Robyn Pangman had been backpacking in Australia for a year, when she returned to her hometown of Oakville, ON, for a visit.
“I still had a bit of the travel bug in me but I knew that I had to get my act together,” says Robyn. She also knew if she stayed to complete her Chartered Accountant (CA) training in the Greater Toronto Area, she might never leave.
Robyn secured a position with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Edinburgh, Scotland. She soon met Sean Cain, who had moved from New Zealand to play semi-pro rugby, but had ended up staying and working in Edinburgh as an architectural technician.
Within three years they were married, and two years after that, Robyn took Sean home to Canada.
“I made it clear at the beginning that I’m a bit of a homebody,” says Robyn. “I grew up here, so I knew Oakville was a good place to have a family and raise kids.”
Robyn completed her CA reciprocity examinations. She is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, as well as a Certified Financial Planner.
Her interest in accounting dates back to her high school years. “I liked it, and I just got it,” Robyn says. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business/ Accounting at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS before setting off on her travels.
Not everyone Robyn graduated with is doing accounting today; some own businesses or are doing something completely different. “They have that (accounting) background to understand the numbers and how to get a business off the ground and make it successful,” says Robyn. “It gives you a lot of options and is not just one sort of straight and narrow path.”
Public accountants look after clients tax needs, such as compliance and tax planning. Some complete their accounting training and choose to go into industry, and may be in various financial roles, but supporting one company.
Robyn joined Henderson Partners LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, in Oakville’s Iroquois Ridge South neighbourhood in 2008, and accepted partnership in 2014.
“Here, public accounting means we are servicing all different types of businesses and individuals.”
Robyn’s workdays are typically split between office time, and on-site meetings with clients, which helps her put things into context. “You get an appreciation for their business and what they’re doing,” says Robyn, “so it’s not just numbers on a page.”
Robyn enjoys helping her clients, and specializes in accounting, tax, and business advisory services.
Henderson Partners LLP office in Oakville, ON
Clients include entrepreneurial people and organizations—from those just starting out to privately held companies, family owned businesses, professional corporations, and manufacturers.
Henderson Partners LLP’s declaration of values concludes with “we have fun—we take our work seriously but not ourselves,” and it’s a statement that Robyn has taken to heart.
On the home front, she says, “We have three little girls. So outside of work they take up a lot of my time—they’re very important to me.”
Robyn also likes to run, and between work, family, and friends, finds that it’s the only time she has to herself, even if it’s at 5 o’clock in the morning. With her sweet spot being 10k, Robyn likes to “get out there, run as fast as I can, be done and then get on to the next thing.”
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