May 8, 2024 • 20 mins
Spreadsheets, numbers, and monotony… we all know the reputation of accountancy isn’t always the most exciting. But, is that really all there is to it?
This week, we sit down with ACCA members Angelika Cyrulinska and Remi Allen-Bond to dig into their creative careers. From making a real impact on big projects at Mercedes-Benz, to advising on innovative strategy at Santander, they give us a glimpse into the range of exciting and dynamic ventures that accountants can get their teeth stuck into.
Plus, we explore their unique journeys into accountancy and finance. As a school leaver, Angelika shares where she got the accountancy bug, and Remi describes the graduate program that got his career going after finishing his degree.
Hit follow now so you never miss an episode and let us know what you think by leaving a rating or review.
With skills in accountancy and finance, you can work in any business, anywhere, and turn your passion into an exciting and rewarding career with an ACCA qualification. You can sign up to find out more by heading to www.accaglobal.com/beyouanywhere.
To watch the video version of this podcast, head to www.accaglobal.com/byallaccounts.
By All Accounts… is a Fresh Air Production for ACCA. The Senior Producer is Eva Higginbotham, with support from Sarah Moore. The Executive Producer is Annie Day. The videographer is Yohan Forbes and the Sound Engineer is Basil Oxtoby. Bukky Fadipe is the Assistant Producer and Nik Gandhi is the Marketing Manager.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Maiki Lynch (00:01):
Hey there, I'm Maiki Lynch and I'm an accountant. I know,
I know... I work with numbers, but I like to
think I'm a people person too. However, unless you're an accountant,
or working in finance, or you are best mates with
someone who is, I bet I know what you're thinking... "
What do accountants actually do?" " Don't you have to be
really good at maths?" " What does it mean to work
(00:21):
in finance?" " Isn't it super boring and stressful and just
lots of messing around with spreadsheets?" Well, the thing is,
we all do a lot of different things. We didn't
all win maths prizes at school. Many of us didn't
even go to uni, and we've all had our unique
journeys to getting here. So, in this new series from ACCA,
I'm sitting down with some real- life accountants and people
(00:44):
who work in finance to bust some of the myths
that you might not even realist you believe about this
amazing career path. We'll be cracking open the core of
what it's actually like. From the happy moments -
Angelika Cyrulinska (00:55):
I cried, to be honest. I cried with happiness.
Maiki Lynch (00:58):
To the bumps in the road.
Ravi Tanna (01:00):
My confidence was really knocked.
Maiki Lynch (01:01):
And the silliness in between.
Shaun Fenwick (01:03):
Going out to t he tap room and drinking loads of
free beer, which is brilliant.
Maiki Lynch (01:09):
Welcome to By All Accounts. Now, I did my accountancy
training back in 2011, starting off working on the sales
ledger and progressing through to becoming a management accountant. And
even though I now work in education for ACCA, I
still remember the looks I got when I told people
that I was training to be an accountant. I'd say
(01:29):
the number one thing that went unsaid was, " Isn't that
going to be really boring?" So I found two people
who currently work in accounting and finance to ask, is
your job really boring? First up, Angelika Cyrulinska. Welcome.
Angelika Cyrulinska (01:44):
Hiya.
Maiki Lynch (01:44):
And Remi Allen- Bond. Hello.
Remi Allen-Bond (01:46):
Hi. Nice to meet you.
Maiki Lynch (01:47):
So, what do you reckon? Is finance really boring?
Angelika Cyrulinska (01:50):
I wouldn't say it's really boring. I would say, for example,
my current job, I'm involved in so many different things
that you wouldn't typically think an accountant would be involved with.
And I think that is what makes my job fun
on a daily basis - it's the reason why I will
continue to be an accountant probably for the rest of ...
Until I retire!
Maiki Lynch (02:09):
I was just about say that's quite a commitment there!
Angelika Cyrulinska (02:09):
Yeah, I know
Maiki Lynch (02:13):
Till death do we part!
Angelika Cyrulinska (02:14):
Yeah. Maybe not in the same position I'm at, but
I don't think, when I first started, I imagined I'll
be an accountant forever. I think I wanted to get
the qualification to open up a bit more opportunity for
myself. But, it wasn't until I started my current role
that I thought actually this isn't anything I expected. And
(02:35):
I think that my job alone now opens even more
opportunities to things that are not typical accountant roles, I guess.
Maiki Lynch (02:43):
Can I ask... you talk about what you perhaps expected
it to be. Did you expect that it was going
to be boring, potentially?
Angelika Cyrulinska (02:49):
I did. I thought it was going to be a
lot of data entry and Excel spreadsheets and that's all
the job entailed. But, I think when I first started
my job as an auditor, it was more just analyzing data,
drawing conclusions from the data and then applying it to decision- making,
(03:11):
which I obviously didn't expect. I definitely thought it was not going to
be the funnest job. And definitely when I tell people
I'm an accountant, I get some funny looks like, " Oh,
you must be a fun person to be around!" I
think people have an expectation of what you're like. But,
I wouldn't say that's true at all, based off myself
and my friends.
