Accountancy has been always fascinating to me for its logic and its purpose in the business. I started my career by helping with accounting and tax matters at my father’s small timber manufacturing business. I love numbers and problem-solving, and accountancy has plenty of both.
Ricoh Europe is part of Japan-listed Ricoh Company. We provide IT service solutions for print, communications and workspace management. I am responsible for the group consolidated results, financial reporting, external audit, SOX compliance, and acquisition accounting of Ricoh’s European operations. I lead the IFRS Standards agenda and training for Ricoh Europe’s wider finance and business community.
A big aspect of my role is managing my team and ensuring that people are motivated and perform at their best. I am fortunate to work with amazing and supportive people who are passionate about their work. People are what makes me enjoy my job the most.
There are opportunities for us to become more relevant by focusing on how to work smarter in reporting cycles
Before moving to the UK 10 years ago, I worked mainly in the telecoms sector in Russia. While there are cultural differences – eg more hierarchical organisational structures and reporting line relationships there compared to the UK – the fundamentals of financial roles are very similar. Accountancy skills are so transferable around the world. The ACCA Qualification is the best investment in my professional development and career that I have made.
One of my greatest challenges was when I had to pitch to private equity investors and board members to raise funding for the R&D programme and international business expansion. The stakes were high, and the amount of money unprecedented, so I felt personal responsibility to bring this over the line. The outcome was positive, and I loved the challenge.
One of the greatest challenges for professional accountants more broadly is keeping skills up to date with fast-evolving technologies. This includes advances in cloud-based solutions, and the increasing use of AI and automation. But there are also opportunities for us to become more relevant to our businesses by leading in financial process automation and data analytics, and focusing on how to work better and smarter in key reporting cycles. We also need to be able to communicate well across the business.
One day I’d like to become FD/CFO of an international, listed business. If I hadn’t been an accountant, I’d like to have been a garden landscape designer. I am already doing this as a hobby. I also love a variety of physical activities: running, yoga and Latin-dance-based cardio exercise.
