As Vice-President and Chief Compliance Officer at a financial services company, Elizabeth (Liz) Wood manages the daily operations of more than 130 staff members and consultants. However, getting to that level of expertise involved a lengthy professional and academic journey - all of which happened from home. Wood lives with mental illness and disability that keep her at home but in no way inhibit her thirst for learning, evolving, and achieving success.
Elizabeth (Liz) Wood
Wood is an alumna of Laurentian University's Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program. In 2012, as she was finishing her Psychology undergraduate degree from Athabasca University, Wood realized that despite previously thinking she wanted to work in the community social service sector because of her own life experiences, it was not going to be the right fit for her professionally. She decided to pivot, enrolling in the Bachelor of Commerce program at Thompson Rivers University and around the same time, she started as a bookkeeper with the company she still works for today.
Recalling her professional evolution over the years, Wood says, "I started as a bookkeeper and now I'm the executive vice president. I found a passion for management and leadership and this company gave me the opportunity to explore that. I have been fortunate to have a boss who is very supportive and believes in people's potential." Despite Wood's professional success, in her new role as VP she still felt that a piece was missing, "I had the leadership and problem solving skills for a senior level position but I felt I lacked theoretical knowledge. I wanted to contribute to strategic planning, corporate structure, and operational flows and efficiency." This was Wood's biggest motivator to pursue an MBA.
Living with Agoraphobia means that Wood does not leave her home. Nevertheless, as the executive vice president of a finance company, instructor at McMaster University, owner and operator of an accounting firm, chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in FinTech for the Canadian Lenders Association, Wood has a lot on the go.. When researching MBA programs, the most important factor for Wood was that it be offered online to meet her mental health needs but she also wasn't willing to compromise on the quality of the program. "I did my research on MBAs and Laurentian's program is well-known nationwide and has a great reputation. It attracts high-caliber faculty with backgrounds in research and that's what I was looking for."
She was impressed with the program at Laurentian and after exploring the accessibility options that the school offered, she knew it was the right fit. "When you're dealing with a disability, it's a huge barrier to education. People don't really recognize exactly how debilitating an invisible disability like a mental illness is and how it can impact your education," said Wood about her MBA decision-making process. Even after completing the program, she remains moved by the quality of the services offered, "It was a very inclusionary environment, including the ability to do the entire course online. That was essential for me. Laurentian's accessibility services are absolutely amazing. And my professors were absolutely amazing."
The Master's of Business Administration program made an impact on who Wood is as a professional, "My MBA opened doors that I hadn't even realized were there. The exposure to a variety of different areas in business that I hadn't previously explored really led me to imagine how my career could evolve." Her story doesn't start or end with a Masters program, but like most graduate students, this is when a level of certainty in goals and direction starts to take form. "As I expanded my role, I was able to use the theoretical knowledge gained in my MBA practically. It gave me the tools to approach a variety of business functions, and allowed me to really step into a leadership role."
After 15 years in post-secondary, Wood completed her Masters in spring 2022. She continues to work in her senior leadership role and has no intention of stopping her relentless pursuit of success, personally and professionally. "We need to not set the bar against other people. I don't compete against other people, I only compete against myself. That's my role. I try to be better today than I was yesterday. Every day that I can say that I did that-which also means granting myself grace when I need to--I count as a success."
