My career journey started at EY in 2007. I thought it would be a good starting point for my career but never thought that starting point would extend to 14 years.
As an auditor I get to see the internal structure of businesses. I get to see how operational processes are run, who are the decision-makers, what the company values are, and how critical situations are approached. We in practice provide the audits that help businesses, adding value for our clients.
The main advantage of remaining at EY is the clear career path. I have reached the role of director, and at each career level there have been new requirements in knowledge and skills. At junior levels, you handle small but important tasks on a single project. At manager level, you manage several projects at the same time, gaining valuable experience with each one.
If I had the power, I would encourage investment in climate change and waste processing projects
I stepped out of my comfort zone when I took time out to do an MSc at Westminster University in London. During my studies, I clearly saw how skills learned through my work experience could be applied in other parts of my life. At EY we have detailed project plans, with deadlines, tasks and responsibilities. These project management skills helped me to plan my day and spend my time efficiently as a student. This one-year gap also gave me a chance to think about all my goals and what kind of additional skills I wanted to gain. While in London, I had the opportunity to travel frequently and visited many British and European cities. It was one of the best times of my life.
In Kazakhstan there is active support for SMEs. The government has developed tools such as loan subsidies, grants and tax preferences, and there has been huge support for agricultural production. The government is also creating favourable conditions for developing tourism, with plans to implement some 1,000 investment projects, including accommodation, theme parks and visitor centres.
If I had the power, I would make changes in environmental law. The aim would be to encourage more investment in projects related to climate change and waste processing.
As a child, I lived in southern Kazakhstan. I remember that we often spent our winters playing with snow. Now, there is no snow, only rainy weather. This upsets me, and the situation is going to get worse in the future. This isn’t an issue only for Kazakhstan. We must reach out to the world community to face this critical situation.
The thing I like the most about my job is the many different people I meet in practice. These diverse people inspire me, and I learn so much from them.
My biggest achievement is that I have become a professional in my field. Several times I wanted to leave the practice due to workload, but I stopped and told myself that this is important to me, and I should do my best.
If I weren’t an accountant, I would probably continue working on a PhD, connecting my life with science and teaching students at university. It is not too late to do so even now, and I may consider doing this in the future. Or I might be an urban planner, to try to improve the living conditions of people in our capital city, Nur-Sultan.
Outside of work, I enjoy keeping fit, through walking, cycling and tennis. I love movies, especially biographies and true stories which show that even great people have failures but they keep getting up and persevering until they finally succeed. I also enjoy listening to audiobooks.
