CPFO Spotlight: James Inglis

Why did you want to become a CPFO?

I had been doing public finance for about nine years and wanted to get a stronger technical understanding and confirmation of what I knew and understood. The CPFO certification offered a chance to explore the concepts and work products from a national perspective. That was a way for me to benchmark my experience against broader industry standards.

What did you learn going through the process?

The process helped me realize that a lot of what I was doing went well beyond just budget and contracts, which had been my official job titles. It really opened my eyes to see that I was heavily involved and all aspects of public finance, I just hadn't made the connection between what I do day-to-day and the concepts being presented by the CPFO exam materials.

How has becoming a CPFO made an impact on you in your profession or how do you hope it will make an impact?

Once I had the CPFO certification along with my then eleven years of experience in the public sector, I was able to pursue higher level roles and felt empowered to take on larger challenges more confidently.

What would you say to others thinking about becoming a CPFO?

I would encourage anyone to pursue this certification. I think the training and exposure to the concepts and language of this field of work is essential to helping move your organization forward. It's an opportunity to learn new things but also confirm where you are on the spectrum of public finance knowledge. It also shows you how much you still need to continue learning to stay on top of all the different aspects that fall into this field.