From working student to Finance Business Partner

Jill (28) started her career at Deloitte in 2015, while she was still studying Accountancy & Finance in Maastricht. ‘I was searching for a part time job next to my studies. Deloitte seemed like an interesting place to start, and fitted well within my field of interest. That’s why I started as a working student in Benefits & Pension Advisory, within Deloitte Financial Advisory. I always wanted to do a Ph.D after my graduation. But I liked working at Deloitte so much that I preferred to stay there. After three years I became the Teamlead at Client Project Control, and a year ago I switched to a position as a Business Controller at Clients & Industries. Both are part of Deloitte Support. Deloitte offers you plenty of room to choose your own career path, and this was my opportunity to become a controller. Just like I wanted.’

With open arms

Giovanni (37) has also been working at Deloitte for quite a while. ‘After I graduated in Business Administration, I started as an Invoice Manager in 2011. What I liked about Deloitte? I was looking for a place where I could develop myself and would be challenged enough, and Deloitte is a very dynamic, big, international firm. In the past eleven years, not a year went by without some kind of change’, he says cheerfully. ‘In my spare time, I’m a volunteer at Brandweer (fire department) Beemster. Two years ago, I thought it would be fun to have a regular job there. So I made the switch and started as a controller at Brandweer Amsterdam. However, it wasn’t long before I wanted to return to Deloitte. Deloitte is such a dynamic and innovative organisation, I really missed that. Fortunately, I was received with open arms.’

Strategic aspects

Currently, Jill and Giovanni are both working at Deloitte Support. “As a Business Controller Clients & Industries I’m focused on the financials of Deloitte - major client accounts and various industries. Not one industry in particular, but the complete industry axis', Jill says excitedly. ‘I am a strategic sparring partner and I support the budgeting and forecasting processes. What is the financial outlook for next year? But also: how are we going to design our strategic planning model for the next five years? Next to that, I assist with the monthly reports for the Industry Leaders and ad hoc analysis issues such as the best possible margin strategy. It’s a job with great versatility, it’s fun and challenging. It can be demanding at times, but it always energises me.’

The spider in the web

Giovanni was Teamlead Engagement Financial Advisor (EFA). He’s in charge of a team of eleven EFA colleagues in the Netherlands, nine working students and eight colleagues in India. ‘We offer end-to-end support with Deloitte’s CRM and ERP systems, and help our colleagues in the business with the processes if they don’t know what to do. Also, we offer advice on how to organise projects for external clients. We deliver account reports, calculate volume discounts, and keep track of the profitability of projects and clients – and so much more. As a Teamlead, I'm the link between the various chains and partners or managers. I make sure that demand and supply meet. That’s a wonderful thing to do. Since almost 4 years I am fulfilling this role as a manager."

Out of your comfort zone

‘It’s amazing to see how many opportunities Deloitte has to offer’, Jill continues. ‘You’re constantly being challenged to step out of your comfort zone. That’s what makes it interesting. If you want to, you can move from one discipline to another. There’s a wide range of financial jobs. Also, you can make a cross-function switch to, for example, Audit or Tax. Everyone is open-minded and wants to share their expertise. You get plenty of opportunities and can have an open conversation about this with each other.' Giovanni smiles: ‘No wonder that Deloitte was recently in the Top 25 of the World’s Best Workplaces!’