Day in the life – Audit & Assurance, Orla Carey, Financial Services, London

Why did you choose Deloitte?

While I had not studied accounting at university, I did enjoy studying it at school and was interested in getting into an accounting based role. The key points that stood out for me about Deloitte were:

Brand – Deloitte is a global brand with an impressive reputation, hence a good employer to work for.

Graduate program – I wanted to be part of a program with people of similar interests and backgrounds, in order to ensure there was a social aspect to my job.

Accounting qualification – Whilst I was still in ’study-mood’ I was focused on taking on some professional exams to further my education.

Technology – being part of a forward thinking organisation where technology was embraced was also important.
 

Why Audit and Assurance?

Upon leaving university I was unsure what specific accounting/finance specific role I wanted to enter into. I liked the idea of Audit and Assurance as it was quite broad in terms of both work conducted, industries you could work on and the client profiles you would meet. This appealed to me as it presented an opportunity to gain audit skills together with an in depth knowledge of a range of industries and business operations.

What surprised you most about Audit and Assurance?

As cliché as it is, every day is different. No day is the same, you don’t know what task might be thrown your direction, what unusual transaction/activity your client tries to do which can open up a whole range of opportunities for you to be involved in.

What's unique about your business unit?

I work in Banking and Capital Markets, which is the largest audit department at Deloitte. There are so many different subgroups within the department (advisory, securitisation, treasury, complex pricing, regulatory, etc.), so you can look for interesting projects to get involved in, and also often find individuals with expertise in specific areas who can help out on a problem you may have.

What types of clients do you work with?

My main client is a broker dealer. Given the vast range of clients that are captured under Banking and Capital Markets, you find that as people progress through their career there is further opportunity to focus on a specific client base (e.g. traditional banking, investment banking, broker-dealers, etc.). My main client operates across a number of jurisdictions which also gives me the opportunity to build relationships with other Deloitte firms who will be responsible for the entities in those countries. With Banking and Capital Markets there tends to be an international scope to a lot of our clients, resulting in working relationships with other employees within the Deloitte network overseas.

What else do you do at Deloitte?

Since joining Deloitte I have participated in a whole range of activities that are outside my core work, such as:

• I have participated in a number of charity days, from teaching at a school to collecting money for charities as part of a huge street parade.
• I oversaw the summer vacation scheme, organising the training, work schedule and social activities for the summer students.
• Additionally as part of the Deloitte charity challenge, I climbed Kilimanjaro with a group of 40 Deloitte employees ranging in both seniority and service line – it was an amazing experience.

Tell us about what you’re responsible for in your role?

Having progressed to Manager Level, I am now responsible for the initial review of the work of my audit teams, prior to it going to the next level of review. I am involved in planning the audit, ensuring it goes according to the plan and liaising with the client on our progress and any issues we are facing. It is essentially a multi-tasking role, to ensure you keep the junior team motivated, whilst managing the expectations of the senior team, and client management.

What drives you to do what you do?

My key drive is the people I work with. Whilst working on an audit you spend a significant amount of time with your team, which motivates you to all help each other and see the work through together. It is also great to see people progress throughout their time in Deloitte, be it a manager you worked with as a new joiner making director/partner, or the new joiner who worked on one of your jobs improve year after year.

What do you think you Deloitte wants from you?

Deloitte want you to perform to a high standard on any work you are assigned, but they offer you the opportunity to own your career and introduce a diversity of projects into your schedule. Deloitte recognise that by enabling staff to gain a variety of experience in different areas, it helps the overall firm as you can share these skills and qualities across both service lines, projects and other staff.

What’s been the best opportunity you’ve been able to get involved in?

I have recently just returned from a two month secondment to Tokyo were I was helping out the Japanese firm on a project. It was an amazing experience, enabling me to get international experience and work in an environment that was very different in both style and culture than London. The team was formed of people across several different offices, so there was a great social aspect to the work as everyone was keen to see as much of Japan as possible on the weekends, whilst also experimenting with some very interesting foods.

What did you expect when you joined Deloitte how have we compared to that?

I don’t think I thought it would be as social as it is, which an added benefit is. There is no glass door in terms of speaking and engaging to senior personnel, right up to partner level, enabling you to be seen more as an individual as opposed to a number.

Check out our latest student opportunities in Audit & Assurance here.