Chantal’s Story – From Audit Senior in South Africa to Senior Director at NASDAQ Sydney

Chantal started out her training in audit with EY in South Africa. It was there that Think Global Recruitment assisted her to secure a dream move to Sydney Australia, where her career has gone from strength to strength. Our Managing Director caught up with her in Sydney.  This is her story.

My Story

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa, I decided it was time to move overseas in search of better opportunities. I had a young baby at the time and was wanting to find somewhere with more stability. Luckily, I was used to moving around South Africa and had learnt to adapt to change easily. Sydney seemed like the ideal choice.

Think Global Recruitment found me a position as an Audit Senior for PKF in Sydney.  They made sure that I was prepared for my new location and offered me continuous support after I arrived. As PKF was a smaller firm I gained very valuable experience.  I was promoted twice in the three and a half years I was there. The best thing about the firm was the people I worked with. I even met my best friend there.  In comparison to a Big Four firm, they felt different, more dynamic and much closer to the people. I worked with so many different clients, in a Big Four firm it would have been just one type of client.

"In comparison to a Big Four firm, they felt different, more dynamic and much closer to the people."

I finally left PKF because I wanted a change from audit. I moved into industry but the first role I took wasn’t as good as I had expected and it was not as challenging as I thought it would be. 

After just over a year I decided to move to NASDAQ for a more challenging, global role.  I now head up the finance division for Asia Pacific, look after a number of different countries and manage a large team.  The team consists of people based across various Asia Pacific countries.   I report to my remote manager based in Stockholm. My job has taken me all over the world to places that include Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Sweden and New York.

The lifestyle is excellent in Sydney and it's great being able to walk home safely at 10pm, something that you would not do back home. The move has changed my life.

My Advice

 The Value of CA Firm Experience

I believe that having CA firm experience is invaluable when making the move into industry. There is a lot of transferable knowledge available within a CA firm. You can draw on it for information about a region.  Tax, accounting processes and requirements are different.  The business world is very diverse across the globe, even western societies like Sweden and US are different.

"Even if you are taking a step back don't be afraid to, within six months you could be promoted up."

 Managing Job Expectations

It’s important to have realistic expectations. If you decide to make the move to another country don’t expect to walk into a position higher than the one you have been in.  There is a lot to learn.  However, even if you are taking a step back then don’t be afraid to, within six months you could be promoted up.  Stick it out.

New Surroundings

If you are seeking a move to any location you should speak to people who have lived there. It is difficult to know your way around the suburbs and if you stay in a place that isn’t that nice the transition is more difficult, so try and be close to work.  However don’t let that put you off.  I believe you should make the decision to move and just do it, don’t think twice on what you might miss out on! You are likely to feel home sick at some point but after a year it will all be alright. You may not have all the luxuries of home, but give up a little luxury in some areas and you will gain in others.

"I believe you should make the decision to move and just do it, don’t think twice about what you might miss out on!"

Think Global Recruitment

The best thing about Think Global Recruitment was the support through the entire job process and continuous support after. Setting up a new life in another country can be stressful, so this assistance can be extremely important.

If this story has inspired you then please share it and help those who may be considering making the move abroad. For any further enquiries please contact pmcloughlin@thinkgr.com.



What's Been Going On at Think Global Recruitment?

Abigail is on Tour!

Our Managing Director Abigail is back on the road again, taking her wealth of knowledge (20 years in the industry!) with her. She has been forging new partnerships with businesses and expanding the Think Global Recruitment network across the globe with visits to London, Dubai, Australia and New Zealand.

"The main purpose of the trip is to strengthen our relationships with some of the world's biggest accountancy firms to ensure that we deliver the best opportunities for our accountants." - Abigail

Abigail has also been catching up with some of the accountants that we placed as far back as ten years ago! As one of the world's longest running specialist recruitment agencies, we find it important to stay in contact with our accountants to find out how their move has improved their lives. We will be posting some of those people's stories in future blog posts so make sure to keep an eye out!

If you're a chartered accountant in Australia or New Zealand and would like to discuss your options about moving abroad you can get in contact with Abigail by emailing astevens@thinkgr.com. 






Think Global Recruitment says Happy 10th Birthday to Edinburgh University's eClub!

