Scaling success and leading with purpose: My journey to CFO

By: Victoria Stephenson

Accounting is so much more than people think it is. My parents were both accountants, and I saw them become business leaders in their industries. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an accountant, and I love solving puzzles and problems.

I started my career as a CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant). As the CFO of StellarAlgo, I still get to work on puzzles but now, it’s complex financial and business challenges. 

Here’s a look into my career journey in the tech industry, the exciting growth at StellarAlgo, and my tips for other women who want to grow into leadership positions in tech. 

From accounting audits to joining Calgary’s growing tech startup scene

I started working at one of the big four accounting firms and was exposed to businesses in many industries like real estate, non-profit, oil and gas, large public companies, and tech. I got an early glimpse into Calgary’s growing tech sector and was instantly hooked.

As an auditor, I would visit these companies annually to assist in resolving their financial issues. For scaling tech companies, a year would go by and it would be a completely different company. The pace of change and growth in early-stage tech companies excited me. That’s how I decided I wanted to do more than advising, I wanted to be actively involved in helping them grow.

I’ve always been a problem-solving geek. I love puzzles and figuring things out. At StellarAlgo, there are so many interesting and complex challenges from a business and accounting perspective. I started as the Director of Finance and Strategy and over the past few years, I’ve advanced to CFO, where I now lead our Finance and People team. 

There is complex problem-solving in every role at StellarAlgo. It’s not just solving technical engineering problems, it’s in finance, operations, and every function. Everyone has the attitude of, how do we figure it out?

How our ProBowl at StellarAlgo was a milestone of growth

My personal growth at StellarAlgo has been closely tied to the company’s growth, and it’s been exciting to be a part of that journey.

One moment that stood out for me during this growth was our annual ProBowl event, where everyone came together in person to connect as a team. This past year’s ProBowl was a true moment of reflection, allowing me to look back and appreciate the rapid pace of change that initially drew me to join. 

We held our first ProBowl in 2022 and it was scrappy! We planned it in about six weeks and held it at Platform Calgary. Last year’s ProBowl was in Banff, featuring a guest speaker from the NBA and a keynote speaker who focused on developing leadership skills and fostering collaboration. We hosted workshops for the team to discuss each department’s role and celebrate shared successes. We presented Bobblehead Awards to amazing team members over the past year, and enjoyed some fun activities like horseback riding and hiking.

The other big milestone was opening our new office space. Being able to invest in the space that brings our team together and truly reflects our culture and brand is both exciting and a clear indicator of our growth over time. 

Applying leadership skills to nonprofits: Helping keep girls in sports 

I find a lot of similarities between high-growth tech companies and nonprofits, which people might not think about. Typically, both lack funding and need to get creative and scrappy to achieve their missions. 

I’ve always been passionate about giving back and supporting my community through volunteering. As I’ve been part of StellarAlgo, I’ve loved being part of the nonprofits that I’m passionate about, and it’s been rewarding to see them grow as well.

Fast and Female is a Canadian charity focused on keeping girls and women in sports and physical activity and I was on their board of directors until 2023. Girls drop out of sports at three times the rate of boys, but keeping them engaged fosters greater resilience and success later in life. I dropped out of sports at age 13 and had to find it again later in life so I’m passionate about the cause.

I was also a board member at Chic Geek, which focused on supporting women in tech and creating more gender diversity in the tech industry. On volunteer boards, everyone is deeply committed to the cause so it’s energizing to work alongside people with a shared personal purpose.

Finding allies and a work environment where you’re energized and supportive of the people around you is so important, whether in volunteering or everyday work. At StellarAlgo, I’ve always felt supported, which comes from being vocal about the opportunities you want to pursue and grow into.

Self-galvanizing growth: Decide where you want to go

In a past job, I worked in campus recruiting and talked to many students who would ask:

“What’s the number one way to succeed?”

I would say that there are endless ways you can take your career, and no one will tell you which way to go. You need to decide, ask for opportunities, and then seize them and learn everything you can. I’ve taken that advice a lot over my career.

One of our core values at StellarAlgo is self-galvanizing: to take action towards the career path you want, and the team will support you. If there’s something that I want to do or learn, and I’m vocal about it, my team finds a way to help me do it. 

For example, my role is internally focused but I wanted to learn more about the problems we’re solving for customers. I wanted to learn more about the problems we were solving for our customers, so I suggested I join a trip with our Account Management team, and Vince supported my decision. The trip was to Montreal, and I shadowed some client meetings and learned about the customers’ perspective of our work. 

Tips for women working towards a leadership role in tech 

I’ve been fortunate to have strong allies, like Vince and my team at StellarAlgo—both men and women—who have supported my career by helping me seize opportunities.

My advice would be to stay relentlessly curious. See every project or task as an opportunity to learn about the business, even if it seems mundane. For example, sometimes earlier in my career, I would be asked to come into a meeting to observe and take notes. Rather than see that as my only role, I saw it as getting exposure to a meeting I otherwise wouldn’t have.

• What can I learn from this? 
• How can I absorb everything to help me later on? 
• How does this help me connect the dots to understand the impact of my work? 

Whatever role you’re in, you have the opportunity to be a problem-solver and leader with your team. 

I’ve found that what’s worked for me is to be vocal about how I want to grow, surround myself with people who are the first to support me, and always ask lots of questions.

Learn more about career opportunities at StellarAlgo on our careers page. 

More fans.

Better Engagement.

Stellar Results.

Get Started