- Company: KPMG AG
- Position: Manager
- Remit/main activity: Audit Financial Services – financial and regulatory audits for private banks and securities firms
- Highest educational qualification: state-certified auditor
- Years of professional experience: 9
- Place of work: Geneva
- No. of employees at place of work: Approx. 300
What makes my work exciting?
What I find most exciting about my job is that no two days are alike. Each day, we face new challenges involving new issues that we need to understand. This means we are constantly learning new things so that we can meet our clients’ expectations in an ever-changing environment.
Why did I enter the profession?
Contact with clients was what most attracted me to audit work initially. This is one of the few professions that provide opportunities to discuss a wide range of topics with senior management and board members. Such contact is extremely enriching and allows us to build a very substantial professional network.
What challenges does my work present?
As auditors, we face new challenges all the time. In the financial services sector, the regulations change constantly and new requirements emerge on a regular basis. This pushes us to keep educating ourselves so that we can support our clients with of all the regulatory changes facing the banking industry.
How does my work benefit the economy?
In a complex economic environment, an auditor’s role is to present a clear and independent view to all users of financial statements so that they can form a sound opinion on the economic situation of companies. Professional standards bring further quality assurance to the various stakeholders in the financial sector.
What is important to me in my client relationships?
Our relationships with clients are a key focus in our business. The element of trust is crucial and helps us facilitate our interactions with clients during the various phases of an audit, from planning through to issuing the report.
What is currently important for my clients in our cooperation (keyword: coronavirus)?
In the special context of the health and economic crisis linked to the coronavirus, we have made every effort to ensure that we are able to provide services to our clients under the best possible conditions. For instance, we have been able to perform all of our audit tasks remotely while maintaining contact via video conferencing to discuss the various issues involved. We have endeavoured to maintain close proximity to our clients and remain available to them as far as the health constraints allow.
How has the industry changed? What are the challenges of the future?
In the years to come, digitalisation will play an increasingly important role in our profession, enabling us to approach problems from a new perspective. The health and economic crisis that we are currently going through should allow us to develop new work practices such as teleworking. We will also have to adapt quickly to the legal and regulatory changes that will be implemented as a result of this global crisis.