Gina Arsens believes her success is the result of the right combination of skills.
Burnaby-based Klein Systems Group Ltd., a software provider for the maritime port industry, hired Arsens in 2006 to turn its financials around.
In half a year, Arsens was able to straighten out its books and help Klein turn a profit.
“I definitely straighten things up and I definitely have a focus on the bottom line,” Arsens said. “I listen and I have a great deal of attention to service, problem-solving and communication.”
Arsens developed her first business skills waiting tables at her family’s restaurant, but after she graduated from high school she said her father pushed her to go further and obtain an education.
“He said, ‘You’ll always have the restaurant but you can do more,’” she said.
And she did just that.
In 1993, she graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor of commerce. She followed that up with her chartered accountant designation and, in 1998, became a chartered business valuator placing third highest in Canada on her exam.
She began her financial career at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a manager of corporate finance, before joining Raymond James Ltd. as an associate analyst where she marketed investment ideas to clients.
Following that, she joined Xantrex Technology Inc., a power-supply manufacturer, as a corporate planner where she negotiated $8 million in government funding for product development and helped develop and improve budget processes.
Yet amid all her personal achievements, Arsens believes it was the people along the way who helped her the most.
“I think my success has really been a result of many people supporting me,” she said. “I was always able to meet people that gave me opportunities that … I was able to run with.” •
