Director of Finance | Langley Animal Protection Society, BC
Search Overview
Organization Nation Name:
Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS)
Sector:
Nonprofit & Social Impact
Location:
Langley, British Columbia
Mandate Type:
Executive Search
Leadership Function:
Finance
Search Scope:
Director-level financial leadership
Engagement Focus:
Financial stewardship, operational execution, leadership alignment and organizational reliability
Confidentiality:
Confidential candidate engagement and assessment
The Context
Langley Animal Protection Society is a mission-driven nonprofit providing animal welfare services and community support throughout Langley and the surrounding region.
Its work extends beyond shelter operations. LAPS cares for hundreds of animals each year while supporting families, donors, volunteers, community partners and programs designed to strengthen animal welfare and responsible care.
Behind that mission sits an organization requiring sound financial stewardship, reliable systems and disciplined operational execution.
When KIRAH was retained to lead the search for LAPS’ next Director of Finance, the organization needed more than an experienced finance professional. It needed to restore continuity in a critical function and identify a leader who could earn the confidence of the Executive Director, Board and broader leadership team.
The Leadership Need
The discovery process quickly established an important distinction.
LAPS did not need a finance leader who would operate only at the strategic level.
The organization has a lean structure, and the Director of Finance would serve as its senior financial leader while remaining directly responsible for the detailed work required to keep the finance function operating effectively.
The successful leader therefore needed to move comfortably between two levels of responsibility.
At one level, they would advise the Executive Director and Board, contribute to budgeting and planning, interpret financial information, identify risk and help leadership make informed decisions.
At another, they needed to remain genuinely hands-on with accounting, payroll, reconciliations, financial reporting, compliance, cash-flow management, audit preparation and the day-to-day requirements of the function.
Discovery also surfaced several leadership characteristics that would become central to KIRAH’s assessment.
LAPS wanted someone who was
- Trustworthy and dependable
- Proactive rather than reactive
- Solution-focused
- Comfortable operating Independently
- Collaborative with other organizational leaders
- Process-oriented
- Willing to take ownership of detailed work
- Able to anticipate needs rather than wait for direction
- Aligned with a compassionate organization where accountability still matters.
The distinction was critical: LAPS needed a doer who understood strategy, not a strategist removed from execution.
The Assignment
KIRAH was exclusively retained to identify and assess the next Director of Finance.
The mandate carried a meaningful degree of urgency.
The finance function required immediate leadership continuity as well as operational catch-up, making both speed and assessment quality important. Moving quickly without adequately testing candidates against the realities of the position would have created additional organizational risk.
KIRAH therefore built the search around the actual operating environment rather than relying solely on the position description.
The mandate was translated into a Candidate Brief and assessment framework that reflected the organization’s leadership philosophy, operating model, financial responsibilities, working environment and expectations around ownership and reliability.
The objective was clear: identify a finance leader capable of strengthening confidence in the function while contributing meaningfully to LAPS’ longer-term sustainability.
The Search Approach
KIRAH mapped the market around the combination of capabilities the mandate required rather than searching exclusively by title.
The search considered candidates with strong financial leadership backgrounds who could operate in lean, hands-on environments and who demonstrated the judgment required to work with executive leadership and governance stakeholders.
Particular attention was given to financial leaders whose experience showed both breadth of responsibility and a willingness to remain close to execution.
Rather than depend primarily on inbound applicants, KIRAH actively engaged the market and tested prospective candidates against the realities of the appointment.
The opportunity was positioned clearly from the outset. Candidates understood that this was a leadership role, but not one where detailed financial work could simply be delegated away. The successful individual would be expected to advise, lead and execute.
That transparency helped establish alignment before candidates advanced deeper into the process.
KIRAH interviewed 35 candidates during the search.
Assessment went beyond technical finance experience. Candidates were evaluated for their ability to operate independently, communicate with leadership, exercise sound judgment, take ownership, solve problems and personally manage the operational requirements of a broad finance function.
Only candidates demonstrating credible alignment with both the technical mandate and LAPS’ working environment progressed.
From the 35 candidates interviewed, six were formally submitted to LAPS for consideration. Each submission was accompanied by KIRAH’s assessment and observations so the client could understand not only each candidate’s experience, but the reasoning behind their inclusion.
The final stage focused heavily on leadership fit.
The search required someone who could build trust quickly with the Executive Director and Board while integrating into a collaborative, mission-driven leadership team.
KIRAH remained closely involved through client interviews, candidate communication, reference checks and the final appointment process, allowing the search to continue moving at pace without compromising diligence.
The Appointment
Following the assessment and interview process, Bipul Kamal was selected as LAPS’ new Director of Finance.
His candidacy demonstrated the combination the mandate required: financial capability, hands-on orientation, professional maturity, ownership and the ability to support both organizational leadership and the day-to-day finance function.
KIRAH completed employer reference checks with two former professional references before the appointment was finalized.
From the formal discovery meeting on July 27, 2026 to Bipul’s accepted appointment on August 13, 2026, the search was completed in 17 days.
35 candidates interviewed.
6 candidates submitted.
2 employer references completed.
1 leadership appointment.
17 days from discovery to accepted appointment.
The Impact
The outcome was not simply the completion of a search.
LAPS secured a finance leader against a mandate where the consequences of misalignment were significant.
By defining the operating reality of the position early, KIRAH was able to distinguish between candidates who could perform the title and candidates who could genuinely perform the role.
The process gave LAPS:
- A clearly defined leadership mandate grounded in discovery
- Rapid access to a thoroughly assessed candidate market
- Six client-ready finalists selected from 35 interviews
- Evidence-based candidate assessments to support decision-making
- Independent employer reference validation
- A completed leadership appointment in under three weeks from discovery
- Continued candidate communication through the conclusion of the search
The assignment demonstrates the value of combining pace with disciplined assessment.
For LAPS, the objective was never simply to find a Director of Finance quickly. It was to identify someone the organization could trust with a function central to its mission, governance and long-term sustainability.
Client Perspective
“We really appreciated how quickly and smoothly the process moved, while still being thorough and thoughtful every step of the way. The candidate profiles and assessments were incredibly helpful, and it was clear that a great deal of care went into understanding what LAPS was looking for and presenting candidates who aligned with those needs.”
Megan Sidhu
Langley Animal Protection Society
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