Our Operations Director, Cramond, was delighted to attend a morning’s seminar at the eClub Start-up Festival last week.

  “There was a fantastic turnout and it was great to see and hear from all those involved including  the legend that is Pete Irvine who is responsible, for amongst other things, the best travel guide book ever written, Scotland the Best!(new edition out next month)” - Cramond

Peter Irvine’s company, Unique Event’s, was responsible for organising all of the punk, mod and new wave bands in Edinburgh in the late 70s and 1980s via Regular Music (thanks for all the memories!). The seminar also had, among other eminent speakers, Simon from Frisky Yoghurt, Scotland’s original frozen yogurt brand, and Alan Mahon from Social Bite who served George Clooney as the main course at the Scottish Business Awards event last year.

 People Searching for a Land Down Under

Jill, Henrica and Peter all got a chance to attend Down Under Live in Glasgow to talk to people wanting to make the big move to Australia and New Zealand. From families to graduates, the sheer range and numbers of all those drawn south of the equator is a trend that does not seem to be slowing down. 

"It's a Saturday morning and it's raining really heavily outside, you would of thought it would put people off but there seems to be a really big appetite for working overseas, especially in Australia and New Zealand!" - Peter

 The event had stalls to assist with all the essentials of moving abroad and featured some useful talks on the visa processes, job markets and costs of living. There was also events held in Birmingham and London.

Are you an accountant that we have helped over the years? If so, please get in contact with Peter at pmcloughlin@thinkgr.com to share your story for other accountants who may be considering making the move abroad.  

Great increase in demand for global accountants! - says specialist recruitment director

 

Think Global Recruitment’s Managing Director, Abigail Stevens, has successfully assisted accountants to secure international careers for 20 years.  Having set up Think Global Recruitment almost 16 years ago, she analyses the current state of the global job market.

Movement in any job market, but especially the accountancy sector, is always a good gauge on how the economy is doing.  The great news is that we have definitely seen a large increase in the need to hire in 2015, not quite to the extent of pre worldwide recession 2007, but certainly the best we have seen since then. As 2016 gets underway, it’s worth noticing just how international professional accountants are this year. We have witnessed unprecedented numbers of candidates enter the UK from a wide-range of countries across the world. 

What’s happening in the UK Job Market?
 

"They have realised there are just not enough recently qualified accountants and junior managers"

As firms come out of the recession feeling stronger and ready for growth, they have realised there are just not enough recently qualified accountants and junior managers available on the local market to support the increased demand on the sector.  In the last few months we have assisted the Top 6 CA firms to hire accountants from Ireland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Latvia, Czech Republic, Canada, Cyprus, Tanzania, Ukrainian, Romania, Lithuania, Brazil, Argentina, Mauritius, the Philippines and Malaysia over the last year.

Think Global Recruitment has assisted firms in the UK to fill around 200 vacancies in the last 12 months with professionally qualified accountants from locations as far away as The Philippines and as close to home as Ireland.  These accountants have filled a much needed skills gap and enabled our clients to prosper.  The UK market has certainly kept us busy for the last couple of years.

 

 

The table above shows a broad-based rise in demand in the UK for permanent staff in December, accountancy & finance jobs are rated third. (Source: Markit report)

 

What about outside the UK?
 

Well there has certainly been movement there.  We have assisted accountants from Britain and other countries across the globe to secure permanent jobs in locations such as Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, The Caribbean, Germany, France, Switzerland, Asia and the Middle East.  It certainly feels like the world has opened up again to accountants seeking global experience.

There are however, still some locations that have not opened up again, post-recession, to bringing accountants in yet.   America, whilst being one of the highest on people’s lists, still remains the hardest to get into.   There has been a huge decrease in the number of visas available for skilled migrants and its lottery type system leads to very low odds and difficult terms in getting one. Canada has also increased its restrictions on entry making the process more complicated. Australia, New Zealand and Middle East have been recruiting, but the numbers are lower in comparison with the pre-recession years.

Future predictions? 
 

"There will be a worldwide shortage of qualified accountants for the next two or three years"
 

Well if the 2000/2001 dip in the economy is anything to learn from, there will be a worldwide shortage of qualified accountants for the next two or three years.  This will result in a considerable increase in movement in this sector across all the global hotspots. So if you're an international accountant you won't be out of work anytime soon!