Cathy MacLeod, PCP
SaltWire Network Inc. – Charlottetown, PE
Cathy MacLeod is a payroll professional who has learned that serenity can be found in the slower lane.
“Before the pandemic, I had not taken the time to walk along a trail near my apartment,” she says of the Beach Grove Nature Trail in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where she has lived since 2006. She now strolls the path, pausing to reflect. “It’s good for the soul.”
She loves the slower pace of life. “We wave and say thank you when people stop their cars to let you cross the street,” she says of the community. “Small acts of kindness are part of the island culture.”
Cathy’s appreciation of the community culture is reinforced in her professional life. She is one of the Payroll and Benefits Coordinators for SaltWire Network Inc., the largest media platform in Atlantic Canada. SaltWire’s focus is on local community content, with media outlets which include The Chronicle Herald, the Cape Breton Post and two dozen weekly community publications.
She has been with SaltWire since 2016. Prior to that, she worked as an administrative assistant in legal firms in Ottawa and Charlottetown. In 2014, seeking a new career direction, she returned to school to learn accounting and payroll, and also earned her Payroll Compliance Practitioner designation. Her first position at SaltWire was as Payroll and Benefits Administrator.
“I love my current role because of the opportunity to continually learn and challenge myself,” Cathy says. “I wear many hats, processing payroll and benefits and pensions.”
She also enjoys the responsibility she has to contribute to the organization’s payroll practices and accuracy of payroll data. “It’s rewarding to help support the executive team in this way so they can make the most informed decisions possible when forecasting costs year over year,” she says, adding that she knows this helps SaltWire fulfill its core commitment to local communities.
Cathy feels fortunate to have a job which contributes to the community that she loves.
“I’ve come to appreciate that life is not a big rush,” she says. “I’m humble and grateful to be where I am today. I’m home.”
