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| December 12, 2017
I’ve been looking to interview someone with cross-border tax expertise, in part because I’m interested in this area, in part because I know it is of interest to many of our readers who live/work/invest in more than one country. Together with my desire to meet interesting people living extraordinary lives – I found all these things wrapped up in one person. Marissa Enage [pronounced: eh-na-he] was brought to my attention by friend/colleague/reader Gabby Franco who spoke very highly of Marissa and how she is handling his offshore work …
We sat down recently at her Quarry Park office – she is U.S. Tax Senior Manager in the Tax Services department at Catalyst Group. Pleasantries aside, we dug right in …
Born in Manila, Philippines, she is #5 of 8 children [6 boys, 2 girls]. Mom was a housewife, later a writer/journalist. Dad was an engineer/builder, businessman. Marissa attended private schools for elementary, high school and university. She describes her school-day performance as average academically – with strong interest in dance, and a forced interest in piano (“my mom forced me”). A prima ballerina, she danced professionally. She attended De LaSalle University where she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Economics. From there her life and career took a number of paths – she wanted to avoid accounting at all costs, wanted to focus on management and economics. She married in 1984 (they met on a blind date), worked in accounting positions in Manila, Los Angeles, Vancouver, New Westminster and Calgary … along the way, the family immigrated, children arrived (they had four), divorce, relocation to Calgary, remarriage and a theme emerged from Marissa’s story. A better life for herself and her family, better work – using her growing body of expertise which had her recruited again and again to focus on tax work for ex-pats, for Canadians with investments abroad and for corporate clients doing business in other countries – principally in the United States.
In her most recent billets the establishment of a U.S. tax practice began as a ‘one-person shop’ and it grew. Each move from firm to firm earned her increased responsibility and focus on U.S. corporate partnerships and international ex-pat filings. In her Vancouver days she took a six-month leave from KPMG due to illness [long-term sufferer of fibromyalgia – held in check with medication]. In 2003 she started her own practice, her dad died, and PriceWaterhouse Coopers came calling … then MacDonald Detweiler, Grant Thornton … Calgary, BDO … each assignment deepening her experience and knowledge in U.S. cross-border tax. When BDO shifted its ex-pat tax work to Mississauga, she met with a head-hunter who suggested talking to Catalyst – who wanted her but she said no at first. But negotiations led to a move – February 2013. She’s been instrumental in building the practice together with Carl Scholz, a partner at Catalyst. The firm has eight partners and about 60 staff – and Marissa’s shop involves her and three others and focuses solely on U.S. cross-border tax. The firm does audit, accounting and tax.
Much of the interview was a tug-o-war – I wanted to know more about ‘Marissa’ and she wanted me to know more about tax. In part, it is clearly a passion for her and her credentials are superb – but she also likes to keep her personal details private. She tells me her relationships with her children are better than ever – that her life is happy, she loves her work, her faith and her church (she plays piano for the choir). Her recreational reading is tax code material …
Why are you successful? “Because I work hard, I care about people and I take the time to do quality work. I’ve had difficulties – but I needed to survive, I had no choice! I had no family here in Canada – I had to keep going, provide for my children – I didn’t want them to have to go through the same difficulties I did …"
What has held you back? “I haven’t thought about that – I wouldn’t describe myself as an ambitious person. My priority is my family and my husband. That doesn’t hold me back – it strengthens me. I got my degree in economics – I never obtained an accounting designation, which has not impacted my progress.”
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