Monday, 21st September 2009
…Spencer, Technology Risk Advisor at BDO
I graduated from Leeds University in Management Studies and took my Masters in Computer Science at Birkbeck College. After working as a software developer for three years, I then joined BDO in 2005.
“Wherever I’m working we tend to be in small teams. This gives you the chance to really get to know people and there’s a really friendly atmosphere in the office with lots of banter.â€
A typical day for me would be spent at the client’s offices. I would probably have half the day in meetings with them planning the forthcoming review, and the other half interviewing staff and understanding how the business and computer systems operate. Typically I’ll meet with the Financial Director and Head of IT to discuss management controls, systems acquisitions and implementations.
You’ve got to be up for a challenge. Often you have to understand a whole computer system in just seven hours. That not only includes the computer system itself, but also how the company is run and all compliance issues that relate to it.
Within my first month I was working on a Sarbanes-Oxley job. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed in 2002 in response to a number of major corporate and accounting scandals, so compliance is crucial to our clients. By the end of my first year, I was conducting interviews and testing on-site without supervision. It’s a very steep learning curve but, with guidance from your manager and so much on-the-job training, you find yourself picking it up really quickly.
What I like best about this area is that it’s so dynamic. Nothing stays the same for very long and we constantly have to keep up with technological advancements.
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…Gemma, Audit Senior at BDO
I graduated from Nottingham University where I studied Finance, Accounting and Management. On graduating I joined BDO as part of their Business Assurance team in London.
“BDO is a global thinking company – but what impresses me most is that it actively encourages you to make the most of that fact.â€
My degree gave me a head start in the accounting world, and the learning curve since I joined is still steep. The big difference is that once you’re here it’s all about the practical application of knowledge rather than the theory.
My team specialises in retail, advertising, media and communications companies. You get assigned to work in a particular group, and I’m really pleased as I would have chosen to work with these kinds of companies. My clients are the big names you’ll see on every high street and I work with high-profile advertising and media companies.
Some companies have very specific reporting requirements depending on the work they do or where they’re based. Because we’re dealing with a number of clients that are based in the US, for instance, there is a lot of Sarbanes-Oxley work involved. I have been given special training and now know all the rules that apply to US-based companies and the procedures to follow.
I find this international aspect of our work really interesting and have been lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks working in our Paris office on a subsidiary of a London client and a French advertising client. I was able to make a real contribution and hope to keep working closely with our French offices in the future.
After my exams I’m not sure what I’ll do. I am interested in the Post Qualified Development Programme, where you spend two years on four placements in different departments within the business. This will give me a chance to experience sectors like tax, corporate finance and business restructuring with the chance to work in one of our international offices for a while. I think there could be a bit of theme developing in my career! BDO is a global thinking company – but what impresses me most is that it actively encourages you to make the most of that fact.
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