I never dreamed of a career in finance, but found myself working as a junior accountant with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2015. I was questioning how I would get to my first leadership role when I found out about ACCA. This is how my journey started.
Upon completing my ACCA qualification in 2021, I was given an enormous opportunity to join a global business services (GBS) leadership team. I became global process owner (GPO) for the record-to-report process at Swarovski. This job was a dream come true.
Everyone who works in the finance process also has an obligation to improve it
The luxury goods industry is facing multiple challenges across the world. Decreasing consumer confidence amid increasing uncertain economic conditions is shaking consumption, exacerbated by rising global compliance and ESG requirements, which can put a strain on luxury brands.
Artificial intelligence brings a lot of opportunities and almost limitless possibilities. It will support human creativity by coming up with exciting and novel designs, while also strengthening the business-to-customer relationship and experience. It is also expected to increase business efficiency by boosting digitalisation and automation across all processes.
I have frequently stepped outside of my comfort zone in recent years, both in my career and personally, but I have developed an ability to embrace change and treat it as constant. In my role, the biggest challenges relate to the change process. Shifting behaviours in the organisation and applying discipline is a massive undertaking that requires time.
In leading change, my ambition is to constantly break down organisational silos to bring people together for the common cause, moving beyond hierarchies. I have learned that doing hard things makes your work easy and that opportunities to grow are everywhere. I seize them whenever possible, taking on things even when feeling afraid.
Two thousand years ago, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote: ‘You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this and you will find strength.’ It is one of my favourite quotes.
What I enjoy about my role is the ability to see the big picture, and then exert influence to change processes and mindsets across the entire organisation. Running a portfolio of global improvement initiatives is a demanding task, but I cherish the flexibility and variety in my role.
'Those who do not make time for exercise will eventually have to make time for sickness'
I am employed as GPO to enable Swarovski to be successful and to deliver business value. My vision is that everyone who works in the finance process also has an obligation to improve it. I believe the combination of top-down and bottom-up initiatives with empowered teams is the ultimate success factor in process development.
If I had law-making powers, I would enforce and strengthen sustainability laws and regulations across all countries and businesses. Humankind is directly responsible for the deterioration of our world, with undeniable scientific evidence showing that each year is warmer than the one before, which is terrifying, especially for future generations.
If I wasn’t working in a finance environment, I would try entrepreneurship. I think starting my own business sounds a compelling challenge.
I practice martial arts outside of work, which relaxes my body and soul. Sport plays an important role in my life. I believe in this statement: ‘Those who do not make time for exercise will eventually have to make time for sickness.’
