Penelope (Penny) B M Hedges, CA.IT
Much of my career has entailed cleaning up businesses messes and disasters – as well as working to prevent future disasters. So I’m risk-averse; I plan and strategize to ensure the projects we are involved in meet their targets both qualitatively and quantitatively.
A Chartered Accountant specializing in IT services, Penelope brings a business-oriented approach to IT strategy and implementation, applying business acumen, strategic insight and an understanding of IT to help organizations succeed.
Growing up in the family publishing business, which implemented the first computerized type-setting in Scotland, Penny learned the ins and out of business at a young age. As a Chartered Accountant, working in the business analysis and litigation fields, she developed a broad knowledge of business organizations, from multi-national process, insurance, construction, mining and forestry industries to small and medium-sized businesses in the distribution, professional services, benefits management, retail and non-profit sectors.
Her natural strengths and life-long experience have stood her in good stead. Her particular strengths are in situations involving either custom software or off-the-shelf systems that need detailed configuration. Penelope does not advise on general ledger systems but has extensive experience with reporting and cost accounting. She is experienced with manipulation of data and reporting within proprietary line of business systems.
Penelope held the Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) designation for ten years and appeared as an expert witness in Court. She managed large litigation files involving claims for commercial damages in the lumber, paper, mining and other major industries. Penelope co-managed underwriting and financial issues related to the largest construction surety default in Canadian history, with completion costs in excess of $10 million. In this she managed a team of professionals from the construction, legal and financial fields.
Penelope has been using PCs since 1981 as a key analysis tool. She started her own database development company in 1995 and co-founded IDT in 1998. She is well-experienced in managing the full life-cycle of both the implementation of commercial applications and the development and implementation of custom applications. She is the co-architect, designer and builder of Clientware CRM and Clientware Pro. Clientware Pro is an enterprise-level application for professional firms centered on clients, with full time/billing, work management and reporting modules. Clientware CRM is a full-featured enterprise-level application for managing interaction with contacts and clients.
Penelope was featured in the May 2011 Institute of Chartered Accountants of BC newsletter, Beyond Numbers in an article about the CA•IT designation.