I feel proud to contribute to audit with my knowledge and skills. I feel amazing when I find misstatements that need correcting or adjusting. Trust me: getting adjustments done correctly is the hardest part. Getting insightful questions asked by a manager when my work is reviewed offers me an opportunity to learn and polish my skills.
Auditing and accounting are vast fields that see constant updates to standards. That’s particularly the case in ever-changing, dynamic industries. So, it’s very important to keep yourself up to date and to never stop learning. Until you get the chance to practise what you’ve learnt, knowledge will remain just knowledge and will never become a skill.
Peers have really influenced and motivated me to excel in what I do
I chose commerce in secondary school, which included accounting and economics. I wanted to understand why share prices fluctuate and how big companies contribute to a country’s economy. Little did I know I’d become interested in auditing these companies. I joined a wonderful team in KPMG India and worked for public sector clients in the UK.
KPMG sponsored my ACCA studies. In the three years it took me to complete the qualification, I won two promotions. I then took a career break in 2022 to reunite with my brother in Canada. While researching the local job market, I got an opportunity in 2023 to work with Audit New Zealand as an audit senior.
I didn’t choose to work in a public sector team. But I found there is a lot to learn about how hospitals, universities and councils and other kinds of public organisation work and how they spend public funding and grants. I felt privileged to audit them.
Being in a senior position five years into my professional life is a big deal for me
As a globally recognised qualification, ACCA has given me the opportunity to move to any part of the world. ACCA opens up paths not only in auditing but other financing roles too. I was able to qualify for CIA (certified internal auditor) membership with just one challenge exam – which was quite tough – rather than doing three exams. That saved me time and it means I’m now exposed to internal audit. I’m proud to have two powerful qualifications – ACCA and CIA – to my name; they have helped me to expand my career.
After working in New Zealand for just over six months, I got a chance to move to Canada. My family live here, and although I always planned to join them, I never imagined that it would happen so soon. I have been working as a senior accountant at a small accounting firm, HBA CPA, since August last year. Apart from small not-for-profit audit engagements, I also perform review engagements as well as corporate tax filings, where I get to know the ever-evolving tax legislations in Canada. I plan to explore these areas for a while and see if I would like to grow my career here or return to public sector audits, in which I have been specialising since 2017. Whatever field I choose and wherever I go, ACCA will always be adding benefits and shining stars to my career.
Being in a senior position five years into my professional life is a big deal for me. Peers in KPMG and some of the great managers and partners from the UK have really influenced and motivated me to excel in what I do. But singling any one person out would be too difficult, as I learned so much from many people along the way.
