I started my career in fund transfer at a bank, which was fun but routine. A young auditor from one of the Big Four came in for a branch audit and it turned out to be a defining moment. I was fixated by the way everyone ran around to search for the documents he requested.
We got along well and had a number of late-night conversations. He said: ‘Why not join one of the Big Four? You’ll have a well-defined career path.' I applied to two of them and got an offer from Deloitte.
There are a lot of things I enjoy about my role but above all comes coaching and counselling
There are a lot of things I enjoy about my role and working at PwC but above all comes coaching and counselling, especially when I get to see my designated ‘coachees’ progress. It’s a good way to measure my counselling skills.
While we are seeing an almost year-on-year release of new international standards, I’m of the opinion that things haven’t really taken a U-turn. I feel that the significant portion of changes to ISA 540 and ISA 315 are more an enhancement of the existing standards, paying more detail to the grey areas.
Also, defining the responsibilities of management and auditors helps auditors to design appropriate procedures or approaches. Another trend now is the emphasis on other external factors that may impact the client – for example, environmental impact and global warming.
I’m most proud of passing my ACCA exams in four sittings with no resit, plus winning a national award in a paper, then completing an MSc at the University of London with a distinction while simultaneously exceeding expectations at work.
Audit is more than a job to me – it has become a way of life – and if I weren’t an accountant, I’m not really sure what I’d do. I wanted to be a teacher when I was in elementary school. During secondary school I wanted to be a world-renowned scientist and to discover something and name it after myself. Later on, I thought of being a computer scientist as it was in vogue. I finally concluded that I was meant to be a lecturer because I love teaching people.
I aspire to retiring early to the countryside, having my own small practice and farm on the side or becoming a lecturer. I know I have changed my mind multiple times since childhood but one thing I am certain about is that I want an early retirement to the countryside.
