The view from Nicoleta Stefanescu ACCA

As senior financial accountant for the Italian market, I’m responsible for all accounting functions for Hertz’s Italian entities. I am lucky to be able to partner with key stakeholders, both locally and from the US and Italy, in order to deliver financial information and the analysis to support operational decision making. Keeping up with changes in law and regulation in Italian GAAP is a continuous learning curve.

Hertz Europe Service Centre (HESC), a subsidiary of the Hertz Corporation, is one of the largest worldwide airport general-use vehicle rental companies. HESC employs 450 people and provides frontline operations such as reservations, customer service, and back-office support such as financial operations and technical support to 10 European countries.

I feel lucky to be part of a brilliant team. We are all from different backgrounds, with different experiences and perspectives, and this diversity helps us in finding new ways of facing challenges and looking at problems from different angles. I love that feeling that we can achieve practically anything together by supporting and helping each other. A key priority of mine is to help my team to see their value and potential, and to support them in their development.

Since gaining my ACCA qualification I have been promoted twice. The qualification has opened the door to exciting new opportunities and helped me gain confidence. ACCA has also been key to the development of my analytical skills and professional competencies.

I was genuinely excited when ACCA launched its Leaders of Tomorrow programme. It came at just the right time for me as I assumed my new role as the leader of the Italian general accounting team. Leaders of Tomorrow gave me the opportunity to learn and develop leadership skills from experts. It has also given me access to a new network of peers and business leaders across Europe with whom I can share my experience and knowledge, while learning from theirs. It has helped me become a stronger, more confident, well-rounded leader.

I love travelling with my husband and son. Our preferred holidays are around water or the beach as we like snorkelling, swimming or just relaxing on the sand. One of the advantages of working for Hertz is the possibility of working abroad. This gives our family (my husband works in HESC, too) the opportunity to combine work with fun and stay and visit different countries for longer periods.

The most important business lesson I have learned in my career is don’t let yourself become obsolete. The business climate is in continuous change and technology develops faster and faster, so it is imperative to be open to and seek to learn. It’s an approach that has helped me to adapt to unexpected changes, become confident and be competitive.