Employer Relations sat down with Rohit Kasbekar CPA, CMA to discuss Ovintiv Inc.’s pre-approved program and how it helped develop the May 2021 CFE’s National Gold Medallist. Rohit is Director, Cost Accounting at Ovintiv.
1. Can you give me an overview of Ovintiv’s program for CPA candidates?
We have a steering committee made up of senior leaders from Internal Audit, Financial Reporting, Operations Accounting, and HR. The committee’s role is to provide strategic oversight for the pre-approved program. It meets regularly to discuss rotations, candidate progress, and ways to improve the pre-approved program.
Ovintiv has a flexible 30-month rotational program. We have five rotation maps that allow us to schedule rotations based on business needs. Where possible, we try and accommodate a candidate’s preferences. If we are unable to accommodate them, candidates are given every opportunity to rotate even after meeting their 30-month practical experience requirement. At Ovintiv, we encourage staff to rotate every three or four years to help broaden their knowledge and develop new skills.
We also have a really strong team of mentors in the company. Mentors work closely with the candidates. Even after finishing the program, if candidates choose, they can continue having a mentor-mentee relationship.
We provide candidates with paid time off to write and prepare for CFE exams and cover costs for course modules including prep courses.
2. Kamille Myric Español, one of your CPA candidates, was recently announced as the National Gold Medallist. When you found out Kamille was named the National Gold Medallist, how did you feel?
We were overwhelmed with joy. We are excited and happy for Kamille. The entire company is proud of her. She has worked very hard and deserves a lot of credit.
3. How do you think Ovintiv’s program helped Kamille not only succeed on the CFE, but become the National Gold Medallist?
We have a 100 per cent success rate for all candidates that have gone through our pre-approved program since becoming a certified PPR provider in 2016. If I had to distill down to a few words how Ovintiv contributes towards candidate success, they would be: support and commitment.
We support our candidates, including Kamille, in every possible way. We have frequent check-ins and have a strong team of mentors. Outside mentorship, colleagues are also very supportive of candidates and are constantly encouraging and motivating them throughout the program.
As a company, we are deeply committed to our candidates. We treat our candidates as future leaders in the company and are invested in their success. In the end, these candidates are going to be the decision makers of tomorrow.
4. How does being a PPR provider foster an environment that helps candidates become National Gold Medallists?
As a PPR employer, candidates are rotated through a very robust structured program that exposes them to different finance functions and senior leaders in the company. The nature of the program is such that besides the finance team, candidates also get an opportunity to work closely with non-finance functions like Upstream Operations. In some cases, they could even be embedded in the Operations team.
Working closely with multiple functions across the company gives candidates a good understanding of how the business works. It gives them a good appreciation of the entire value chain. By the time they’re done with all their rotations, they have learned how and where to create value for the company.
I believe Ovintiv’s collaborative culture of value creation is instrumental in providing candidates with meaningful and hands-on practical experience over the 30-month program.
5. Why do you think it’s important to focus on developing candidates?
Developing candidates is important not only for their careers but is also valuable for the company. At Ovintiv, we actively engage in succession planning and are constantly thinking about developing our future leaders. Structured rotations though the CPA pre-approved program are a stepping stone for candidates to understand the business, create value for the company, and grow in their careers.
6. Is there anything you’d like to add?
It doesn’t end here for us. We keep looking at our PPR program and rotations to see how we can keep improving, and we’re actively trying to expand into other finance functions to give us more flexibility. I really enjoy my role as a PPR program leader. I love watching candidates succeed, transform, and grow with the company. It’s exciting to see them evolve.
Also, I want to give a big shout out to CPA Alberta’s Practical Experience and Employer Relations teams. They have played a key role in the success of our PPR program, have been awesome to deal with, and are always there for us.
The views expressed in this post are those of Rohit Kasbekar CPA, CMA. Please visit cpaalberta.ca for the latest guidelines regarding Practical Experience.
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