Women of Soberman LLP: Many paths to leadership

By Pavlina Radia

Not so long ago, business companies viewed female professionals with apprehension. While gender continues to be a factor in corporate leadership, companies such as Soberman LLP, Canada’s well-known accounting firm, are adamant about propelling women to leadership positions by removing centuries-old barriers, whether they pertain to gender, culture, or age.

While acknowledging that the supportive environment plays an essential role in professional success, the women at Soberman take an active part in redefining postmillennial leadership. “The Soberman women are outspoken for what they want,” says Susan Hodkinson, the company’s COO, whose many years of experience as a senior executive have taught her that no matter how diverse women’s career paths can be, the key to long-term success is not in cherishing a “boxed-in” perspective, but in “welcoming diversity and embracing opportunities as they come.”

When in 2004, Kristin Matthews, currently a senior manager of the Claims Valuation and Litigation Support Group, decided to shift her career path, leaving the familiarity of her insurance job for Soberman, she did not question the decision; she embraced the opportunity. With her excellent people skills, Kristin has brought to the table her background in forensic accounting and sociology. No wonder Kristin chose to specialize in fraud detection. “I am the CSI of accounting” says Kristin jokingly.

As the diverse trajectories of the “women to watch” at Soberman reveal, the path to success is circuitous and hardly ever linear. Heidi Surkis-Eisen, senior manager of Business Valuation and Litigation Support Services, initially thought she would make a fine scientist or pursue the career of a psychologist, but everything changed when she started taking accounting courses. It was a course in business valuation at McGill University which led her to becoming one of Soberman’s top professionals. “In a leadership position, you have to take ownership for what you do (and what others below you do)” notes Heidi.

For many women at Soberman, taking ownership also means finding a healthy balance between career and family responsibilities. When her second child was born in 2005, Soo-Ling Huang, formerly a senior manager of Assurance at Soberman whose dream has always been to become a partner, faced the traditional dilemma: to go on the mommy track or to strategically redefine her career path by transferring to a different department.

Soo-Ling hesitated at first, but when presented with the opportunity to join the company’s Professional Practice Group as a senior manager and add training to her already stellar expertise, she embraced it whole-heartedly. “It was an exciting change” says Soo-Ling. “This position also allows me to do more training, which I discovered I really enjoy doing.”

“Most leadership roles are still dominated by men. As a result, most of the key executives and clients that I deal with are men” says Omosalewa Iaboni, senior manager with Assurance and Advisory Services. However, contrary to the common complaints about the many barriers gender poses for women professionals in senior-level positions, Omosalewa believes that “quality service really has no gender and in some cases, having the perspective of a female and the sensitivity has been very useful in dealing with clients who require a little more assistance.”

While Chandor Gauthier, manager of Audit and Assurance at Soberman, admits that “it can be challenging at times for staff and clients to take me seriously because of my age,” the Soberman group supports young talent by striving to address some of the challenges up-and-coming professionals encounter. “Soberman provides opportunities for involvement in social activities, participation in improving firm processes, and encourages feedback” says Chandor, who also aspires to become one of the company’s partners one day.

The supportive environment of Soberman, where gender, age, or culture are no longer casualties or markers of difference encourages women to dream big. This is one of the reasons why Chandor’s dream of making it to the top is not just a dream, but a tangible prospect. While there is no recipe for success, top women leaders are those who “take on whatever opportunity comes to them because you never know what might be a life-challenging event” says COO Hodkinson. In other words, leadership is about enjoying your career path no matter where it takes you.

Pavlina Radia is President of the Maven Business Network. For more information, click here.