At an age when most new university graduates are just beginning their careers, Ryan Barrington-Foote had landed a management position at Canada’s third-largest private company.
When he was 22, he was invited to become the manager of tax for the Jim Pattison Group and become responsible for the income tax compliance requirements for the entire company. While someone might have jumped at the incredible opportunity, Barrington-Foote was more circumspect. “It actually took me a while to make the decision.”
He felt he was still relatively new to the accounting profession, working only a couple years as a tax specialist at KPMG after graduating from Simon Fraser University in 2000.
But he has always been ahead of his class. He skipped Kindergarten and Grade 3 in elementary school, which set him on an advanced track for his entire education that led him to start his undergrad at SFU when he was 16. A consistent high-flyer, he not only graduated top of his class at Burnaby North Secondary, but also received the SFU dean’s medal for business for having the highest GPA in his graduating class.
Since 2006, he has been the Jim Pattison Group’s top accountant, responsible for the financial reporting of the entire group. In the past few years, he’s helped streamline and update the company’s reporting system and improve the effectiveness of his team of six staff. “We run a pretty lean ship so we’re always looking for more efficient and better ways to do things. Looking at things from a fresh perspective and a critical eye is important to what we do.”
As the youngest of seven managing directors of the group, Barrington-Foote is focused on balancing the needs of his young family with his goal of ensuring the company has a scaleable reporting system that can handle the company’s continued growth. “I’m encouraged by the company’s growth over the years and certainly look forward to being part of its future growth as well.” •
