During my career I have worked for Big Four firms in many different countries, including the UK, US and Russia. I have always been keen to learn new things and be a problem solver, and these are the characteristics required of an auditor. And after working in tax, I realised I found that being an auditor was much more interesting, because in audit you need to be collaborative and promote dialogue to solve issues and identify opportunities.
Auditing has been in a state of evolution for many years, and it continues to change rapidly. I feel we as auditors must evolve too. We need to learn new skills to remain current with regulatory changes, as well as adapt to economic uncertainty and be more agile. There has always been a demand for strong technical and analytical skills, especially in the digital age. However, I believe soft skills have become much more important these days.
I would like to enact a law that would see no child anywhere in the world ever goes to bed hungry
Covid-19 changed the corporate world completely, so for us auditors, hybrid working has become common. I think the newer generation of auditors will want to work remotely and they are looking for new work models.
In Germany, many listed companies are changing their audit firms, which has had a huge impact on the audit market. My rationale for joining RSM Ebner Stolz was a switch of firms in Germany, and that my new firm is a very good local player. I feel becoming part of this strong network will open up new possibilities and markets.
I think my biggest achievement is passing all my professional exams. And also being blessed with my family and children.
My favourite quote comes from the American pastor and writer Victoria Osteen. ‘As much as you may want to, you can’t control what other people say or do – you can only control yourself.’
If I had law-making powers, I would like to enact a law that would see no child anywhere in the world ever goes to bed hungry.
I have been fortunate to work with unselfish people who would stand by my side and help me through any issue I faced
What I like about my job is that the companies I work with vary from small, family-run businesses to massive multinationals. It’s a very steep learning curve, but you learn a huge amount, not only about businesses but also the people who work in them and the different tasks they perform.
As an auditor you can be put in the middle of sensitive situations, such as finding evidence of poor practice. As a result, you learn lots of valuable people skills. I have also found that throughout my career I have been fortunate to work with unselfish people who would stand by my side and help me through any issue I faced.
If I wasn’t an auditor, I would have loved to be a musician. I used to frequently travel to Italy by train, where I was studying to be an opera singer. And I often sang in church as a soloist when I was living in London. However, there is a proverb that says that music is a beautiful thing but a sad profession. Therefore, I am very happy to be an accountant while pursuing music as a hobby.
When I am not at work, I like listening to music, spending time with my family, and travelling. I also enjoy organising events for ACCA students in Germany, and I am a member of the Accountants Group, which represents all English institutes of chartered accountants, including ACCA, in Germany.