Maiki Lynch (03:30):
Remi, if I can just bring you into the conversation
about is it boring? Do you think finance is boring?
Remi Allen-Bond (03:36):
Not at all. No. I think like Angelika was saying there,
it is massively varied. So, my journey in finance, I've
done three different roles in the past four- ish years,
from your day- to- day corporate accounting reporting to working
in treasury for a bank, to working in strategy, corporate development.
(03:56):
And all of those I've been able to do because
I trained as an accountant. So, I think there's a
lot more to accounting and to accountancy qualifications than just
do an accounting, necessarily. So, even if accounting isn't for
you, there are still many, many things that you can do with
it outside of core accounting.
Maiki Lynch (04:14):
I love to hear that and I completely agree with
what you both said about the breadth of roles that
can be offered. Angelika, I wonder if I can come
back to you. Where are you working at the moment and
what is it that your job entails?
Angelika Cyrulinska (04:27):
So, at the moment I work at Mercedes- Benz as
a finance business partner. And my two areas that I
look after is investments and facilities. So, I basically look
at the projects that we invest our money into and
also the costs of running our building and stuff like that. So,
I work with a lot of my business partners to
(04:48):
see how we can work more efficiently and to save
costs where we can, but still get the same quality.
Maiki Lynch (04:56):
That's fantastic and that sounds like a very exciting workplace.
What reaction do you normally get when people ask you
where you work and what you do?
Angelika Cyrulinska (05:02):
People are quite surprised that I work at Mercedes. I think
a lot of people expect you to work for an
accountancy practice. I think a lot of my friends, initially
when I said I was an accountant, people come to
me with tax questions quite often. So, I think people
don't necessarily take into account that you can work for
(05:23):
so many different industries. And, if you're interested in something,
you can work in that industry, whether that's music or
fashion or cars, for example. You can go into that
industry still and work in the finance section.
Maiki Lynch (05:36):
Do you like it? And if you do, what do
you like about it?
Angelika Cyrulinska (05:39):
I do really like it. I like the people I
get to work with. I get to work with and
collaborate with many people throughout the business that are doing
different things that aren't anything finance- related. And I really
enjoy talking to them and being able to have an
insight into... not the finance sector I guess, which I
(05:59):
deal with, but also their challenges and what they're looking
to do and then help them and have an input.
Maiki Lynch (06:05):
So, you're working with lots of different teams throughout the
organization who aren't necessarily your finance function at Mercedes?
Angelika Cyrulinska (06:11):
Yep.
Maiki Lynch (06:11):
Remi, I'd like to come to you and just to hear about
your job. Can you tell us where you work and what it is that you do?
Remi Allen-Bond (06:14):
So, I work for Santander UK in their Strategy and Corporate Development
team. So, what that means, we have essentially three main
roles. The first one is determining the bank's long- term
strategy. A second part is corporate development, which is your
typical mergers and acquisitions.
Maiki Lynch (06:34):
Lovely.
Remi Allen-Bond (06:34):
And then the third part is strategic projects. That's like
your internal consultants.
Maiki Lynch (06:40):
How did you get there? I know that so many
people perhaps who are listening, they may be thinking, " Gosh,
I'd love to have that job." How did you get there?
Remi Allen-Bond (06:48):
So, most of my team have backgrounds in either investment
banking or in consultancy. The way I got there was a
bit different. So, I did a graduate program at Santander
after finishing uni. So, I went through a few rotations
on the grad scheme. And in my third year my
rotation was in that team. And I guess I impressed
(07:10):
them while there, because they decided to keep me when
their scheme finally ended and I'm still there now.
Maiki Lynch (07:15):
Congratulations. So, you got to try out different areas of
the business when you're saying rotations-
Remi Allen-Bond (07:20):
Exactly.
Maiki Lynch (07:20):
You got to try out different areas. And this particular
area that you were working in, it was a good fit?
Remi Allen-Bond (07:25):
It was a good fit. Precisely. Yeah.
Maiki Lynch (07:26):
And how do people react when you say you work
in finance, that you are a chartered accountant?
Remi Allen-Bond (07:31):
Like Angelika said, they asked me to do taxes for
them, is the most common response! But, no. They're generally impressed because
it is a recognized profession worldwide.
Maiki Lynch (07:41):
And is that what attracted you to the profession?
Remi Allen-Bond (07:43):
So, what attracted me then was one, yeah. Of course,
it's recognized. There's a certain, I suppose, respect in having
done it and recognition in having done it. I think
also just being wholly pragmatic. If we look at salaries
and salary growth over the past few years, especially, finance
has been one of the few sectors in the UK
that has seen consistent strong salary growth. So, in terms
(08:05):
of a long- term career, it's a very good one to be in.
Maiki Lynch (08:07):
I completely understand where you're coming from there. Angelika, I
wonder if I can come to you. What were your
reasons for going into finance?
Angelika Cyrulinska (08:14):
I guess I was a bit similar with the money aspect.
That seemed quite attractive to me. But, also I quite
liked problem solving and it all came about because I
worked in retail during my gap year and I did
some back- of- house admin stuff and looking into unusual
(08:35):
transactions, etc. And that's what made me think that I
would be good at audit, which was my first job
doing accountancy, I guess. So, I guess a bit of
both. I thought money and then I thought I would
enjoy it as well.
