Invictus Accounting Group LLP

Victorian poet William Ernest Henley wrote “Invictus” as a tribute to overcoming hardship and seizing control of one’s life. Henley’s poem resonated with business partners Oliver Foeste and Dayna Holland—so much, in fact, that they rejected an entire spreadsheet of possibilities in favour of naming their accounting firm Invictus Accounting Group LLP.

Foeste and Holland envisioned their business accomplishing two major goals: helping clients overcome resource and time constraints to succeed and grow, and giving their own employees ownership over projects and work schedules. Now, almost three years later, the partners regard “Invictus” as much more than just a poem—it’s become a way of life.

“Our foremost goal is to provide clients with the expertise and skills they need to strengthen and expand their businesses,” Foeste explains. “However, as much as we’re committed to clients, we’re also passionate about family and personal time. The flexibility we have at Invictus allows our team to live the best of both worlds.”

Invictus is comprised of a dozen staff and contractors who provide accounting, advisory and tax services to some 100 companies, ranging from mom-and-pop startups and coffee roasters to billion-dollar multinationals and major real estate and mining companies. Unlike the majority of accounting firms, most of Invictus’ staff come from industry backgrounds, having worked in-house rather than simply for auditing or accounting houses—a distinction that gives Invictus valuable insight into the needs of its clients. “Our team understands that different clients might require drastically different accounting approaches. We know this mainly because we’ve been the client,” says Holland. “We know the skills required for each project, and how crucial it is to deliver consistent and flawless work. Most importantly, we see ourselves as more than just accountants—we’re part of the client’s team.”

On December 1, Invictus will celebrate its third anniversary—but not before settling into a new downtown office space and launching a revamped website. In keeping with the spirit of their namesake, the team is also working toward a lofty, longer-term ambition. “Invictus already works with a number of top 100 companies, and we intend to build on that,” says Foeste. “Our five-year objective is to retain 75 per cent of the top 200 as clients. We’ve been fortunate to attract incredibly talented people, many of whom have worked in some of these companies, and their expertise will prove invaluable as we work toward achieving our goal.”

If the last few years are any indication, Invictus is well on the way to conquering that goal—it has already, after all, mastered its fate. Henley would be proud.