Alumni profile : Darryl Huras

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in the village of Milverton, just north of Stratford, and I completed my BBA at Wilfrid Laurier University. I married my wife Colleen in the year that I wrote my UFE and we have two children: Emily, 13, and Adam, 11. I commute to work by bike (25 km each way) a couple of times each week and I am a sub 3-hour marathoner.

When did you work for Deloitte? What was your title and role in the firm?

I worked in Deloitte’s audit group in Kitchener/Guelph for almost four years, from spring 1995 to winter 1999. In my last two years I was the audit senior on a number of accounts.

What was the highlight of your experience with Deloitte?

The opportunity to be the audit senior for our office’s largest client twice. The account had a large team of staff and I was forced to quickly learn the art of managing and motivating a group of people to get results.

Which organization did you join after you left the firm?

I left Deloitte for the role of comptroller at the Stratford Festival. Within a few months, I assumed the role of Director of Finance.

What do you do now? What is the best part of your current role?

After 14 years I still have the same role as Director of Finance, but have gradually had new, non-financial departments added to my mandate. Just before my arrival, the Festival had created an endowment foundation and it has since grown to almost $60M. I now find this the most interesting part of my job and, as the endowment funds grow, I am gradually spending more of my time in this area.

How would you describe the secret of your success?

I would say that I have two. First is the ability to see the big picture when considering a task or project and then getting the right people involved with the right tasks at the right time, which always results in projects being completed on time and on budget. My second is treating my coworkers with honesty, fairness and kindness. I find that this usually motivates people to work as hard as they can for the team.

Have you stayed in contact with your former colleagues?

I stay in regular contact with a small group, but I see other past colleagues at Deloitte’s social and learning events. As Stratford is a significant not-for-profit cultural organization in Canada, I am also occasionally contacted for thoughts or information on related studies, research or work at other registered charities.