Jennifer Fiddian-Green

We tell our new recruits that at Grant Thornton you

• do more, faster;
• build quality relationships; and
• make your mark.

How does “do more, faster” apply to you and your career at Grant Thornton?

There’s a lot going on right now—a lot of high-speed change—and it’s very exciting. I’ve done many different things in the firm with both large and small clients. And now I have a real chance to lead change.

“Doing more” has characterized my experience here. Since starting with Grant Thornton, I’ve worked in two different offices, completed a two year secondment with a police unit on a forensic job and taken a year off to travel.

A number of opportunities have presented themselves to me, and I’ve stepped up and taken advantage of them. Recently, I’ve been able to focus on the very specialized area of forensic accounting and have been working on an anti-money laundering engagement.

What does “build quality relationships” mean to you?

I have many good friends in the firm—we laugh a lot and have fun. This is a place I want to be every day.

It’s not just rhetoric; I have had direct access to clients face to face early on in my career. I have moved around a fair amount, so I have developed relationships with many of our clients at all levels. And I’ve developed external mentors who have helped me develop as a professional.

How have you been able to “make your mark”?

By building a team and setting others up to do what they want to do. I enjoy being able to help make people better at doing what they do best. We’re better as a team than we are individually. Doing better through team building—I’m passionate about that.

I also do a lot externally: I received the 2006 ICAO Award of Distinction, awarded to a CA under the age of 40 who has done great things. It was the first year the award was given out, and I’m very proud to be among the initial recipients! The University of Waterloo, School of Accountancy names fellowships after “illustrious alumni” who are role models for the Fellows. Having one of these named after me is a great honour and an opportunity to mentor new comers to the field that I welcome wholeheartedly. I had the opportunity to address the graduating class at the University of Waterloo’s 2007 convocation. It was a great pleasure to share my experiences and excitement for the field with graduating students from my alma mater.

Why did you choose Grant Thornton and why have you stayed?

I’m trying to do good things, personally and professionally. It’s all about sincerity, and it has to be real—that’s what’s different about Grant Thornton. I started here as a co-op student when I was at Waterloo. At that time, I wanted to be more than just a number. I wanted an opportunity to know everyone, I wanted variety and I wanted to grow professionally—I wanted to do more, fast.

I’ve stayed because I’ve been able to explore everything I’ve wanted to do.

What community involvements do you have outside the office or through Grant Thornton?

I have served on four boards for the Association of Certified Forensic Investigators and the Committee of Investigative Forensic Accountants. I’ve also served on the board of an association that assists women reentering the workforce and have been active with various charities and non-profit fundraising initiatives. A particularly rewarding experience was having the chance to team with another Grant Thornton partner to lead an initiative to have one-of-a-kind holiday cards hand drawn by Grant Thornton partners, principals, staff and their family members. The project was a great success. It got us excited about an initiative that would benefit a worthy cause
(it resulted in a $5,000 donation to the SickKids Foundation), and we had fun at the same time. It really mirrored our mission of providing individual, hands-on service to our clients.