Maiki Lynch (08:47):
What is audit? I sometimes think of it as a little
bit like detective work. But, how would you define audit
or what do you think audit is?
Angelika Cyrulinska (08:55):
I guess it is a bit of that. It's basically
just going to a business and making sure their financial
records are reflecting what they should be reflecting and the
figures are correct and accurate. And I guess a lot
of it is kind of questioning some of the judgments
the finance department in the certain business have made. It
(09:16):
was a little bit daunting at first going into a
business as an audit junior and questioning people that have
been an accountant for 20- plus years, being like finance
directors and questioning them on I guess their judgments and
what the figures are representing, et cetera.
Maiki Lynch (09:33):
So, you came out of retail and you moved into
audit? Can you tell us a little bit about what
you did at that particular point as your entry role
into accountancy? And perhaps any study that went along with that?
Angelika Cyrulinska (09:44):
Yeah. Sure. So I started on a school- leavers program,
the same as an apprenticeship, I guess, for a practice.
They did audit and accounts, but I was mostly in
the audit department. I left the practice, because I wanted
to focus more on some accounts and tax work, which
I wasn't exposed to very much at the time. So,
(10:06):
then I moved into a smaller practice to do just
that. And then, when the time came up, I built up my confidence
dealing with clients, et cetera. The job at Mercedes came
up as a financial accountant, which is what I originally
started with. And then, obviously, now I'm here in my
current role. But, I then started my ACCA and then
it took me around three years to do ACCA. So,
(10:28):
all in all, it took me about five years to
go from nothing to being qualified.
Maiki Lynch (10:33):
So you're qualified-
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:35):
Yes. I'm qualified now-
Maiki Lynch (10:36):
qualified?
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:36):
Recently. Not too long ago, actually. I got my results
in October.
Maiki Lynch (10:40):
Oh, congratulations.
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:41):
Thank you.
Maiki Lynch (10:41):
Congratulations.
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:42):
Thank you.
Maiki Lynch (10:42):
How did you feel when you passed, when you'd realized that
after five years of study it's all done? It's all done and you're chartered?
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:49):
Yeah. So I wasn't as cool about it. I wasn't very
confident. So, I cried to be honest. I cried with
happiness. I was really, really happy, because I wasn't expecting
to pass my last exam. I have passed all the
other ones first time, luckily. But, the last exam I
felt was so tough. I really wasn't expecting to pass.
And when the results came through and I actually did
(11:11):
quite well, I just felt just all the relief. And
just five years of work just paid off in that
moment. I just felt really, really good.
Maiki Lynch (11:19):
That's fantastic. And I can see you just glowing, just
reliving that moment right there. And now that you are
qualified, do you feel it's turned out how you expected?
Angelika Cyrulinska (11:30):
I guess yes and no. I don't know. I built
it up in my head so much that I didn't
really know what to expect. I was just looking forward
to the end of my exams and just having all
that extra time, because I feel like after school I
had my gap year and then I went straight into
studying again. But then, in the other aspect is I
(11:50):
feel like I'm more confident in my role now. I
feel like I have got more knowledge than I did
before. Thinking back to the audit junior days, where I
was a little bit clueless, now to actually being able
to do and explain what I'm doing to others.
Maiki Lynch (12:05):
And so, you've moved through so many different bits of
the various roles that you can have within accounting, finance,
even within such a short time. Do you feel that
there's room for creativity? I don't want to say " creative accountancy." That's not
what I'm saying. But, do you feel that there's room
for creativity in your role as a finance business partner, in
what you are doing in Mercedes and working with all the various
(12:28):
teams that they have?
Angelika Cyrulinska (12:29):
Yeah. Definitely. I think we always have to think outside
the box of how we can be the most efficient
we can and cut costs. And when I collaborate with
my business partners and they have ideas of how they
want to carry out the business, I can then look
into the financials. And we can consider multiple options, compare
how much is it going to cost us? What benefits
(12:51):
are we going to get? And sometimes it takes a
lot of outside- the- box thinking.
Maiki Lynch (12:54):
I think that leverages on some of the things that you
mentioned that you enjoyed earlier on in your career and that
you realized that you had those skills for problem- solving
essentially, and coming up with those ideas and sharing them
within the business. Remi, I want to come back to
you. Would you say the job has turned out how
you expected?
Remi Allen-Bond (13:10):
I would say so, yes. I didn't really go in with
a vision of how it would be in the end. The
kind of role I'm doing now is what I wanted
to do when I first joined them, but didn't know it actually
had a name. I didn't know that my actual current
role was actually a role that existed. So, it turned
out as I hoped it would, but not really as
(13:31):
I'd expected it would.
Maiki Lynch (13:32):
That's interesting. Would you say that there's space for creativity
in what you are doing?
Remi Allen-Bond (13:38):
100%. My role is so massively varied in what we
do. No two projects are going to be the same.
