Northwood Staff Profile: Bhawna Verma

In this quarterly feature, we help our readers get to know some of the people who work at Northwood Family Office. This quarter, Barrett Lyons interviews Bhawna Verma. Bhawna joined us in 2017 and works on the client service team at Northwood.

What do you do at NFO?

My role at Northwood Family Office is as Manager of Operations and Finance, where I am responsible for the timely presentation of internal financial reports and forecasts to the Management team. I ensure the highest level of accuracy so that these reports may be relied upon for internal planning and decision-making. I am also responsible for ensuring that all operational tasks are completed on a timely basis so that our team can continue to provide the highest standard of service to our clients. Beyond this, I assist on our clients’ accounting and tax needs by liaising with their accountants and bookkeepers.

Bhawna and family in Banff, Alberta

What did you do before joining NFO?

Before joining Northwood, I worked at a mid-size public accounting firm in New Zealand for 7 years, while simultaneously completing my Chartered Accountant designation from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. I moved to Canada in 2016, where I applied for a reciprocal CPA, CA qualification from Ontario. I was looking for a new challenge, and more specifically wanted to broaden my expertise outside of public accounting.

What do you enjoy most about working at NFO?

We have a team-oriented culture at Northwood and I really enjoy working within such a talented group. I am very appreciative of the management’s dedication to building a culture where a diverse mix of personalities work together as a team towards solving problems and making decisions. The best part of working at Northwood is that I get to learn something new everyday from working as a part of a highly talented team.

What are your favourite things to do outside of work?

Having recently moved to Canada, my husband and I love exploring new areas with our 3 year old daughter Elisha. As one of the most beautiful countries in the world, Canada has endless activities and unique experiences. We especially love taking trips and watching movies and TV shows together as a family. A recent road trip took us to Niagara Falls, and the picture to the right is from a trip to Banff.

What would be the next pick from your must-visit list?

We have already visited many beautiful cities through our road trips within Western and Central Canada. We would now love to explore Atlantic Canada, and more specifically Prince Edward Island. We might even do another incredible road trip where we will visit New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.