Executive vice-president and general manager
Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting

Cathy Rowe leads the vision and strategy for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, a leading global provider of software, integrated workflow solutions and information for tax, accounting, audit and compliance professionals.

During her more than 25 years in the tax and accounting industry, she’s been recognized with the Wolters Kluwer 2019 Global Innovation Award, been named a 40 Under 40 Leader by CPA Practice Advisor, twice been honoured by Accounting Today as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People, and named by CPA Practice Advisor as one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting for 2025. She holds a patent for blockchain innovation. 

Where did you grow up?

St. John’s, Newfoundland

Why did you choose the Faculty of Business Administration at Memorial?

Memorial was an easy choice growing up in St. John’s. Both of my parents were alumni and they had the programs that I was interested in pursuing.

How did the business faculty prepare you for your career?

The business co-op program gave me a very solid foundation with the breadth of courses and exposure to different professors and work experiences, combined with international experience as I also participated in the exchange program at the BI Norwegian Business School.

There was not just one useful moment. It was the collection of experiences and depth of the program.

What did you initially hope to do for a career and how does that align with your current employment?

I started my career in public accounting, and while I always knew that I enjoyed the industry, I knew that I wanted to make a bigger difference that leveraged my creativity. Now, I am influencing the future direction of the CPA profession and enabling firms with solutions to help overcome staffing challenges and drive revenue growth.

How did your experience at the business faculty help you find your first position after graduation?

The co-op program was the key. I completed all my work terms at Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) so it was a natural choice to go there after graduation.

What skills or knowledge did you learn throughout the program have you found most useful in your career?

My career is centered on providing tax and audit software to professionals to enable compliance that leads to a great employee and client experience and also enables review growth for firms.

The business program gave me a deep curiosity across several disciplines that enabled my growth – spanning business acumen, information systems, marketing, communications and the domain of tax and accounting.

What would you consider as a highlight in your time at the business faculty?

The international exchange program in Oslo. This broadened my experiences significantly by learning new perspectives in new places on top of all the other life experiences you gain by living overseas for the first time.

What is your most fond memory about your time at the business faculty?

It was definitely the lifelong friendships. I will never forget the dirty looks that Lynn Sullivan would give me for talking in Tashia Batstone’s class, only for us to become inseparable, and just a few years later having Paula Sturge ask, “Girls, do you have a question?” when we couldn’t stop chatting in the internal audit class.  

What was your favourite or most memorable class?

One of my first information systems classes with Dr. Jeff Parsons building a movie store rental application with Microsoft Access.

How were your professors? Do you have any memorable ones?

There were so many great professors – Judy Cumby, Tashia Batstone, Pauline Downer and then Dave Tullett, Jim Wyse, Jeff Parsons and Dale Foster. So many good ones.

Tell us about any extracurricular activities you were involved in. How did they enhance your experience?

I spent a lot of time working in the computer lab and grading papers as a student marker. Ultimately, these experiences helped me have connections with more people while at the university.

What community organizations do you currently support?

Prior to moving to Dallas, Texas I spent time volunteering for St. John’s Legends and Suzuki Strings in various capacities, including time as a treasurer.

Early in my career I was also on the board for the Learning Disabilities Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and involved with CPA Newfoundland and Labrador.

Since moving to Texas, I am involved locally with mentoring women in the community.

How do they align with your values?

I like to get involved in the local community to see how I can give back and make the organizations better. I especially like to help young women grow in their careers.

What’s the best business decision you’ve ever made?

Honestly, it was early in my career, and it was the pivot to tax and audit software. I have long embraced getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

What’s the best personal decision you’ve ever made?

Marrying my husband, who also went through the same business program with me. We have raised two great daughters (Anna, who is a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) alumae, and Kate, who is a current geology student) who are getting ready to launch their careers over the next few years.

What advice do you have for business students as they consider their futures?

Embrace continuous learning and always have a strong sense of curiosity. You own your own career so find out what you enjoy and have fun with it! 

What have you done that you would say had the greatest impact on your career?

My career would never have been possible if I didn’t establish connections with people. I was introduced to Wolters Kluwer after meeting someone when I was at a breast-feeding clinic all the way back in 2003. The person I met had recently moved to Newfoundland from California and looked like she could use a friend. After developing a friendship, this turned into a career opportunity to design and launch a new audit methodology for the United States in 2008. Life changing.

What gives you the greatest sense of satisfaction?

Seeing my kids grow into young adults, ready to take on their careers and enjoy their education. One daughter is currently in her second year at Memorial University doing an Earth Science degree and the other daughter graduated from Memorial and is finishing her first year of law school in Ottawa.

What do you believe is your greatest accomplishment?

Kids aside, being able to shape the tax and accounting industry in North America has been a profound experience. I have been part of a team to deliver the only end-end platform for audit and tax professionals in the cloud, now we are doing it again with an agentic approach.  

What else would you like to accomplish in your career?

I am on a mission to disrupt our own software – to shift from a cloud platform to agentic to achieve touchless tax and audit workflows, which will enable professionals to provide a differentiated client experience and identify new growth opportunities. Ultimately, it will protect the CPA profession.

If you could pick one thing in the entire world to spend your time doing, what would it be?

Watching the sunset from our summer house in Newman’s Cove, Newfoundland. With the high-paced environment I work in, I seek opportunities to rest and recharge.

Tell us a random fact about you that most people wouldn’t guess.

I once had a part in the movie, “The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood.” It was my very first pay cheque for a grand sum of $10.