Every year the strategy evolves. The thing I like about it
most is the variety involved in it and the need
to adapt. I didn't want to have a role where
it was monotonous, or where there was too much routine
(14:00):
involved. I wanted a role that challenged me to come to work
each day and not quite know what's going to happen,
which is what I get now. Don't get me wrong,
that there are roles and people do enjoy roles where, say,
it could be monthly cycles or that stuff and that
is fine. I've done those as well and they were
fun and in different way, because you were able to
(14:22):
perfect a task. But, I personally like the challenge of
the ad hoc nature of my current role.
Maiki Lynch (14:26):
I really like the way you explained that, the point
in your career when you're acquiring those skills, you are
perfecting that particular task. You are acquiring that skill and
I guess you're at a point now where you've moved
on and you're able to deal with change, basically. Change
that's happening and change that's happening faster than perhaps it's
ever happened before. So, Angelika, can you tell us a
(14:49):
little bit more about the lifestyle that this career path
has given you?
Angelika Cyrulinska (14:54):
I feel like there's definitely some perks from, especially my
current job at the moment. For example, now in my
current role, I get to drive one of the Mercedes cars,
so that's part of a, I guess, staff reward scheme
where I basically get given a car to drive and experience. So,
it's significantly cheaper. I'd definitely not be able to afford
(15:16):
to get the same car I drive now if I
was to buy it, for example. So, yeah. That definitely helps,
especially that I really like the cars!
Maiki Lynch (15:28):
I suspected you may do, if you work for Mercedes. It
would be a perk if you were enthusiastic about the
car industry.
Angelika Cyrulinska (15:34):
Yeah.
Maiki Lynch (15:36):
Remi, also coming to you. Can you talk to us a
little bit about the lifestyle that choosing accounting and finance
has giving you?
Remi Allen-Bond (15:43):
Well, no free cars, unfortunately.
Maiki Lynch (15:45):
Sad times.
Remi Allen-Bond (15:46):
I know. So, I think that a lot of finance firms, banks
specifically, do reward their people quite well and do treat
them quite well. Speaking solely from Santander, it's all
very nice. The salary we've touched on already, is good
for the industry. There are other perks, pension providing, tons of annual
leave. Then there's other things like annual bonuses, which is
(16:10):
additional funding, company car schemes. So, there's a lot of
things there, which all adds to the bottom line individually.
Maiki Lynch (16:17):
I want to ask you, are careers in accountancy and
finance boring and uncreative therefore? And how do you feel?
Remi Allen-Bond (16:24):
I feel like that is a wholly undeserved stereotype. And I
say that, because if you look at even just Angelika
and me, our roles are both in accountancy and finance, but wholly different roles. And both require creativity
to do them.
Maiki Lynch (16:40):
Angelika, can I come to you just to hear your thoughts
on that question?
Angelika Cyrulinska (16:43):
I completely agree. I think there's so much variety in
what accountancy and finance is and you can pretty much
make of it what you want. You can definitely personalize
it to yourself and what you're interested in.
Maiki Lynch (16:56):
I agree. And I think you both work in some
very exciting industries. And I like that you've also recognized that
there's the opportunity to move about, to move from one
industry to another, from banking to cars. And so, I
guess my last, question for you, Angelika, what advice would
you give someone perhaps who's listening now, who's considering a
career in accounting and finance. What advice would you give them?
Angelika Cyrulinska (17:18):
I would probably say to do a bit of research
into what does interest you the most. And if you
don't have a complete plan of where you want to
end up in a few years time, that's fine. But,
I think looking into the type of accounting and finance
that you want to do helps. And I think then
if you know any accountants, then also talk to them
(17:40):
and what they've experienced in their life. But also, there's
so much stuff online that you can find nowadays, of people
sharing their experiences. And also career fairs and stuff like
that. I know ACCA did one not that long ago as well.
So just attending them and finding out, I guess, more
(18:00):
about the profession, because I think it does take a
lot of commitment to get to a qualified position, I
guess. So, that's what I would say. But just probably
do a bit of research into what you'd be interested in.
Maiki Lynch (18:14):
Thank you. I think that's really sound advice. Remi, coming to you
just with the same question.
Remi Allen-Bond (18:20):
Yeah. So again, I'd echo first of all, do a
bit of research. Speak to someone who's in the industry
and see do they like it? I think that if
you can join a rotational scheme, like a grad scheme,
that's a great option, because it gives you ... It's built
in that you'll have opportunities to look at different areas
within accountancy and finance as part of that program. So,
(18:41):
you'll have the chance to see... to try this and try
that and say, "Oh, I like this, not that." And that can help you decide where you want
to end up in the long term. The second thing that I'd
say, or I suppose third thing now, is if you can join,
then even join doing something that's quite straightforward or more
entry level, like say just financial reporting, financial accounting, because
(19:04):
that will give you a good basis of what the
industry actually is. It'll introduce you to other business areas
within either your organization or elsewhere, and how they work and will
allow you then to, if you want to move elsewhere,
to grow your skillset and then move elsewhere. I think
the thing that's helped me most in my current role
is having done financial reporting for a year. I use
(19:27):
that knowledge today. Even though it's an entirely different job,
the skills that you learn in it are useful anywhere.
