Fareha Muhammady is a Senior Staff Accountant at GGFL. She celebrated her third year with the firm in December. In addition to her role in the Assurance and Advisory team, Fareha is studying to become a Chartered Business Valuator.
After studying accounting at Carleton, and starting a career at a large national firm, Fareha had reached a point where she was unsure whether to continue her career in public accounting. Then a former colleague working at GGFL called her.
What initially attracted you to GGFL?
I was in my 20s and as people in their 20s often do, I started questioning what I wanted to do with my working life. I was uncertain about a public accounting career. I got a call from a former colleague who asked me if I would be interested in talking to people at GGFL. It was those conversations that changed everything for me.
What specifically impressed you?
What caught my interest initially was the way the GGFLers talked about leadership. One thing I remember is how they talked about how they encouraged feedback at all levels, including upwards feedback. I thought that was meaningful.
I felt like right away, there was something different about GGFL. I followed my instincts and joined GGFL; it was the best decision I could have made. The past three years have been an incredible experience.
What was it like getting started at GGFL?
There is a much higher level of communication than I was used to—that and lots of direct feedback. I got so much feedback at the beginning; I took it all in and worked on whatever I needed to work on. I’ve had so many opportunities to develop and whenever you do something well, there is a lot of positive reaction and acknowledgement as well.
It sounds like you settled in. So, what’s the typical day like for you?
My typical day at GGFL can have a lot of variety. I work with the assurance team to prepare audit and review engagements for various industries, including not for profit organizations, real estate, and owner manager businesses. I also work with the valuations team to prepare business valuations, which is a new challenge for me as I pursue the CBV designation. I enjoy applying my analytical skills and professional judgement to challenging situations.
Outside of my client work, I am involved in the firm in ways that are important to me. I am a coach, which means I mentor and support staff members in their career development. I am involved in many committees, including chairing the Staff Sounding Board. I am also involved with GGFL’s internal professional development, where I develop and facilitate assurance courses.
What would you say if you were recommending GGFL as a workplace?
I’d say it’s a healthy workplace. People care about each other and want the best for you. You encounter challenges in any workplace. You can’t avoid that. What’s important is how those issues are handled and at GGFL they’re handled well.
You’ll be trained well and encouraged to have a healthy separation between work life and personal life.
Your career is in your hands, there’s a lot of room to drive your career with kind, reasonable and supportive managers that really care about your development and growth. It’s a great long term place if you have your letters and if you like public accounting.
You might have guessed that I’m a big fan of GGFL!
