My decision to pursue a career in finance was not a random one. As a finance officer working across a variety of sectors for more than 30 years, my dad inspired me to pursue commerce and economics. In fact, above all the other people I’ve been fortunate enough to have been helped and supported by along my career path, my parents are top of the list. They’ve been great teachers and an inspiration to me since day one.
When I completed my studies, I chose to pursue finance and specifically the ACCA Qualification. I felt drawn to the important role finance plays both in people’s daily lives and in the grander scale of the global economy. I decided to become an auditor, as it would allow me to gain experience across multiple industries and develop technical expertise in finance relevant to these industries.
I work in assurance at EY. I enjoy it as I get to help clients and coach junior colleagues thanks to my experience in different regions and sectors. The most enjoyable thing about being an auditor is being introduced to different client environments and facing the various challenges in aspects such as technical quality, project management, client relationship management, coaching, and feedback.
The integration of data analytics in assurance is having a huge impact on what we do on a daily basis
My biggest career influences are the global trends shaping the world as we speak. I’m passionate about sustainability in energy, transportation and new technology such as data science, machine learning and data story-telling. These trends are shaping my career and I am actively pursuing them. I hope to become a data science expert in the field of sustainability, energy and transportation, and deal with real-world trends actively.
The integration of data analytics in assurance is having a huge impact on what we do on a daily basis. It has essentially transformed auditing – it is no longer like playing darts in the dark and hitting way off-centre or not at all, but much more like playing in a well-lit room and hitting bullseyes. The ability to upload entire general ledger populations to data analytics tools means we’re at a phase where clients are embracing the change with open arms.
Data analytics has advanced the audit process in multiple aspects. It reduces the time spent on procedures and improves the quality of the samples we select to test. We can corroborate non-financial information extracted through inquiries and reliable third-party sources, and compare its impact on business against financial information presented through various reports integrated in the tools with unprecedented precision levels.
If I weren’t an auditor, I’d be a music producer. Music has been the source of my inner peace for a long time. No matter what the day brings, I manage to find calmness in listening to music or playing the piano or guitar while singing to myself or others. So I think I’d search for inner peace through music and distribute this to the world through my art.
These are the individual views of the auditor and not of EY.