Maiki Lynch (19:35):
That's it from this episode of By All Accounts. Thank
you Remi and Angelika for chatting with me today. For
a link to watch the video version of this podcast,
check out the show notes. With skills and accountancy and
finance you can work in any business anywhere and turn
your passion into an exciting and rewarding career with an
(19:56):
ACCA qualification. You can sign up to find out more
by heading to accaglobal. com/ buanywhere. That link is also
in the show notes. See you next week. I'm Maiki
Lynch and this has been By All Accounts. By All Accounts,
is a Fresh Air production for ACCA. Its Lead Producer
(20:19):
is Eva Higginbotham, with support from Sarah Moore. And its
Executive Producer is Annie Day.
Hey there, I'm Maiki Lynch and I'm an accountant. I know,
I know... I work with numbers, but I like to
think I'm a people person too. However, unless you're an accountant,
or working in finance, or you are best mates with
someone who is, I bet I know what you're thinking... "
What do accountants actually do?" " Don't you have to be
really good at maths?" " What does it mean to work
(00:21):
in finance?" " Isn't it super boring and stressful and just
lots of messing around with spreadsheets?" Well, the thing is,
we all do a lot of different things. We didn't
all win maths prizes at school. Many of us didn't
even go to uni, and we've all had our unique
journeys to getting here. So, in this new series from ACCA,
I'm sitting down with some real- life accountants and people
(00:44):
who work in finance to bust some of the myths
that you might not even realist you believe about this
amazing career path. We'll be cracking open the core of
what it's actually like. From the happy moments -
Angelika Cyrulinska (00:55):
I cried, to be honest. I cried with happiness.
Maiki Lynch (00:58):
To the bumps in the road.
Ravi Tanna (01:00):
My confidence was really knocked.
Maiki Lynch (01:01):
And the silliness in between.
Shaun Fenwick (01:03):
Going out to t he tap room and drinking loads of
free beer, which is brilliant.
Maiki Lynch (01:09):
Welcome to By All Accounts. Now, I did my accountancy
training back in 2011, starting off working on the sales
ledger and progressing through to becoming a management accountant. And
even though I now work in education for ACCA, I
still remember the looks I got when I told people
that I was training to be an accountant. I'd say
(01:29):
the number one thing that went unsaid was, " Isn't that
going to be really boring?" So I found two people
who currently work in accounting and finance to ask, is
your job really boring? First up, Angelika Cyrulinska. Welcome.
Angelika Cyrulinska (01:44):
Hiya.
Maiki Lynch (01:44):
And Remi Allen- Bond. Hello.
Remi Allen-Bond (01:46):
Hi. Nice to meet you.
Maiki Lynch (01:47):
So, what do you reckon? Is finance really boring?
Angelika Cyrulinska (01:50):
I wouldn't say it's really boring. I would say, for example,
my current job, I'm involved in so many different things
that you wouldn't typically think an accountant would be involved with.
And I think that is what makes my job fun
on a daily basis - it's the reason why I will
continue to be an accountant probably for the rest of ...
Until I retire!
Maiki Lynch (02:09):
I was just about say that's quite a commitment there!
Angelika Cyrulinska (02:09):
Yeah, I know
Maiki Lynch (02:13):
Till death do we part!
Angelika Cyrulinska (02:14):
Yeah. Maybe not in the same position I'm at, but
I don't think, when I first started, I imagined I'll
be an accountant forever. I think I wanted to get
the qualification to open up a bit more opportunity for
myself. But, it wasn't until I started my current role
that I thought actually this isn't anything I expected. And
(02:35):
I think that my job alone now opens even more
opportunities to things that are not typical accountant roles, I guess.
Maiki Lynch (02:43):
Can I ask... you talk about what you perhaps expected
it to be. Did you expect that it was going
to be boring, potentially?
Angelika Cyrulinska (02:49):
I did. I thought it was going to be a
lot of data entry and Excel spreadsheets and that's all
the job entailed. But, I think when I first started
my job as an auditor, it was more just analyzing data,
drawing conclusions from the data and then applying it to decision- making,
(03:11):
which I obviously didn't expect. I definitely thought it was not going to
be the funnest job. And definitely when I tell people
I'm an accountant, I get some funny looks like, " Oh,
you must be a fun person to be around!" I
think people have an expectation of what you're like. But,
I wouldn't say that's true at all, based off myself
and my friends.
Maiki Lynch (03:30):
Remi, if I can just bring you into the conversation
about is it boring? Do you think finance is boring?
Remi Allen-Bond (03:36):
Not at all. No. I think like Angelika was saying there,
it is massively varied. So, my journey in finance, I've
done three different roles in the past four- ish years,
from your day- to- day corporate accounting reporting to working
in treasury for a bank, to working in strategy, corporate development.
(03:56):
And all of those I've been able to do because
I trained as an accountant. So, I think there's a
lot more to accounting and to accountancy qualifications than just
do an accounting, necessarily. So, even if accounting isn't for
you, there are still many, many things that you can do with
it outside of core accounting.
