What's your job about?
The Private Enterprise division at KPMG is about doing whatever we can to help SME’s succeed. We work with clients on a continuous basis to support them to overcome any challenges that may arise or to help them take advantage of any opportunities we discover. Within the Private Enterprise division, we have the Data and Delivery Excellence (DDX) team which is where I work. DDX focuses mostly on helping those SME’s with their compliance requirements, such as preparing annual financial accounts and structuring the client's tax position. The Private Enterprise division also has members outside the DDX team, who undertake the work beyond just the compliance aspect and are more client-facing.
A typical day for me would be analysing the financial information for a client over the past year and report back on how they have performed. There is no specific industry we focus on but being in the South Canterbury region a lot of our clients are from the agricultural sector, which adds unique challenges I enjoy.
What's your background?
I grew up in Timaru and fell into the typical culture for a New Zealand kid, I spent all my free time playing sport and hanging out with friends. I never took anything too seriously and just spent time doing whatever my hobbies were at that stage. Through school, I went with the flow and never thought about career aspirations until I started working. My work life began as a furniture mover and I then downgraded to a freezing worker. Nothing is wrong with these jobs it just wasn’t for me. I quickly learnt my career needed to be something that challenged me to think and learn every day, which has held true so far at KPMG. I studied accounting and finance at university because I thought these were great and flexible options that wouldn’t tie me down to a specific career and studying them would help me in my own personal life.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
I believe anyone with a willingness to learn could succeed in my job. Background knowledge in accounting and finance would give you a head start in the DDX team, but you learn every day on the job, and the team in Timaru especially are always happy to help you as much as possible. If you ask questions and listen to the knowledge your team shares, you will become a valuable member of DDX.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
I enjoy the work in my job but the aspect I appreciate most is the work-life balance KPMG allows us to have. I never feel overworked, I get enough time in my lunch break to hit the gym which is an awesome way to split up the day. If I need to leave early on Friday for example KPMG will let me make up those hours on other days of the week. They are also welcoming for you to work at home whenever you need them.
What are the limitations of your job?
As the DDX teamwork on our client’s compliance requirements, at an Advisor level, there isn’t much client interaction. This aspect is handled mainly by staff outside the DDX team in the wider Private Enterprise team. I feel like the client interaction is a fulfilling aspect of being an accountant that we miss out on.
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