Katherine Furrer, CPA, CGA

Recognizing that life is ever changing and the future may not unfold as planned, it was wiser to not wait for 65 and in the fall of 2022 a journey to travel the world began. Currently our travels have taken us to Central and South America; including an amazing trip halfway up the Amazon. Months spent in South East Asia, Turkey and Greece have opened our eyes to different cultures and points of few. There will be many more journeys in the next decade.

Between trips, a number of small projects have been completed for Big White Ski Resort including:

• Accounts Payable Approval Workflow project
• Earnings detail reports for budgeting purposes
• Insurance reporting documentation.

• Prepared monthly individual and consolidated financial packages for five operating companies.
• Reviewed and supported payroll department, including building in house software to process up to 1,300 employees, ensuring compliance with regulatory and company guidelines.
• Provided treasury and cash management by overseeing reconciliation of banking activity, credit card processing, and sales tax returns.
• Mentored junior staff members, fostering a positive work environment conducive to professional growth and development.
• Ensured compliance with tax regulations by managing the timely preparation and filing of all required returns.
• Reduced month-end closing time by optimizing reconciliation procedures and improving collaboration between departments.
• Provided insightful financial analysis to support executive team in making informed business decisions.
• Streamlined annual audit process, working closely with external auditors to ensure accurate representation of Big White's financial position.
• Led cross-functional teams in the implementation of new accounting and operational software, improving overall efficiency within Big White.
• Prepared detailed variance analyses on a monthly basis, enabling more effective tracking of actuals versus forecasted figures.
• Established robust internal control framework, minimizing the risk of fraud and ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Developed comprehensive financial models to support management in forecasting and scenario analysis.
• Managed budgeting process, aligning departmental budgets with organizational goals and monitoring performance against targets. Worked with nine executives to create annual budget and track actual expenses against projected expenses.
• Increased flow of financial information throughout company by improving communication strategies.

• Developed comprehensive financial and operational reports for executive decision-making support.
• Streamlined month-end close process, reducing time spent on manual tasks and improving data accuracy.
• Ensured compliance with local, provincial, federal tax regulations; timely filing of all required documents, mitigating potential penalties or fines.
• Prepared monthly reconciliation of bank accounts and took corrective actions on deviations.
• Mentored 2 junior finance staff, fostering professional development and strong team dynamics.
• Optimized cash flow with diligent monitoring of accounts receivable and payable.
• Negotiated favorable terms with vendors, resulting in significant cost savings for the company by extending credit terms by 50 - 75%.

• Enhanced communication between accounting and project management teams with regular financial updates and collaborative meetings.
• Increased efficiency of month-end closing procedures through streamlining tasks such as account reconciliations, journal entry preparations, and report generation which reduced financial statement preparation time by 35%.
• Collaborated with project managers to develop accurate cost estimates for upcoming projects, increasing overall profitability.
• Assisted in preparing comprehensive financial reports for both internal and external stakeholders, providing valuable insights into project performance.