Maiki Lynch (04:14):
I love to hear that and I completely agree with
what you both said about the breadth of roles that
can be offered. Angelika, I wonder if I can come
back to you. Where are you working at the moment and
what is it that your job entails?
Angelika Cyrulinska (04:27):
So, at the moment I work at Mercedes- Benz as
a finance business partner. And my two areas that I
look after is investments and facilities. So, I basically look
at the projects that we invest our money into and
also the costs of running our building and stuff like that. So,
I work with a lot of my business partners to
(04:48):
see how we can work more efficiently and to save
costs where we can, but still get the same quality.
Maiki Lynch (04:56):
That's fantastic and that sounds like a very exciting workplace.
What reaction do you normally get when people ask you
where you work and what you do?
Angelika Cyrulinska (05:02):
People are quite surprised that I work at Mercedes. I think
a lot of people expect you to work for an
accountancy practice. I think a lot of my friends, initially
when I said I was an accountant, people come to
me with tax questions quite often. So, I think people
don't necessarily take into account that you can work for
(05:23):
so many different industries. And, if you're interested in something,
you can work in that industry, whether that's music or
fashion or cars, for example. You can go into that
industry still and work in the finance section.
Maiki Lynch (05:36):
Do you like it? And if you do, what do
you like about it?
Angelika Cyrulinska (05:39):
I do really like it. I like the people I
get to work with. I get to work with and
collaborate with many people throughout the business that are doing
different things that aren't anything finance- related. And I really
enjoy talking to them and being able to have an
insight into... not the finance sector I guess, which I
(05:59):
deal with, but also their challenges and what they're looking
to do and then help them and have an input.
Maiki Lynch (06:05):
So, you're working with lots of different teams throughout the
organization who aren't necessarily your finance function at Mercedes?
Angelika Cyrulinska (06:11):
Yep.
Maiki Lynch (06:11):
Remi, I'd like to come to you and just to hear about
your job. Can you tell us where you work and what it is that you do?
Remi Allen-Bond (06:14):
So, I work for Santander UK in their Strategy and Corporate Development
team. So, what that means, we have essentially three main
roles. The first one is determining the bank's long- term
strategy. A second part is corporate development, which is your
typical mergers and acquisitions.
Maiki Lynch (06:34):
Lovely.
Remi Allen-Bond (06:34):
And then the third part is strategic projects. That's like
your internal consultants.
Maiki Lynch (06:40):
How did you get there? I know that so many
people perhaps who are listening, they may be thinking, " Gosh,
I'd love to have that job." How did you get there?
Remi Allen-Bond (06:48):
So, most of my team have backgrounds in either investment
banking or in consultancy. The way I got there was a
bit different. So, I did a graduate program at Santander
after finishing uni. So, I went through a few rotations
on the grad scheme. And in my third year my
rotation was in that team. And I guess I impressed
(07:10):
them while there, because they decided to keep me when
their scheme finally ended and I'm still there now.
Maiki Lynch (07:15):
Congratulations. So, you got to try out different areas of
the business when you're saying rotations-
Remi Allen-Bond (07:20):
Exactly.
Maiki Lynch (07:20):
You got to try out different areas. And this particular
area that you were working in, it was a good fit?
Remi Allen-Bond (07:25):
It was a good fit. Precisely. Yeah.
Maiki Lynch (07:26):
And how do people react when you say you work
in finance, that you are a chartered accountant?
Remi Allen-Bond (07:31):
Like Angelika said, they asked me to do taxes for
them, is the most common response! But, no. They're generally impressed because
it is a recognized profession worldwide.
Maiki Lynch (07:41):
And is that what attracted you to the profession?
Remi Allen-Bond (07:43):
So, what attracted me then was one, yeah. Of course,
it's recognized. There's a certain, I suppose, respect in having
done it and recognition in having done it. I think
also just being wholly pragmatic. If we look at salaries
and salary growth over the past few years, especially, finance
has been one of the few sectors in the UK
that has seen consistent strong salary growth. So, in terms
(08:05):
of a long- term career, it's a very good one to be in.
Maiki Lynch (08:07):
I completely understand where you're coming from there. Angelika, I
wonder if I can come to you. What were your
reasons for going into finance?
Angelika Cyrulinska (08:14):
I guess I was a bit similar with the money aspect.
That seemed quite attractive to me. But, also I quite
liked problem solving and it all came about because I
worked in retail during my gap year and I did
some back- of- house admin stuff and looking into unusual
(08:35):
transactions, etc. And that's what made me think that I
would be good at audit, which was my first job
doing accountancy, I guess. So, I guess a bit of
both. I thought money and then I thought I would
enjoy it as well.
Maiki Lynch (08:47):
What is audit? I sometimes think of it as a little
bit like detective work. But, how would you define audit
or what do you think audit is?
Angelika Cyrulinska (08:55):
I guess it is a bit of that. It's basically
just going to a business and making sure their financial
records are reflecting what they should be reflecting and the
figures are correct and accurate. And I guess a lot
of it is kind of questioning some of the judgments
the finance department in the certain business have made. It
(09:16):
was a little bit daunting at first going into a
business as an audit junior and questioning people that have
been an accountant for 20- plus years, being like finance
directors and questioning them on I guess their judgments and
what the figures are representing, et cetera.
