For Joan Hill, climbing Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro last year was a challenge, but she knew it wasn’t as difficult as the challenge children with life-threatening illness and their families face every day.
The director of finance, facilities and IT at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice climbed with her plastic-surgeon husband, Mark, and a friend to the summit of the highest free-standing mountain in the world – an effort that raised about $5,000 for Canuck Place. Hill, an avid outdoors enthusiast, recalled the night they were preparing for the eight-hour climb from the base to the summit.
“I was getting rid of everything out of my backpack; it was getting so heavy and it was getting tough with the altitude,” Hill said. “I had the Canuck Place banner in my backpack and I just thought of all the families and children and what they put up with 24-7. … So it was a real proud moment to stand up there and show the flag.”
Originally from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Hill oversees financial priorities for Canuck Place, a pediatric palliative-care provider to more than 560 children with life-threatening diseases. In addition to running the finance team, she manages the organization’s facilities, construction and IT.
While there are similarities between a CFO’s job in the non-profit sector versus the for-profit sector, there are some essential differences, she said.
“Your measures are different,” she explained. “Your success is not based on your bottom line. For Canuck Place our success is based on the number of children and families we are able to serve and the difference we are able to make to them when they really need our care.”
Hill has held the position with the non-profit since 2013, during which time the organization has experienced an increase in operating revenues of 31% and an operating expense increase of more than 35%. Besides establishing clear procedures to communicate financial performance and benchmarks, she played a key role in overseeing the construction and development of the organization’s second provincial pediatric hospice, located in Abbotsford, which was completed in December 2013.
“The greatest success is the clarity around reporting, whether it be around that construction project or around the financial situation of the organization,” said Hill.
Canuck Place CEO Margaret McNeil said Hill’s leadership has brought organizational alignment, improvement and integrity to the organization’s financial processes.
“Joan is a great strategist and excels in execution of the strategy,” McNeil said. “She’s always focused on what is important and never loses sight of the big picture.”
Hill, a certified public acccountant, holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Saskatchewan. She worked as a medical laboratory technologist before becoming an accountant.
Becoming a successful CFO requires being a good listener, according to Hill.
“As CFO, you get to see everything. The numbers tell one side of the story, but you definitely have to listen to people and get a clear understanding of what the numbers are telling you.”
From 2001 to 2005, she gained international experience when she and her family moved to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where Hill held a position first as a consultant for InterHealth Canada and later as manager of cost and budget at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. In the latter position, she managed the budget, inventory and finance team of a 400-bed in-patient hospital and adjacent outpatient facilities.
“We wanted to go on an adventure, and they were opening up a brand new Canadian accredited hospital,” she said. “It was an opportunity to travel and to work with so many different cultures.”
Since returning to Vancouver in 2006, she has worked in the non-profit health-care sector and served on several boards both locally and internationally. Hill said she enjoys her role at Canuck Place and working with people from a variety of backgrounds.
“It’s a chance to give back to the community. You have a lot of lateral movement, so wherever you have previous experience or expertise, there’s generally a role for you to expand your area.”
While Hill’s office is located on Granville Street, she regularly visits the nine-bed hospice known as Glen Brae Manor, a 16,000-square-foot Shaughnessy mansion built in 1910.
“It really grounds you to understand the children that are in our program and the stories of the families. Your problems become very minor when you hear about some of the issues the children and families are dealing with.”
Connecting her chosen employment with her life philosophy is important to Hill, a 59-year-old mother of three.
“One thing about working here is you just learn to live each day. You never know what life is going to bring you. Spend time loving the ones around you and don’t waste your day.”
Hill, former executive director of finance, IT and administration at ImpactBC, sits on the board of directors of the Centre for Collaboration, Motivation and Innovation and the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association. •
Joan Hill will be honoured at the BC CFO Awards gala dinner on June 2nd at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. For tickets and event info visit www.biv.com/events/cfo .
