Reflections on being a KPMG Cadet

Growing up, I thought that accounting was all about numbers. I wasn’t particularly interested in this profession until completing an assignment back in Year 10 Commerce. After rigorous amounts of research on which degree to study, which firm to apply for and the Chartered Accountants Program, I was set on being an accountant. However, little would I have thought that I would set foot into a Big 4 accounting firm three years down the track …

Back in June 2012, immediately after finals, I started my cadetship at KPMG with roughly twenty other cadets. It was a truly humbling experience going from being a first-year uni student one day to an employee in a global accounting firm the next. However, the support provided by KPMG is phenomenal and everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand. I still remember one of the senior managers teaching me how to “tick-and-bash” my first set of financials in the week I started.

Despite being an ‘undergraduate’ at KPMG we are all treated equally and being a cadet is not coffee runs and photocopying - you are a valuable employee and an important member of the audit team where your comments and ideas are always taken into consideration.

This has also been a time to ask questions and make mistakes, where instead of looking silly or being told to do something again, my queries are answered with great detail, and I am corrected and taught better ways to complete a task. From speaking with the client alone on the first day to completing an audit by myself with minimal assistance from my in-charge and manager, I have matured and become a lot more independent and confident.

Being a cadet definitely has its perks – Friday night drinks, EOFY and Christmas parties, audit dinners, the annual ball, and all expenses paid interstate work trips. My cadetship has also assisted me financially as I have been able to fund myself to attend summer school in the US this year and an internship in Shanghai during the upcoming holidays.

Work hard, play hard - Livin’ it up with some of my fellow cadets in the Gold Coast earlier this year!

Besides all the parties, audit has truly been a great eye-opener. Due to the nature of the work I am constantly meeting and working with new people, both within KPMG and when I am out visiting clients. For example, I have learnt about different industries including broadcasting, aged care, charities and industrial gases (Yes, that included learning the process of making Helium and LNG for an audit).

My cadetship has provided me with a deep understanding of the commercial environment whilst challenging me to meet deadlines and manage the expectations of managers. I have grown personally and professionally; developing my teamwork, social, problem solving and time management skills. I have also learnt how to become flexible and stay calm when working under pressure; as well as experienced having meetings at 8.30AM with the client to suit their demanding schedule, in addition to studying for mid-semester exams during audit busy season for a German company.

Now that I am back doing full-time uni I truly miss the journey I've had with KPMG – from the fun times of pranking and joking around with my colleagues, to more serious times where our audit team would work late nights for days in a row to meet tight deadlines (… compensated by time in lieu and free dinners).

Arvo coffee with my friend from high school and current colleague, Bernice Kwok, a fifth-year Bachelor of Commerce/Arts student at USYD. She completed the Industry Placement Program with KPMG and was subsequently offered a graduate job.

My cadetship has been an invaluable experience and a great investment into the future, giving me a head start into my career. It has also assisted my studies in financial accounting at uni and is definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made in life!

Leanne Ho
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School

KPMG International Case Competition: Team Ignite Advances to the Nationals, with a Chance to Compete Internationally in Brazil

Entering a competition while at university was something that each of us had on our bucket lists, so when we heard about the annual KPMG International Case Competition (KICC), we knew we had to give it a shot.

KICC is a global competition run by KPMG that replicates the work that KPMG consultants do, calling for teams of four students to analyse a case study, develop solutions and pitch it to their consultants - all within three hours. This year, the winning team of both the state and national heats has the opportunity to represent their country in Brazil for four days of competition and networking.

As great friends, and having worked as a group for the Business School’s management consulting capstone unit, we formed Team Ignite. Our team consists of Jeremy Dean (Accounting & Finance) as our IT expert, Matt Juchau (Finance (Hons.) & Accounting) as our finance guru, Charles De Souza (Marketing & International Business) as our budding management consultant, and myself, Katie Russett (Accounting & Law) bringing the accounting focus. 

In our application, we were able to convince the judges that we had the necessary skills and experience to potentially be the top team for Australia, and were invited to the state heats.

To kick off the competition, we had a day of training at the Sydney KPMG office, consisting of an intensive workshop on how to analyse case studies and solve business problems. The next day, we faced our first case study: a 20 page case asking us to advise TripAdvisor on how best to ensure their success amidst a rapidly changing environment in each of their lines of operation. Despite seeming reasonably achievable at first glance, after taking half an hour to simply read through the case and the details of the appendices, we realised that this was really going to test our business knowledge and whether we could put what we had learned from university into practice. To complicate things further, we were not allowed any internet access or notes. Despite our best efforts to budget our time, it was definitely a rush to the finish, and at the three hour mark, we had to face the judges, hoping to convince them that we had the best solutions for TripAdvisor.

To our delight and amazement, we won the state heat! And now, a few months later, we will face the national finals this Friday, with the prize being the chance to represent Australia in São Paolo, Brazil.

It was such a great experience working under intense pressure and seeing how we were able to perform, so we were happy to have just participated in the competition, let alone be announced as the winner for NSW.  Credit also goes to Team Monopoly, another University of Sydney team, who were announced as the runners up.  Now, with a chance to represent Australia on the line, it is back to the study notes and practice case studies for us, and fingers crossed for Team Ignite from NSW!

