Get to know Gérald Gauthier
“I work with very small clients and very large clients, and they’re all important. It’s not because it’s a bigger client that they’re more important, and a smaller one is not less important.”
Gérald Gauthier, CPA, CA, is dedicated to helping his clients succeed. A Partner with MNP’s Assurance and Accounting team in Hawkesbury, Gérald has an open-door policy with clients, responding quickly and helping solve their business problems and improve their processes. Read on to learn more about Gérald.
What excites you most about serving clients as a partner at MNP?
Helping clients succeed and improve the way they’re working, to improve their results. I enjoy helping my clients and bringing them additional value with the work I’m doing. Working with assurance gives me a lot of different experiences, because there’s many sectors, many types of activities, and a lot of variety.
What is your approach to working with clients?
No matter how small or how large, each client is important to me, and I make their questions and concerns a priority. I take a personalized approach for each client, and I am very responsive, especially when they need answers quickly. I like to spend time with clients helping them, whenever they need support or have a problem. It’s an open door, whenever they have a question. And if they need help for other things, we can find other specialists within the firm to help them. There’s a whole team behind me helping me serve my clients.
What kinds of clients do you work with?
I work with a wide variety of clients, including those in the public sector, such as municipalities, hospitals and school boards; not-for-profit organizations and credit unions; and private companies, including those in the construction, agriculture, manufacturing and hydroelectricity sectors. My services include audits, review engagements, compilations, advisory and tax.
Can you give us an example of a problem a client might have that you can help them solve?
I am proactive with my clients. For example, there are more and more laws that companies have to be aware of. For small businesses, it’s very hard to keep up with all those changes — such as accounting and tax changes, grants and subsidies — when they’re busy running their business. They don’t have time to look at all those changes. I provide my clients with that type of information, to keep them on top of things.
I help both my clients, and my colleagues inside of MNP, to improve and become better professionals, better businesses and better organizations.
How would you describe MNP Hawkesbury’s office culture?
It’s a friendly environment. It’s a lot of teamwork. It’s not like a big firm, where you don’t know your colleagues. Here, we know everyone in the office.
What is your role with MNP Hawkesbury?
I am the Partner in charge of the MNP Hawkesbury office, and I mentor and oversee our Hawkesbury team of 50 employees. We are MNP’s largest office located between Ottawa-Gatineau and the Montreal area; we focus on serving small and medium-sized businesses.
What is your connection to the Hawkesbury area?
I was born in St. Bernardin (which is 25 km from Hawkesbury) and I’m bilingual in French and English. I worked with MNP’s predecessor Big Four firm in Hawkesbury for 29 years.