Ethics and Diversity | A Look Into the Public Service Pay Centre’s Operations

Ethics and Diversity

with Martha Okot Thomas, CPA CA

Manager, Internal Audit Department British Columbia Investment Management Corporation

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A Look Into the Public Service Pay Centre’s Operations

with Daphnée Michaud, CPA CMA

Director General, Public Service Pay Centre

Martha Okot Thomas works in the Internal Audit Department of the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC), a change of pace from her past 17 years working for the BC public service. Martha is currently responsible for providing both audit and advisory services throughout the organization, based on the current Audit Plan.

Martha brought a significant amount of experience to her new role at bcIMC. She previously worked in a variety of different roles across many different sectors of the BC Government. Starting in Internal Audit and Advisory Services with the Ministry of Finance, Martha gained a great deal of knowledge of the government’s financial processes controls. She was able to continue her skills development in a number of different leadership roles.

As the Manager, Finance Administration and Audit, she led a team of 20-25 people, oversaw facilities, human resources, and financial planning and reporting. Moving to the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Martha was able to effect positive change across the Ministry in the development of revenue and accounts receivable processes. After a period in budgeting for the Ministry of Environment, she moved to the Ministry of Finance where she became Director of Finance, and eventually serving as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director for the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation.

Martha has been a dedicated member of the FMI Victoria Chapter. She filled the roles of program director, vice-president and president before she was elected as vice-president (2015-2016) and president (2016-17) of the fmi*igf National Board of Directors.

When she is not at work, Martha loves to spend time with her family. If she and her husband are not out golfing, she can be found cavorting with her daughters or hiking some of Vancouver Island’s beautiful trails.

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A federal public servant for almost 20 years, Daphnée Michaud joined the Public Service Pay Centre August 22, 2016 as the Director General. As such, she is responsible for all aspects of the Pay Centre, including pay processing operations, strategic and administrative services.

Daphnée was previously the Director, Pension Fund Accounting and Business Services at the Government of Canada Pension Centre where she led the team responsible for pension fund accounting services, including financial reporting, debt recovery and payment activities, as well as the delivery of business services to the Pension Centre management team and its 800 employees. These services include administrative services, internal communications, learning, change management, and business planning and performance reporting.

In 2015-2016, Daphnée led a multi-disciplinary team responsible for the people and organizational components of the business transformation activities in support of the transfer of 230 employees from the Department of National Defence to the Pension Centre. This initiative was part of the transfer of the administration of the Canadian Forces pension plans from the Department of National Defence to the Pension Centre.

Prior to joining the Pension Centre in 2009, Daphnée worked for the Department in the National Capital Region. In addition to being a Chartered Professional Accountant, Daphnée holds a Masters of Public Administration from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick.