CPABC honours two Surrey CPAs with a fellowship designation

SURREY, British Columbia, Feb. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia is pleased to honour two Surrey-based chartered professional accountants with a fellowship designation (FCPA) for their professional accomplishments and their outstanding contributions to their communities. They are:

Neelam Sahota, FCPA, FCGA is the CEO of DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society, a registered charity providing community services and training to newcomers to Canada. Her accomplishments include leading the building of DIVERSEcity's community campus from concept to delivery. Sahota also secured federal and provincial government funding to grow DIVERSEcity's operational budget by 35 per cent and helmed the development of social enterprises to significantly diversify the organization's funding sources. In recognition of her achievements, Sahota received the Surrey Board of Trade's Women in Business Award in the not-for-profit leader category in 2014.

Actively involved in her community, Sahota shares her expertise with many boards and advisory committees. She is currently chair of the Surrey Libraries Board of Trustees. Previously, Sahota has served as a Program Advisory Committee member for Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Certificate in NGO and Non-profit Studies program. She also provided governance counsel as a board director with Solid State Community Industries, a not-for-profit organization that builds co-operatives with new Canadians. Sahota was also past treasurer with the Immigrant Employment Council of BC.

Gavin Toy, FCPA, FCA is the president and CEO of Prospera Credit Union. Respected as a collaborative relationship builder and strategic business leader, Toy has spent 25 years committed to growing B.C. member-based organizations. In 2019, Toy led the merger of Prospera and Westminster Savings, garnering overwhelming member approval. Upon completion, this merger was the largest in Canadian credit union history and Prospera became the sixth-largest credit union in Canada with more than $9.5 billion in assets under management. Prior to becoming Prospera's CEO, Toy was the CEO of Westminster Savings Credit Union and held several executive positions with the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA).

An accredited director, Toy is deeply committed to giving back to his local community. He currently serves on the board of the Canadian Credit Union Association, the national credit union trade association, and he has served with several other credit union system boards. From 2013 to 2020, Toy was a board director with Canuck Place Children's Hospice, including two years as board chair.

Quote from Lori Mathison, FCPA, FCGA, LLB, President and CEO of CPABC
"We are pleased to honour Neelam and Gavin with a fellowship designation. With their wide and impressive range of skills and experiences, they represent the very best of our profession. We are proud of their career accomplishments and of their tireless contributions to their communities. They are truly deserving of this recognition."

To learn about this year's Fellows and other award recipients of CPABC's Member Recognition Program, visit: bccpa.ca.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Individual profiles and publication quality photos of the recipients are available by request.

About CPA British Columbia
The Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) is the training, governing, and regulatory body for over 37,000 CPA members and 5,500 CPA candidates and candidates. CPABC carries out its primary mission to protect the public by enforcing the highest professional and ethical standards and contributing to the advancement of public policy.

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