What does being a Chartered Accountant mean to you?

A Chartered Accountant is basically a trusted business adviser who works with companies to help them achieve their goals. I definitely recommend being a Chartered Accountant, because the skill sets that you learn can be applied to many, many different things which means that your options later down the track are infinite and you’ll find yourself in many different situations that is not just in an office and in front of a computer.

How has being a CA helped your career?

I think being a Chartered Accountant definitely helped me to get to where I am today by enabling me to have an open mind; and by equipping me with many tools – on both the soft side and the technical side – to be able to take on all the challenges that I face day to day.

What are some of your career highlights?

One of my career highlights has definitely been moving overseas. You don’t really know what to expect until you actually move offshore and experience new places, but I think having that Chartered Accountant background has definitely given me the confidence to be able to take on whatever is to come.

How has the CA Accreditation impacted your professional opportunities?

One of the good opportunities that being a Chartered Accountant has got me is the opportunity to work as a CFO for a food and beverage company. In that role, I was basically eating a lot, going around trying a lot of new different restaurants and thinking of new concepts for restaurants. A lot of these things you may not think is what a Chartered Accountant actually does, but we do.

What are your tips for success?

I think keeping an open mind is very important. Soak in everything you see and learn, because all the knowledge that you acquire is like an investment – it’ll help you out one day. Also, don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable. I think that’s where you’ll really get the most out of yourself and develop.