Meet Sophie - Governance, Regulation & Conduct Grad in Canberra

Our Graduate Program is a great opportunity to be exposed to different business areas, and experience a variety of work to help guide you on your career path. Read on to hear what Sophie's experience has been, and how she structures a day working from home.

Meet Sophie Tawfik, Graduate in our Governance, Regulation and Conduct Team

Hi Sophie, tell us about your role at Deloitte and what it involves?

I am an Analyst in the Governance, Regulation and Conduct team which sits within Deloitte’s Assurance practice. In essence, our team supports clients in meeting their regulatory and governance arrangements so that clients have the necessary structures that will encourage positive consumer outcomes.

Over the past couple of years intensified media scrutiny, Royal Commissions, and regulatory activity have exposed the consequences of what happens when clients have poor governance, meaning that it is so important to make sure that there are robust mechanisms in place so that clients can make good decisions and ensure that all consumers are fairly treated. 

As an Analyst in my team, I work with all levels of the engagement team, from Graduates to Partners and we collaborate together to analyse the clients problem, come up with creative solutions and deliver high quality outputs.

What I love most about our team is that you can see how we are truly making a meaningful impact with all of our hard work as everything that GRC offers benefits everyday Australians like you and me at the end of the day.

What work have you been most excited about since starting with us?

In my first year as a Graduate, I was involved in a project where we created a Communication and Engagement Plan for an Australian bank that support the embedment of a framework that was designed to ensure that no customers are left behind and all customers are treated fairly.

The framework also considered customers of the bank who are vulnerable and/or experiencing financial difficulty and supported structures that creates obligations for the bank to take reasonable steps within the banks remit and protect vulnerable consumers from harm.

The framework also considered customers of the bank who are vulnerable and/or experiencing financial difficulty and supported structures that creates obligations for the bank to take reasonable steps within the banks remit and protect vulnerable consumers from harm.

How has the graduate program supported you in launching your career?

The Deloitte graduate program has provided an amazing platform to explore many different areas that I am interested in.

There are so many incredible learning opportunities in the Graduate Program at Deloitte, from in-person training, online modules to the one-on-one coaching sessions with your Counselling Partner and your Coach.

The graduate program has helped me to build my network with some extremely talented people who genuinely care about me and are invested in my career and success. 

What does a typical day at Deloitte look like?

When working from home, my day typically goes like this:

6 am-7 am: I love to start my mornings bright and early at around 6 am. After I wake up I will head to the station to catch the train to the gym in the city. 

7 am-8 am: Once I arrive at the gym I will usually I will do yoga, Pilates or spin class at the gym with a friend! 

8 am-8:30 am: Once I have finished the gym class and I have gotten ready for the day, I will then go to grab a quick coffee and walk to the office.

8:30-9 am: I usually take the first half hour to set myself up for the day. I will set up my desk and laptop and check emails and action any outstanding tasks first off. Once I’ve finished any urgent tasks I will usually write a to-do list for the day so that I can plan what tasks I have to do and prioritise them appropriately.

9 am-10 am: My engagement manager will usually check in with me on a team call, we use this time to check in to see how we are both going. We also chat about the project and we will chat about the progress of any tasks that I have been assigned. We also usually chat about what we need to keep on our agenda as well so that I have an awareness of what’s going on. 

10 am-12 pm: Usually internal and client meetings happen around mid-morning so they might happen during this time. Otherwise, I will spend the morning doing the more complex tasks on my to-do list as I find the morning is when I do my best problem-solving.

12 pm-1 pm: I will usually get lunch outside with the other junior staff. If it’s sunny and the weather is nice we usually get a picnic blanket from the reception downstairs and go to the park to eat our lunch together.

1 pm-3:30 pm: I will spend the next bit of my day working through my tasks on the to-do list I created earlier in the morning.

3:30-3:45 pm: If I have some free time, I will get a tea and spend a little bit of time getting some fresh air with a small walk around the office with another one of the team members from the junior team.

3:45-4:30 pm: I usually spend a bit of time on business development and social activities in the late afternoon to break up the day if I get through all my client tasks for the day. We get to work on a range of things as being a Graduate/Analyst at Deloitte. I might spend this time on anything from helping out Directors and Managers with interesting proposals to planning a social event for our team!

4:30-6 pm: I will spend the last part of my day getting through any tasks that I need to do before the next day and I will usually also have an end-of-day check-in/call with my engagement manager and chat through any feedback on work that I have submitted.

6 pm-7 pm: I then commute home on the train and if it’s nice weather I might pop down to the beach for a quick swim to unwind!

Interest to learn more?

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