For Nike Bello FCCA, community is central to both her personal and professional life. That core belief is at the heart of Compass Accounting, the public practice she founded in Winnipeg, Canada, which has grown to five employees and continues to expand. ‘We are deeply engaged in Manitoba’s provincial and cultural communities, in building trust,’ she says.
Nike’s own journey and understanding of the challenges immigrants face – unfamiliar systems, limited networks and the ever‑present demand for ‘Canadian experience’ – has made supporting newcomers one of the most meaningful parts of her work. ‘Sometimes when you are new to Canada, you might not understand how things work,’ she says.
Newcomer support
As part of that commitment, Nike has worked with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba and the Coalition of Manitoba for Families, offering bookkeeping support, financial education and tax guidance. She regularly speaks to newcomer groups about filing taxes, setting up finances and understanding compliance basics.
‘I learned that accounting was a way of making decisions to help people survive’
Her firm also partners with the University of Manitoba to offer internships that give immigrants the Canadian experience they need to enter the workforce, and in 2019 she expanded her entrepreneurial activities by buying into a UPS Store franchise in Winnipeg, creating additional employment opportunities for newcomers.
Nike’s voluntary work expands beyond supporting immigrants and refugees; she is currently on the board of the Manitoba Teachers’ Retirement Allowances Fund and was previously director of Manitoba 150, the organisation behind the province’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2020.
Early exposure
Born and educated in Nigeria, Nike’s early years were shaped by family responsibility and exposure to small business operations. ‘I lost my mother when I was seven,’ she says, ‘so I had to live with my grandma, my uncles and other family members.’
By age 12, Nike was working in the family’s business, managing stock, handling cash and recording transactions – experiences that formed her understanding of accounting as a practical tool. ‘As a small child I learned that accounting was a way of making decisions to help people survive and move forward,’ she recalls.
CV
2015
President/CEO, Compass Accounting
2021
CFO, McDonald Youth Services
2019
Franchise partner, UPS Store
2019
Senior finance officer, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba
2014
Director of finance, Economic Development Winnipeg
2007
Controller, Pfizer International Bank, Europe
2006
General ledger accountant/credit controller, Xerox Europe
2005
Senior VAT accountant, Microsoft Ireland Operation Ltd
2000
Sales adviser, Marks & Spencer, Ireland
1999
Group finance manager, O’Vika Group of Companies Ltd, Nigeria
After completing an accounting degree in 1997 and earning Nigeria’s Chartered Accounting designation in 1999, she joined O’Vika Group of Companies Ltd in Nigeria as group finance manager, gaining experience in real estate, oil marketing and diversified operations.
International grounding
In 2002, a personal decision shifted her path; she met her husband at university, and when he moved to Dublin for medical training, she followed. There, she registered with ACCA, choosing the qualification for its global portability. ‘ACCA for me meant access to opportunity,’ she says.
Nike then joined several large companies in Dublin, including Marks & Spencer, Microsoft, Pfizer and Xerox, gaining a wide range of experience across tax, audit, and finance transformation. These roles broadened her technical base and exposed her to multinational systems.
That international grounding set the stage for the next chapter of her career. After her husband secured a medical role in 2011, the family relocated to Winnipeg two years later.
‘The ACCA qualification has strategically positioned me to take advantage of whatever comes’
While Nike arrived in Winnipeg with extensive experience, she credits ACCA with helping her integrate into the Canadian market, noting that a portable qualification signalled her competence in a new environment and allowed her to build on her credentials rather than starting from scratch.
‘The ACCA qualification has strategically positioned me to take advantage of whatever comes – to be good at what I do, to be resilient,’ says Nike, who is currently vice chair of the ACCA Canada Network Panel. She sees the role an extension of the same principles that guide her practice: building strong communities, supporting newcomers and ensuring that ACCA members and other immigrants have the networks and institutional support they need to succeed in Canada.
‘ACCA in Canada helps people to have a soft landing,’ she says. ‘It helps them get connected to opportunities through mentorship, networking and practical exposure.’
Stability and support
Although expanding her company into West Africa and the UK is high on Nike’s agenda, Winnipeg remains the centre of her work and family life. For her family, the city offered stability and a support network at a time when they were still adjusting to life in Canada. Professionally, it has provided the environment to build a practice from the ground up, supported by local cultural associations, provincial networks and a business community that values personal relationships.
‘Winnipeg is the best place to be in terms of the people and the community,’ she says.
