Get to Know Harinder Harry

Supporting our agriculture community

Raised on a berry farm in the Fraser Valley, Harinder Harry is a chartered professional accountant who, unsurprisingly, found herself drawn to working with clients in the agriculture industry. Based out of MNP’s Langley office, she enjoys working with a wide range of producers. We sat down with Harinder to find out why farming, how she works with clients, and more.

What intrigued you about MNP’s Agriculture practice?

Agriculture is in my blood. I liked the idea of being able to help farmers in my community and beyond. I was happy to see how large MNP’s Agriculture practice is, with so many offices across Canada to serve the wide variety of producers we work with. My region alone has dairy, poultry, berries, horticulture, and other primary producers.

The MNP Ag team has a lot of expertise, so it’s great to learn from them and add to my knowledge. It’s exciting because we can offer our clients so many different services and products, depending on their business’s needs and goals.

How do you help agriculture clients?

I know what it’s like to have a family farm — what keeps them up at night, the programs and funding out there for them, and so on. I ensure my clients are updated on new programs or available funding and aware of deadlines, and I give them the latest information on risk management programs such as AgriStability. I also lean on the expertise of my colleagues throughout the firm to provide additional services, such as tax planning and succession planning.

Given your diverse experience, how do you help clients succeed?

I was previously in public accounting — then part of MNP’s Assurance and Accounting team, working with clients in agriculture, manufacturing, and real estate and construction. I try to apply my past experiences with different clients when working with producers. I’m always proactive in making sure they have the information they need. I also stay current with changing tax rules and regulations and risk management program information.

What is the most critical thing business owners should know about succession planning?

Simply understanding the benefits of succession planning is essential. Once they’re aware of that, it’s the importance of timing — planning before it’s too late to ensure all tax planning is in place in the most effective way possible — and so they can make the most of these benefits.

How do you stay active in the community?

I attend events related to the agriculture industry, such as the Pacific Agriculture Show. It’s important to me to attend as many community events as possible to provide support for those initiatives. I also take the time to support client events and fundraisers, and I prefer to shop locally.

Being involved more formally is also important to me, so I have served as a past board member for the Langley Community Services Society, and I stay involved in volunteer positions with our local Mission Minor Hockey Association.