Grow with Copperleaf: Brett Pasula Shares His Career Journey
At Copperleaf®, we believe in investing in our people and providing growth opportunities for every level in their careers. As part of our Grow with Copperleaf series, we’re featuring stories from employees who have advanced their professional growth at the company. In this interview, we speak with Brett Pasula about his career journey at Copperleaf.
Can you tell us about your professional background and what led you to Copperleaf?
“After completing my first degree in geology, I briefly worked in the oil and gas and mineral exploration industries. My passion for computing led me back to the University of British Columbia to complete a second degree in computer science. It was during these studies that I joined Copperleaf as a co-op, and the rest is history!”
What’s your current role at Copperleaf? And what has your journey been like at the company?
“I’m currently the Team Lead for the Investment Valuation product development team. Our team owns the functionality in Copperleaf Portfolio™ that prepares data for optimization. Some examples of functionality within our remit are forecasting, performance management, and alternative value. Our day-to-day work involves developing new or enhancing existing features in this area.
After my co-op term, I began as an Automation Developer, working on Copperleaf’s burgeoning automated test initiative. I then moved to the Investment Valuation team as a Software Developer and when the Team Lead role became available, I jumped at the opportunity.”
How has Copperleaf supported your growth?
“I’ve been blessed by fantastic team leads and colleagues during my time at Copperleaf that I’ve learned a lot from. I also appreciate being able to work flexibly after my co-op term, while I was completing my degree.”
What’s the best thing you’ve learned on the job?
“Be patient and persistent; the solution to the problem is out there!”
What accomplishments or projects are you most proud of?
“When I first joined the company, the automation initiative was still in its infancy. Years later, it’s awesome to see how this now mature and robust initiative has helped to reduce overhead during regression testing and continuously improves the quality of our client deliveries. As a member of the Investment Valuation team, I’m very proud of the work our team contributed to the development of Optimize Ready—an innovation that leverages machine learning (ML) to enable Copperleaf Portfolio users to quickly review the data quality of an investment or an entire portfolio of investments before proceeding to optimization.”
I’ve been blessed by fantastic team leads and colleagues during my time at Copperleaf that I’ve learned a lot from.
How would you describe the culture at Copperleaf?
“The culture at Copperleaf is open, caring, and helpful. I’ve worked in other industries where the culture has been the inverse, so it’s reassuring to see the maintenance of our unique culture front and center.”
What are you most excited about for the future?
“Copperleaf’s IPO was very exciting, and I’m thrilled for our company’s future growth. Our client base is rapidly growing and our expansion into new industries is also exciting to see—the opportunities seem endless!”
What kinds of things do you like to do in your spare time?
“I enjoy spending time outdoors, playing golf, and almost anything involving a map—especially if it includes satellite imagery and elevation data.”
We’re dedicated to employee growth, development, and happiness because our most valuable asset is our people. Find out more about what it’s like to work at Copperleaf.