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jennifer lockhart interviews paul murray

I had the pleasure of catching up with Paul Murray over a sushi lunch in Victoria. Paul has 32 years of Municipal Government experience and he was recently honored with a fellowship from CPABC. Paul is the kind of person with whom you can sit down, strike up a conversation and immediately feel like you’ve known him for years. His passion for his work is undeniable and he comes across as someone who is very practical.

Paul grew up on Guernsey in the Channel Islands located just off the coast of France. When he was 18 his parents decided they would immigrate to either Canada or Australia. He found himself in Nanaimo, BC where he began working at a Chartered Accountancy office while attending university to complete a business degree. Between his 3rd and 4th year he found himself looking for a summer job in Victoria. He remembers visiting the Employment Insurance office and seeing an advertisement for a term position at the Capital Regional District where he would be responsible for inventorying items for insurance purposes. Although the term was for four months, Paul finished the work in half the time, and he was then asked if he wanted to assist with other finance work. Soon after he was hired to work at the CRD in their Finance department where he enjoyed his time and the variety of work the organization had to offer.

Paul’s first municipal experience was as the Treasurer for the District of Central Saanich where he would spend five years before moving to become the Director of Finance for the City of Langford. Soon after, he accepted the role of CFO and later on CAO for the District of Saanich before ultimately finding his way back home

8 | GFOABC.CA to Central Saanich as CFO and now as their interim CAO where he is currently assisting the organization through a period of transition.

Through the course of his career, Paul has demonstrated an interest in sustainability and strategy. Recently, in July 2019, 360 solar panels were installed on the roof of Central

Saanich’s Fire Station 1. It is expected

that the District will recover the installation costs in just over 11 years and that net earnings will be $424,000 after 20 years. Another example was Central Saanich’s partnership with Modo last year, effectively bringing three electric car sharing vehicles which are available to residents and businesses. Paul played an integral role in both these projects.

Paul has demonstrated his passion and contributions at each of the municipalities where he has been employed. When he is not working, he volunteers with the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue and Rotary. He and his wife both enjoy cycling and travelling. •

JENNIFER LOCKHART is a CPA, CGA, who has worked in both British Columbia and Alberta Local Government for over 12 years. She has been with the City of Victoria since 2017, holding the position of Revenue Manager. Prior to joining the City of Victoria, Jennifer held the position of Manager of Accounting and Financial Reporting at the District of West Vancouver. Jennifer graduated from the University of Athabasca with a degree in Business Administration prior to pursuing her accounting designation. Her background also includes 7 years of IT industry experience, which has given her an advantage when it comes to improving business processes and creating efficiencies. She enjoys going the extra mile for her employees and making a difference.