When Line Egelund Thuesen stepped out of university, it was with a bachelor’s degree in communication. Today, she works as an auditor at Deloitte. Her accounting journey started almost six years ago at our Copenhagen office – and her path to where she is today is proof that your past career choices do not have to define your future.
After high school, Line Egelund Thuesen moved from Copenhagen to Aarhus to pursue a degree in communication. A field she envisioned her future career to head towards. But every time she applied for a student position within communication, she somehow always ended up with a job offer within finance.
She took that as a sign, reevaluated her career path and proclaimed to her family that she saw herself becoming an auditor. Looking back, the possibility of being educated simultaneously with working also appealed greatly to her, and that is how Line ended up as a communication trained graduate in Deloitte’s Audit & Assurance business unit.
Success is a journey – not a destination
Consequently, Line commenced her journey to become an auditor a bit later in life than most other graduates. Nevertheless, she is grateful to have ended up in Deloitte, where she feels part of a unique environment that provides constant development.
“I was introduced to the training from a different perspective when I first started at Deloitte. I knew how to communicate my dreams and be specific about what motivated me to be my very best – and I have been shown nothing but support in accommodating my wish for growth and change. It might not always go as rapidly as desired, and I admit I am not known for my patience, but there are countless possibilities in Deloitte. They will be realised when you put your best foot forward.”
Line is sometimes asked if she ever regrets spending three years on a bachelor’s degree in communication, as she could otherwise have been three years further in her career as an auditor. But to Line, those years have not been wasted – quite the contrary.
- I see my background in communication as a strength and an enabler to have gained a strong set of tools within project management and communicating complexity at eye level. I actively use my background to reach my goal of becoming a close, professional sounding board for my clients.
The strength of diverse competencies
In Line’s words, she is part of a generation that more than ever expects training programmes to be tailored to the individual and facilitate growth opportunities that fit personal goals. Initially, Line considered her profile a bit unconventional, but during her six years in Deloitte, she has seen significant changes in how the teams around her are organised.
- I truly admire how a large organisation like Deloitte with long-lasting traditions aims to accommodate this generational change while having a big focus on talent development. It became particularly clear when I was chosen as one of the winners of the Audit Quality Award in 2020. After having transitioned to our Kolding office and taken over a large legacy client, I was acknowledged for going above and beyond in my project management of the client and for succeeding in streamlining the audit – partly thanks to my background and ability to put different competencies into play.
During that time, Line worked closely with a partner who saw the results of how she restructured the client work, and how it not only improved the client relationship but also motivated the team that handled the client.
- It felt like such a personal acknowledgement for both the auditor and the communication specialist in me and made my transition from one office to a new one that much easier. Once again, this emphasised that we are one big team that supports each other – not in spite of, but because of our different competencies.
Next stop is becoming state authorised
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world at the beginning of 2020, a new adventure began for Line. In many cases, Deloitte went from being a clearly defined finance and accounting partner for our clients to suddenly being a much wider sounding board.
- We were all thrown into a new digital way of working, and our clients had to rely on us remotely while we helped them navigate the government’s new financial aid packages, which for many meant either getting through the pandemic or losing their life's work, Line explains and continues:
- I felt like we grew ten years in just ten months, and I am incredibly proud of standing on the other side with a strengthened relationship – not only with my clients but also with Deloitte. The latter is sending me towards my next adventure of becoming a State Authorised Public Accountant.
Share this story
