2000 UFE medallists, The

The 2000 UFE Gold Medallist is Geoffrey Lowe of Ernst & Young LLP in Vancouver. A native of the same city, Lowe graduated from Eric Hamber Secondary School in 1995 and completed his undergraduate degree in commerce at the University of British Columbia in 1999. During the summers of 1997 and 1998, he was employed as a summer student at Ernst & Young. He began articling with the firm in 1999.

"I have enjoyed the exposure to all kinds of different businesses which the articling program allows," Lowe points out. "It isn't just accounting skills you acquire, but general business knowledge and skills like team management and time management which will always be useful."

Lowe says he was surprised to learn he had come out on the very top in the CA exams.

"I'm very grateful for the help and experiences passed to me from previous UFE writers at the firm," he says.

At Ernst & Young, Lowe has worked primarily in audit with a concentration on businesses in the energy industry. He says he wants to continue working in public practice for at least the foreseeable future.

"Obtaining the CA designation definitely sets a solid foundation for my career," Lowe says.

In his time away from his CA studies and the office, Lowe is very active in a variety of sports including golfing, volleyball, hockey, skiing and snowboarding.

Bryce Hamming, a recent transfer from KPMG's Surrey office to the firm's Vancouver office, is the 2000 Silver Medallist. He was born and raised in Coquitlam where he still resides and is a 2000 graduate of Simon Fraser University's business administration program. Hamming, a 1989 graduate of the Fraser Valley Christian High School, was in the SFU CA Co-op Program.

Hamming began his co-op studies with a small CA firm and spent the summer of 1997 with forest industry giant Fletcher Challenge before beginning his association with KPMG in January of 1998.

"I enjoy the wide range of experience with such a variety of clients that you get in articling," Hamming points out. "I have also really enjoyed the people I work with - my colleagues and clients - especially in the co-- op program. Applying your studies immediately to your work is a real bonus." Hamming says he would like to especially recognize the help he received from his UFE mentor Joel Holloway, CA.

"I couldn't have done it without him," he says.

Hamming has worked in assurance as well as taxation, with many clients including manufacturers, retail businesses, and even not-for-profit organizations. He says he plans to focus on the provision of assurance services to the high-tech industry, and perhaps explore the option of an international placement with the firm.

He also got engaged last month - right after the UFE, in fact. He and his fiance plan to marry next summer and live in Vancouver. In his time away from the office, Hamming is a keen mountain bike rider, going out on local trails at least three or four times per week.

Hamming's mother Henrietta Hamming is a Chartered Accountant as well, a senior assurance manager with KPMG's New Westminster office.

Born in the Philippines, Bronze Medallist Jonathan Guballa of KMPG's New Westminster office, attributes his success on the examinations to his firm.

"They were so supportive with study groups and the prep program," he explains. "And my own study buddies were just great. I was not quite sure I passed and I was surprised to have done so well."

Guballa is a 1999 graduate of the University of British Columbia with an undergraduate degree in commerce. While articling, he says he has enjoyed the variety of the work and the client contact.

"The best part of articling is the people in the firm and at the clients'; they're terrific," he says.

In his spare time, Guballa plays several sports including volleyball and tennis. He also runs regularly and is an avid reader. HE just finished Vikram Seth's A Fine Balance, and is looking forward to reading more novels now that he doesn't have to study for CA exams.

"I'm also looking forward to traveling more, especially in Europe," Guballa says.

A native of Vancouver and a graduate of Frank Hurt Secondary School in Surrey Rosie Shaheen tied for the Bronze Medal. She is with KPMG's Vancouver office.

Shaheen is a 1999 graduate of the University of British Columbia's commerce faculty. She began working with KPMG as a summer student in 1997 and became an articling student last year. She is currently working with the firm's 'ICE' Group -- Information, Communications and Entertainment.

"I hope to do an international exchange in the next year or so," Shaheen says.

Shaheen points to the support from the firm and the successful mentoring program as the best part of articling in the CA program.

In her spare time, she runs, snowboards, and reads contemporary fiction. She is currently enjoying Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia Dec 2000
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