Maiki Lynch (09:33):
So, you came out of retail and you moved into
audit? Can you tell us a little bit about what
you did at that particular point as your entry role
into accountancy? And perhaps any study that went along with that?
Angelika Cyrulinska (09:44):
Yeah. Sure. So I started on a school- leavers program,
the same as an apprenticeship, I guess, for a practice.
They did audit and accounts, but I was mostly in
the audit department. I left the practice, because I wanted
to focus more on some accounts and tax work, which
I wasn't exposed to very much at the time. So,
(10:06):
then I moved into a smaller practice to do just
that. And then, when the time came up, I built up my confidence
dealing with clients, et cetera. The job at Mercedes came
up as a financial accountant, which is what I originally
started with. And then, obviously, now I'm here in my
current role. But, I then started my ACCA and then
it took me around three years to do ACCA. So,
(10:28):
all in all, it took me about five years to
go from nothing to being qualified.
Maiki Lynch (10:33):
So you're qualified-
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:35):
Yes. I'm qualified now-
Maiki Lynch (10:36):
qualified?
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:36):
Recently. Not too long ago, actually. I got my results
in October.
Maiki Lynch (10:40):
Oh, congratulations.
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:41):
Thank you.
Maiki Lynch (10:41):
Congratulations.
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:42):
Thank you.
Maiki Lynch (10:42):
How did you feel when you passed, when you'd realized that
after five years of study it's all done? It's all done and you're chartered?
Angelika Cyrulinska (10:49):
Yeah. So I wasn't as cool about it. I wasn't very
confident. So, I cried to be honest. I cried with
happiness. I was really, really happy, because I wasn't expecting
to pass my last exam. I have passed all the
other ones first time, luckily. But, the last exam I
felt was so tough. I really wasn't expecting to pass.
And when the results came through and I actually did
(11:11):
quite well, I just felt just all the relief. And
just five years of work just paid off in that
moment. I just felt really, really good.
Maiki Lynch (11:19):
That's fantastic. And I can see you just glowing, just
reliving that moment right there. And now that you are
qualified, do you feel it's turned out how you expected?
Angelika Cyrulinska (11:30):
I guess yes and no. I don't know. I built
it up in my head so much that I didn't
really know what to expect. I was just looking forward
to the end of my exams and just having all
that extra time, because I feel like after school I
had my gap year and then I went straight into
studying again. But then, in the other aspect is I
(11:50):
feel like I'm more confident in my role now. I
feel like I have got more knowledge than I did
before. Thinking back to the audit junior days, where I
was a little bit clueless, now to actually being able
to do and explain what I'm doing to others.
Maiki Lynch (12:05):
And so, you've moved through so many different bits of
the various roles that you can have within accounting, finance,
even within such a short time. Do you feel that
there's room for creativity? I don't want to say " creative accountancy." That's not
what I'm saying. But, do you feel that there's room
for creativity in your role as a finance business partner, in
what you are doing in Mercedes and working with all the various
(12:28):
teams that they have?
Angelika Cyrulinska (12:29):
Yeah. Definitely. I think we always have to think outside
the box of how we can be the most efficient
we can and cut costs. And when I collaborate with
my business partners and they have ideas of how they
want to carry out the business, I can then look
into the financials. And we can consider multiple options, compare
how much is it going to cost us? What benefits
(12:51):
are we going to get? And sometimes it takes a
lot of outside- the- box thinking.
Maiki Lynch (12:54):
I think that leverages on some of the things that you
mentioned that you enjoyed earlier on in your career and that
you realized that you had those skills for problem- solving
essentially, and coming up with those ideas and sharing them
within the business. Remi, I want to come back to
you. Would you say the job has turned out how
you expected?
Remi Allen-Bond (13:10):
I would say so, yes. I didn't really go in with
a vision of how it would be in the end. The
kind of role I'm doing now is what I wanted
to do when I first joined them, but didn't know it actually
had a name. I didn't know that my actual current
role was actually a role that existed. So, it turned
out as I hoped it would, but not really as
(13:31):
I'd expected it would.
Maiki Lynch (13:32):
That's interesting. Would you say that there's space for creativity
in what you are doing?
Remi Allen-Bond (13:38):
100%. My role is so massively varied in what we
do. No two projects are going to be the same.
Every year the strategy evolves. The thing I like about it
most is the variety involved in it and the need
to adapt. I didn't want to have a role where
it was monotonous, or where there was too much routine
(14:00):
involved. I wanted a role that challenged me to come to work
each day and not quite know what's going to happen,
which is what I get now. Don't get me wrong,
that there are roles and people do enjoy roles where, say,
it could be monthly cycles or that stuff and that
is fine. I've done those as well and they were
fun and in different way, because you were able to
(14:22):
perfect a task. But, I personally like the challenge of
the ad hoc nature of my current role.
Maiki Lynch (14:26):
I really like the way you explained that, the point
in your career when you're acquiring those skills, you are
perfecting that particular task. You are acquiring that skill and
I guess you're at a point now where you've moved
on and you're able to deal with change, basically. Change
that's happening and change that's happening faster than perhaps it's
ever happened before. So, Angelika, can you tell us a
(14:49):
little bit more about the lifestyle that this career path
has given you?
