I majored in economics with very little appreciation of accounting and finance. Approaching graduation, I did an internship at an economics think-tank, but didn’t feel like I belonged. A friend of mine did his internship at EY and recommended giving it a go. I did, and never looked back.
The volume and depth of learning you experience during the first few years in a professional services organisation is incredible. I learnt both audit and accounting on the job – they weren’t part of my university curriculum. It was – and I’m not kidding – an enjoyable way to develop as a professional, but even more so to grow as a person. Add to that a great culture and the occasional long nights didn’t matter because I was essentially hanging out with buddies or getting first-hand tutoring from people I deeply admired.
Leaving everything behind and relocating halfway across the world was tough
My first stint in New Zealand in 2008 came shortly after getting married. My partner and I quite simply wanted to see the world. Having travelled to Europe and the US, we wanted to experience Oceania. I applied for roles in EY Melbourne and Wellington – the Kiwis were quickest to move for me. Leaving everything behind and relocating halfway across the world was tough. We knew no one and, to make things worse, we were burgled on our third day in the country. It was a low point, though things improved.
In 2010 we returned to Uzbekistan. I worked outside of EY for a few years as a managing partner at an advisory firm, a business controller for Nokia and a CFO for Transasia Logistics. I returned to EY and New Zealand in 2014, and here we still are, 10 years later.
I wear many hats in my current role as an associate director at EY in Auckland, all of which revolve around technical accounting. This involves quality control, as well as continuous learning and knowledge sharing with other technical specialists. We pass on our learning to other people within EY, and support our colleagues from other service lines in dealing with complex accounting matters, which is perhaps the most rewarding aspect.
There are opportunities to learn or be inspired by almost everyone
I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible colleagues over the years. If you keep your eyes, mind and heart open, there are opportunities to learn or be inspired by almost everyone, no matter what their age, status or field of expertise. I’m a big believer in continuous development, working every day to get just a bit better than yesterday. My career path has mostly been about taking chances and opportunities, though there have also been a few unexpected turns, and I hope there’ll be more to come.
If I weren’t an accountant, I’d enjoy being a teacher. Being with or around kids is incredibly motivating. I don’t think I’d teach accounting though, possibly economics.
