Lauren Christie, Michelle Fisher and Angela Pretorius have shown what girl power can do when it comes to paving a career path.
The three worked their way up to buy into HLB Berman Fisher, now leading what is one of the largest independently owned companies of its kind in Cayman, offering accounting, audit and advisory services.
“Angela, Michelle and I had all worked at HLB Berman Fisher for several years and were invited to be shareholders, over time,” says Lauren. “When the original managing partner retired, we leapt at the opportunity to have complete autonomy in a company that we have all been instrumental in building from the ground up.
“We wanted to be wholly responsible for the company and be able to pivot as work cultures shift, and keep up to date with the rapidly changing workforce’s requirements.”
Lauren is now head of advisory, Michelle is head of accounting, and Angela is head of audit.
CAREER PATH
The women were well placed to take the reins, having previously moved over from other well-known accounting firms, including the ‘big four’.
Lauren started her career with KPMG in London before transferring to that firm’s Cayman Islands office in 2008. “In 2013, I made the leap from KPMG to be the first professional employee of HLB Berman Fisher,” she says. “I wanted the risk/opportunity to experience the internal workings of a company from the ground up and be a significant part of its successes (and failures).”
Michelle began at Sobeys Inc. in Nova Scotia, then moved to HLB Berman Fisher in 2014.
“They were a smaller start-up at the time, and they offered a rare opportunity for new challenges and to be a part of their future growth,” she says.
Angela arrived from South Africa, where she started her career with Deloitte, moving to that company’s Cayman office.
“I came across to HLB Berman Fisher in 2018 in order to assist (in the development of) the audit side of the business, accepting the challenge to work hard to grow the department from the ground up,” she says.
CARING CULTURE
Being led by working owners who are women makes for a nurturing environment. “I like to think, being female, we lead with empathy and are very measured in our decision-making, considering the well-being of all those involved,” says Lauren.
“We don’t have a ‘company first’ policy, we genuinely do care about our employees and try to understand their motivations and stages of life.
“I hope we are role models to all sexes, demonstrating that with some hard work and dedication, you don’t have to work for a multinational accounting company, you can pave your own way and have lots of flexibility in the process.”
The three owners are also proud that nine of the 15 employees are women, with seven of the eight staff in the accounts department being female. The staff also includes two female Caymanian trainees – Sabrina Ebanks and Liz Leon.
RYDE-A-THON
Outside of work the trio are also packing punches, involved in sporting activities, charity events and volunteering, as well as balancing office hours with their home lives.
The company is the title sponsor of the annual Ryde-A-Thon fund-raiser, which has been administered and organised by event co-founder Michelle since it started in 2019, making more than $600,000 for local good causes.
Married to Brad with four young daughters Marielle, Mina, Maeve, and baby Matilda born on Christmas Day 2024, Michelle also teaches cycling classes at a spin studio, and has completed two Ironman triathlons.
Lauren is sporty, too, and has run more than 10 marathons, completed a half-Ironman, and taken part in the Marathon Des Sables, a 152-mile, six-day, self-supported race across the Sahara Desert. She fits all this into life with her husband Michael and two-year-old daughter Indie.
Angela is another fan of keeping fit, as a marathon runner and a coach at fitness classes before work. She also volunteers at the Alex Panton Foundation, the mental help support organisation for young people, and helps with kittens at the Humane Society.
ALIGNMENT
Back in the office, they all pride themselves on their ability to offer a diverse range of services to both Cayman and international entities.
“I appreciate that all three of us are very much aligned on the direction of the company,” says Lauren. “We all have different styles but are also measured and complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We hope we are a reminder that a leap of faith, hard work, dedication (and of course good timing and luck) can result in something greater than any of us expected.”
This article originally appeared in Compass Media’s 2025 issue of CayWoman.
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