I was born into a lower middle-class family and money could be tight. The vivid experiences of those days made me want to pursue something valuable, to make a difference in my home and in society.
I evaluated different careers and eventually decided on ACCA due to its global presence and variety of course content. Back then, it was not easy to find a tutor, which forced me to self-study; fortunately, I excelled in my ACCA journey.
I started my career with a small boutique accounting firm and then moved to EY. I’m now an internal auditor with Ford Motor Company of New Zealand. The thought of moving out of practice was exciting; managing a company’s risk and compliance was completely new to me.
A sense of trust improves engagement and employees feel more valued, resulting in increased productivity
The best part of my role is that it offers great autonomy because the leadership allows me to innovate and gives me the freedom to change the policy of work. I believe a sense of trust is great for happiness; it improves engagement and employees feel more valued, resulting in increased productivity.
Technology, such as robotic process automation and data analysis, has completely changed the traditional method of performing internal audit tasks. Automation will keep processes in house, improve controls and drastically reduce the time required to perform the tasks, allowing leaders to focus on more important things.
In future, I have no doubt that most tasks will be automated and will lead to people losing their jobs if their skills aren’t adapted or updated.
The New Zealand government has introduced CO2 emission rules with strict compliance deadlines that have all automotive companies thinking proactively. The new rules will enable customers to consider alternative products, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles (EVs). However, the customer still fears running out of battery in full EVs on long drives, so the government needs to make sure there are enough charging stations.
My proudest moment came when I scored a distinction in my final high school exam. I had always been a below-average student, but I was encouraged by a teacher who thought I might have dyslexia. This motivated me to study hard and prove my abilities.
I remember sleepless nights developing the strategy that eventually worked. I cannot express how proud my parents were when they saw my report card; I still remember their happiness.
I aspire to becoming a world-class table tennis player. I’ve been working on improving my playing and want to sharpen my skills to be able to play international level matches. I’ve even started taking coaching and have joined a table tennis club.
