This alum made Partner at BDO, and he’s looking for who comes next

They say that accountants are numbers people, not people people. Anyone who says that, however, hasn’t met Anthony Vercillo. 

A graduate from the Ted Rogers School of Management’s Accounting program, Vercillo is an easy conversationalist. After nine years, he was made Partner at BDO Canada (external link) , a public accounting, tax, consulting and business advisory firm, but it doesn’t come as a surprise that Vercillo has been heavily involved in supporting BDO’s recruitment efforts on campus at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University).

“The ability to listen and be engaged—people skills are the difference makers. My involvement with [Toronto Met] and the students has been at the recruitment level, I try to do events to support the Accounting program and BDO’s presence on campus.”

His involvement with the university over two decades after graduating led to Vercillo receiving the Volunteer Leadership Award in 2021. “The reality is, not every student will work at BDO,” he says, “I remove my BDO hat and help the students. That’s my number one goal—trying to be helpful at events, getting people jobs, skills and development.” 

Eventually, the idea of starting a Bootcamp was floated to Vercillo. Bootcamps offer students and alumni the opportunity to develop skills through instructor and industry-facilitated training sessions. Since its introduction, the BDO Caseware Bootcamp has received positive feedback from faculty, students and organizers. 

“It was a simple fit for me because Caseware is where I spend time training hires anyway. The more productive they can be with the software before they get in the door the better,” Vercillo adds. “It’s even better on their resume. You won't have that blank stare on your face when HR asks you about tech skills.”

Being made Partner brought together multiple facets of Vercillo’s professional life and personal interests. It not only deepened his involvement with his clients, but furthered his sense of ownership. Even in a larger organization like BDO, that stake in the company means there’s an entrepreneurial element that only drives him to do more. 

“Small business clients have unique issues that require a certain level of attention,” he explains. “They are deliberate about the advice they are looking for because it will help them personally, as opposed to working with a faceless public or financial institution.” 

Vercillo’s personality-driven approach to business began back as an undergraduate student, where he quickly learned the value of the people skills he would come to rely on over the course of his career. “One big influence was Dr. Scott Anderson,” he says, recalling his first day of lecture in Dr. Anderson’s Personal Finance Class, “he wrote out all the acronyms and titles after his name and crossed them all out.”

“He made it clear none of that matters,” says Vercillo. “It’s about doing the work and dealing with people that will make all the difference.”

Vercillo commuted for over an hour and worked in a grocery store while in school. These are the details, he says, that reveal themselves in conversation with students and prospective BDO employees. The “hard” jobs, like service or retail, or compressing a school schedule to be able to make it to class, can be just as indicative of ambition as competitive internships or volunteerism.

“The roles I hire for need the personal skills that you develop in retail jobs. Focusing on just academics is easy, I like going deeper because that’s where you find the diamonds.” 

Vercillo laughs when asked what he looks for in students who apply to work at BDO. There isn’t one straight answer. “I’m hiring at the lowest level, but I’m not hiring a junior. If I’m investing in a candidate, I want them to be successful and the best person to help the team. I want you to potentially be a Partner one day.” 

He pauses before adding, “you are always interviewing. That’s why we have associations and events, to evaluate talent in all aspects. Energy and attitude doesn’t always show up on a resume.”