Angelika Cyrulinska (14:54):
I feel like there's definitely some perks from, especially my
current job at the moment. For example, now in my
current role, I get to drive one of the Mercedes cars,
so that's part of a, I guess, staff reward scheme
where I basically get given a car to drive and experience. So,
it's significantly cheaper. I'd definitely not be able to afford
(15:16):
to get the same car I drive now if I
was to buy it, for example. So, yeah. That definitely helps,
especially that I really like the cars!
Maiki Lynch (15:28):
I suspected you may do, if you work for Mercedes. It
would be a perk if you were enthusiastic about the
car industry.
Angelika Cyrulinska (15:34):
Yeah.
Maiki Lynch (15:36):
Remi, also coming to you. Can you talk to us a
little bit about the lifestyle that choosing accounting and finance
has giving you?
Remi Allen-Bond (15:43):
Well, no free cars, unfortunately.
Maiki Lynch (15:45):
Sad times.
Remi Allen-Bond (15:46):
I know. So, I think that a lot of finance firms, banks
specifically, do reward their people quite well and do treat
them quite well. Speaking solely from Santander, it's all
very nice. The salary we've touched on already, is good
for the industry. There are other perks, pension providing, tons of annual
leave. Then there's other things like annual bonuses, which is
(16:10):
additional funding, company car schemes. So, there's a lot of
things there, which all adds to the bottom line individually.
Maiki Lynch (16:17):
I want to ask you, are careers in accountancy and
finance boring and uncreative therefore? And how do you feel?
Remi Allen-Bond (16:24):
I feel like that is a wholly undeserved stereotype. And I
say that, because if you look at even just Angelika
and me, our roles are both in accountancy and finance, but wholly different roles. And both require creativity
to do them.
Maiki Lynch (16:40):
Angelika, can I come to you just to hear your thoughts
on that question?
Angelika Cyrulinska (16:43):
I completely agree. I think there's so much variety in
what accountancy and finance is and you can pretty much
make of it what you want. You can definitely personalize
it to yourself and what you're interested in.
Maiki Lynch (16:56):
I agree. And I think you both work in some
very exciting industries. And I like that you've also recognized that
there's the opportunity to move about, to move from one
industry to another, from banking to cars. And so, I
guess my last, question for you, Angelika, what advice would
you give someone perhaps who's listening now, who's considering a
career in accounting and finance. What advice would you give them?
Angelika Cyrulinska (17:18):
I would probably say to do a bit of research
into what does interest you the most. And if you
don't have a complete plan of where you want to
end up in a few years time, that's fine. But,
I think looking into the type of accounting and finance
that you want to do helps. And I think then
if you know any accountants, then also talk to them
(17:40):
and what they've experienced in their life. But also, there's
so much stuff online that you can find nowadays, of people
sharing their experiences. And also career fairs and stuff like
that. I know ACCA did one not that long ago as well.
So just attending them and finding out, I guess, more
(18:00):
about the profession, because I think it does take a
lot of commitment to get to a qualified position, I
guess. So, that's what I would say. But just probably
do a bit of research into what you'd be interested in.
Maiki Lynch (18:14):
Thank you. I think that's really sound advice. Remi, coming to you
just with the same question.
Remi Allen-Bond (18:20):
Yeah. So again, I'd echo first of all, do a
bit of research. Speak to someone who's in the industry
and see do they like it? I think that if
you can join a rotational scheme, like a grad scheme,
that's a great option, because it gives you ... It's built
in that you'll have opportunities to look at different areas
within accountancy and finance as part of that program. So,
(18:41):
you'll have the chance to see... to try this and try
that and say, "Oh, I like this, not that." And that can help you decide where you want
to end up in the long term. The second thing that I'd
say, or I suppose third thing now, is if you can join,
then even join doing something that's quite straightforward or more
entry level, like say just financial reporting, financial accounting, because
(19:04):
that will give you a good basis of what the
industry actually is. It'll introduce you to other business areas
within either your organization or elsewhere, and how they work and will
allow you then to, if you want to move elsewhere,
to grow your skillset and then move elsewhere. I think
the thing that's helped me most in my current role
is having done financial reporting for a year. I use
(19:27):
that knowledge today. Even though it's an entirely different job,
the skills that you learn in it are useful anywhere.
Maiki Lynch (19:35):
That's it from this episode of By All Accounts. Thank
you Remi and Angelika for chatting with me today. For
a link to watch the video version of this podcast,
check out the show notes. With skills and accountancy and
finance you can work in any business anywhere and turn
your passion into an exciting and rewarding career with an
(19:56):
ACCA qualification. You can sign up to find out more
by heading to accaglobal. com/ buanywhere. That link is also
in the show notes. See you next week. I'm Maiki
Lynch and this has been By All Accounts. By All Accounts,
is a Fresh Air production for ACCA. Its Lead Producer
(20:19):
is Eva Higginbotham, with support from Sarah Moore. And its
Executive Producer is Annie Day.
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