Katie Russett
Current student at The University of Sydney Business School.

Beta Alpha Psi - The year that was in accounting, finance and information systems

My year as President of Beta Alpha Psi has been one of the most unique and fulfilling experiences I've had whist studying at the University of Sydney Business School. There have undoubtedly been the odd challenges and sleepless nights trying to juggle my Presidency alongside study, work and social commitments, but now as I reflect on the year that’s past, I am proud of everything the executive team has achieved. 2013 has been an exciting year for Beta Alpha Psi at the University of Sydney Business School, and we have accomplished a great deal.

The Sydney University (Lambda Omega) Chapter is one of only two in Australia, and this year I am thrilled to have witnessed a significant increase in our membership base, with only more rapid growth to come in the future. Although fraternity-style societies do not play a big role in the traditional Australian university culture, having been a part of Beta Alpha Psi has not only given me access to a global community of high-achieving students and professionals, but has also provided me with opportunities I never would have thought possible.

In addition to managing the strategic direction of the Chapter and overseeing budgeting and reporting processes, over the course of this year, my team and I worked directly with firms such as Ernst and Young, Bloomberg and the Commonwealth Bank to organise networking events for our members, held numerous technical workshops on campus (including SAP, negotiation skills and client interviewing workshops), and jointly hosted community service days with The Salvation Army. We also held our annual induction ceremony for members at the University of Sydney Business School MBA Campus in the CBD.

It was our privilege to host the Oceania Regional Conference in April. This was a three-day conference that brought together Beta Alpha Psi members and faculty advisers from the University of Sydney, UTS, the University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Waikato. The Regional Conference gave members the opportunity to develop networks with neighbouring Chapters, share best practices and growth strategies and gain valuable insight into topical issues in accounting and finance through various sessions and workshops run by guest speakers.

In August, I represented the University of Sydney and our Beta Alpha Psi Chapter at the Annual Conference held at the Hyatt Regency, Orange County in Anaheim, California, along with three members of the executive team. The 2013 Annual Conference brought together over 1000 Beta Alpha Psi executives from all over the world for three days. Building on from the successes of the 2012 conference held in Baltimore, Maryland – which I also had the privilege of attending – this year’s theme was “Dreams of Tomorrow Becoming Reality Today”. My team and I attended concurrent sessions on varied topics from social enterprise to forensic accounting, participated in professional development and community service events hosted by major corporate sponsor KPMG, and listened to inspirational presentations from keynote speakers including Ralph De La Vega, CEO and President of AT&T Mobility and Clark Jones, Vice President of Finance at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. We also had the privilege of presenting a session entitled “Surviving as a Small Chapter”, where we shared our unique successes as a chapter Down Under to an enthusiastic audience of our American colleagues. It was an amazing experience to be, once again, surrounded by so many other like-minded students as well as to witness first-hand the strength and prestige Beta Alpha Psi has in the accounting and finance industries on a global scale. One of our executives was also able to participate in the renowned Project Run With It competition. The opportunity to engage in a real-world consulting project in a team with students from other countries was unlike anything she had previously experienced.

On another note, I am excited to announce that this year we established a University of Sydney BAP Facebook page and that our new website is going to be launched early 2014. It’s amazing to see the response we have already received and how the Facebook page has improved our communication with existing and potential members, by providing them with a resource to deliver the most current event schedules and information on relevant topics on a regular basis. I look forward to further extending our online presence and engaging with more members, as this will play an important role in our quest for Gold Chapter Status, which is the highest status any Chapter can achieve.

This year has been one of the most rewarding and satisfying years of my academic career, and I am finding it hard to believe that my year as President is winding down to a close. As much as I find it difficult to leave the idyllic University lifestyle and such a fabulous organisation that has helped me to transition from student to professional in every way possible, I know that the Beta Alpha Psi Alumni community will keep me connected and involved for life. Through attending Beta Alpha Psi international conferences and regional events I've made so many lifelong connections and friendships, and the Beta Alpha Psi Connect online alumni portal will allow me to keep in touch with fellow members and alumni from around the world. It also provides access to webcasts, leadership information, information on local chapters’ activities and discussion forums. There is also a BAP Newsletter which is distributed quarterly and ensures members and alumni are aware of upcoming opportunities and the latest news.

I would highly recommend eligible students to get involved and take advantage of all the organisation has to offer.  In the coming months (March 2014) we will be holding elections for the new executive team and nominations will be distributed to existing members shortly. If you’re interested in joining Beta Alpha Psi please visit our Facebook page or our website or the Beta Alpha Psi University of Sydney Chapter website for instructions on eligibility and how to apply.

On behalf of the Beta Alpha Psi Lambda Omega Chapter, I would like to sincerely thank the University of Sydney Business School, our faculty advisor Pearl Rozenberg (Sub-Dean), and the Global Board of Directors for their ongoing support. I would also like to personally thank my executive team and our current members for their considerable commitment, enthusiasm and involvement in Beta Alpha Psi this year.

I hope that all of our valued members will continue to be involved in our organisation as it grows from strength to strength and we look forward to welcoming new members in the year going forward.

By Sumita Theagesan - President, Beta Alpha Psi, Lambda Omega Chapter, the University of Sydney Business School.