Five questions to Ismaeel Rasul

What is it like being a coach?

In my second year, I became a coach, which was an interesting challenge that suited me well. To help others and share my experiences motivates me a lot. However, it also gave me a new kind of reasonability.

Being able to connect, create trust and follow a person’s development was both exciting and challenging. It was necessary for me to reflect on both personal and professional qualities, and learn to understand motivation drivers and reaction patterns to become a good mentor. It has taught me a great deal – also about myself.

What has been the greatest landmark in your career?

It was when I was promoted to senior, a year before the standard time, which I am very proud of. My motivation was my daily development. Every day I could take my performance to the next level because of the trust my manager showed me. He knew I wanted to perform. Then he let me, because he knew I could. There is an enormous amount of highly skilled people in Deloitte, so the promotion made me feel that I had really done something right.

However, I also put a lot of time and effort into my job. It is my first priority. It does not mean that my friends and family are not important, and that there is no time for fun. It means that I need to be open about my workload, prioritise and adapt from being professional to being young with my friends. Luckily, our flexible culture makes it easier to balance work and private life, so I can be ambitious and young at the same time.

How will you describe the culture in Corporate Audit?

Unformal and ambitious. The open office environment creates the unformal atmosphere, which makes it easy to share knowledge and help each other. A joke flies through the office from time to time, and that is important as well.

Moreover, we have a unique unity both in and out of the office. I have made some very good friends.

I would describe us as knowledge seekers, caring and helpful. No matter what kind of issue I have, I can find the answer among my colleagues. We look out for each other; if I arrive exhausted at the office on a Sunday in our busy period, I always get a caring question about how I am.

When do you feel you make most impact?

When I feel the trust from a client who asks for our opinion before making a decision. That kind of recognition makes me feel that I make a difference.

At the office, I like to help and be available to my colleagues. It is very important for me to be the same safety net for my colleagues as they are to me, because that is how we perform at our best and make the best solutions.

What was your dream when you started at Deloitte?

My dream was to become an authorised accountant and maybe in the long term become a CFO for a big corporation someday. Right now, my short-term team dream is to work for Deloitte in London, because I think it is a great city with a good opportunity to build new insight.

Nikolaj Thomsen's letter to a young talent

Dear young mind,

Tackling the ups and downs of private equity

Mette Bredal enjoys advising her clients. She feels like she is developing and growing with them.

You specialise in private equity and insurance. Why?

It was actually not a specific career choice from the beginning. In fact, early on in my career I took on a mixed portfolio spanning all the way from production companies to financial institutions. However, I quickly realised that private equity and insurance are the two areas I am most passionate about. From an auditing perspective, they are both challenging and exciting.

What is so special about auditing a private equity fund?

Primarily the valuation of their investments. As independent auditors we have to make absolutely sure that their valuations are realistic. To do this, we need to check the valuation model and also identify significant risks in the portfolio. This can be quite a complex process. Typically, my colleagues and I will have to challenge top management on some of their valuations before we can finally put our stamp on the audit report.

What would you say has been the highlight of your career so far?

I would probably say the very steep learning curve that I have had. Also the intricate legal structures of some of the private equity funds definitely add another level of complexity to the audit. I like that challenge, and I also like being part of an industry that is constantly evolving. I really enjoy being a trusted advisor to my clients. I feel like we are developing and growing together.

You are also coaching some of your younger colleagues here at Deloitte. Why is that?

The success of our firm essentially depends on the success of our people, which is why I think it is so important to help my younger colleagues achieve their career goals. Coaching is something I love to do. It also makes a good counterbalance to the days when I am just buried in huge spreadsheets or complex legislation. I like that I can change between the two.

It sounds like you are very ambitious about your career. How do you cope with work-life balance?

I just started my studies to become a state authorised public accountant, which in itself requires a lot of time and effort. On the other hand, I am so happy that Deloitte has become vocal about working more or less as you go through different life phases. It is still a journey for our firm, but I know that our top management team are fully committed to ensuring that you can prioritise the elements that are important in your life. That is definitely what I plan to do.

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