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Kara Kempin, a Partner in BDO's Edmonton office, began working at BDO in 2017 as a Senior Manager.
After deciding to change course in her career, stepping into an industry role, Kara returned to BDO in 2023 as a Partner. Kara, embraces a growth mindset by asking the right questions, leveraging available opportunities, and cultivating a passion for learning. These are the building blocks to the strong foundation she has developed during her time at BDO.
"Embracing a growth mindset has greatly benefited my career,” said Kara.
"When I transitioned to a new role, in a completely different industry, I realized the expertise that I gained from working in public practice at BDO was invaluable. I had the confidence I needed to figure things out, develop strategies, and execute tasks I hadn't done before. It was great to have the ability to venture into something different, knowing that I had a strong foundation to rely on," she added.
Having accumulated over 20 years of accounting experience, Kara still relies on that core of transferable skills and best practices that she developed as a young accountant.
"Understanding the power of asking 'why' has always been a game changer for me," Kara shared.
Her curiosity in all aspects of the technical work that she does has now transferred over to her interactions with clients. "It's not just about accounting, it's about understanding the business as a whole," she added.
"I've seen firsthand how much our breadth of business experience sets us apart. In my interactions with subject matter experts and industry leaders at BDO, I've come to appreciate the wealth of knowledge that comes with being in the accounting profession, and how that can be practically applied to benefit our clients."
Kara's passion for leading the way as a woman professional in the field of accounting drew her back to BDO. She recognizes the importance of the firm's commitment to ensuring the success of its people and the benefit of ongoing professional development, especially when it comes to diversity and inclusion initiatives like conscious and unconscious bias training. "I still refer to it repeatedly, and I take absolute advantage of the vast pool of knowledge that is endemic to a national firm and absorb as much as I can," she said.
"Being surrounded by a wealth of knowledge and smart individuals is what makes working at BDO so rewarding," she added.