Get to know Marian Jakovic
Marian is a partner with MNP’s national Quality, Risk and Compliance team. Drawing on more than two decades of experience - in audit and assurance services, leading a global, public company’s internal audit department, and working as a Canadian audit regulator - her focus is on audit quality related to governance, risks and controls.
Why did you become a professional accountant?
I have always had a passion for diving into complex problems to understand the business risks and develop simplified, risk-based solutions. Becoming a certified professional accountant provides me with this avenue, and to work with a variety of different companies to discuss audit quality concerns and solutions that will optimize their business needs. As a trusted professional, it is important to me to ensure that integrity and high-quality work is delivered to our stakeholders and clients in everything that we do. The CPA profession is a great career choice for someone looking to add value to businesses through accounting, audit and consulting services.
What is one word that describes the value of the work you do?
Value-add. Providing value to our stakeholders and clients is one of my top priorities. I love to optimize processes to achieve the strategic objectives of a business while balancing the needs to manage risks and obtain high quality controls. When you find that perfect balance between risks, governance and controls, that meets the business priorities, that is when you know you have provided value-added work that goes above and beyond the expected deliverables.
What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
As head of internal audit at a public company, I was very fortunate to work with a great executive leadership team and a seasoned board of directors. Particularly, our general counsel at the time provided me with some sound advice early in my career I will always carry with me. He told me that as a lawyer or an accountant, we are always to hold ourselves and others to the highest ethical and quality standards. We need to have open and honest, proactive discussions when it comes to risks. We work in a ‘fair and just’ culture - we listen carefully, assess the risks and ‘trust but verify’ the information before making a decision. We are here as a partnership with our stakeholders, and we will always do the right thing, no matter what the outcome will be. This is when I decided to become a governance, risk and controls expert. To me, a GRC leadership role provides you with an opportunity to really understand the parameters of a situation and to also assess the potential outcomes.
And even today, when I am deep into a complex discussion, I take a pause, and always think back to this advice, that no matter what the risk is or the potential outcome, we will always do the right thing. In my role in quality, risk and compliance, I make sure we have these difficult conversations and that everyone is fully aware of the possible risks and outcomes prior to making a decision.
What advice would you give to career-driven women looking for family-work life balance?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and make your health a priority. It is important to build strong support at home and a reliable network at work to help you achieve your career goals and family commitments. There are so many programs available to guide you. Find a good mentor or role model to show you the way. This will allow you to continue to deliver on all of your responsibilities and to pivot towards future opportunities.
What are you passionate about outside of your career?
Outside of work, I enjoy tennis, skiing at Whistler and exploring the local islands boating with my family and friends.
Contact Marian
Marian Jakovcic, CPA, CA, CRMA, helps organizations drive audit quality through robust governance, risks and internal controls. To learn more about the opportunities available to your business, contact Marian at 604.685.8408 or [email protected].