Numbers have always been an important part of my life. I grew up with my grandmother, who was a maths teacher, and surrounded by family members with finance and IT backgrounds. They influenced my future career.
I began as an auditor with Grant Thornton in Ukraine. This was where I fell in love with debits and credits, and IFRS. Here I began studying for my ACCA and made lifetime friendships.
I then moved to one of the world’s largest shipping companies, AP Moller Maersk. I spent eight years in Ukraine and Denmark working as a financial controller, participating in SAP implementations and business processes. I am thankful for the multiple opportunities I had at Maersk to learn and to develop myself as a finance professional.
Only pride and determination stopped me from giving up and moving back home
In 2016 I joined Pandora, the world’s largest jewellery brand. I am closing lead in group accounting and reporting.
In luxury goods nowadays the consumer is looking at not only the final product but also how sustainable it is. For every business it is important not only to grow but also to show how that growth can be sustainable. I see this as a clear opportunity to make our planet a better place. For example, if the entire jewellery industry switched completely to recycled gold and silver, it would save around 50 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
In 2011 I took the difficult decision to leave my family in Ukraine and move to Denmark. In the first year I felt very lonely, and it was only pride and my determination to reach my goals that stopped me from giving up and moving back home. Emigrating can be very tough, especially if you are alone. But it was also super rewarding, as I learnt about a new country, culture and traditions. In some ways I became a new person.
My favourite mantra is: ‘Always consider, understand and go beyond your responsibilities.’ I believe this is the only way you grow.
What I enjoy most about my job is learning new things and finding solutions. Pandora is both a retail and production company, where many interesting areas of accounting can always be found. I like making sure that the month-end closing process runs smoothly and our management always gets the best-quality financial statements on time.
All our stores are leased, so implementing IFRS 16 was a huge undertaking
My biggest professional achievement has been an IFRS 16 implementation project at Pandora, developing an in-house solution still used by the business today. It was a challenge, as I was not only financial controller but also the project manager. It was a huge undertaking for a retail company, particularly because all our stores are leased. Of course, I had great help from our IT consolidation department, too. Overall, it was a time I will never forget and where I learnt a lot.
If I had law-making powers, I would make it mandatory for all countries to resolve every conflict through peaceful diplomacy. Maybe this sounds naive, but it is what we definitely need these days.
If I wasn’t in finance, maybe I would have been a SAP programmer, just like my mother is. Or perhaps I would teach accounting.
When I am not at work, I enjoy yoga. I also love spending time with my husband and my daughter.
