efficiently.
“I enjoy working at Canaccord because
it’s so entrepreneurial and innovative,”
Pejman says. “On a day-to-day basis, I work
closely with start-up venturists or executives
in mid-to large-sized corporations in
order to establish a financing plan that will
allow them to execute their business plan.
At Canaccord, we especially pride ourselves
on taking clients from ‘incubation to
graduation.’ It’s a rewarding environment
to work in.”
When he’s not working at Canaccord,
Pejman plays tennis and golf.
“I try to take a balanced approach to
my life,” he says.
— Deborah Folka, APR
22 Beyond Numbers / September 2000