Breaking the Finance Professional Stereotype
[Music]
ever since i can remember
i’ve always known that i wasn’t the
fastest learner in the world nor the
most academically advanced
having two siblings as geniuses and a
phd for a father
who literally put the attitude in
mathematician meant that expectations
were incredibly high
but sadly my competencies were not
having this constant pressure to score
those top grades
meant i constantly kept on failing and
before you knew it
i gave up on myself accepted my fate
and branded myself as the dumb one
as time went on other events happened in
my home life which coupled with my
rebellious ways
caused me to hinder my own personal
development even further and it was only
until i reached my late teens
that i realized just how disappointing
this was for my family
especially my father i knew i couldn’t
carry on this way
and that serious changes had to be made
thankfully
i slowly started to get better and
obtained my degree in business and
finance
and after graduating i landed my first
job in recruitment industry
from here i decided to take up my
professional accountancy qualification
and passed a few exams by my early 20s
with each milestone giving me back an
ounce of confidence and encouragement
that i
absolutely needed it was amazing to see
that finally after over 20 years
my father started to believe in me again
however this was all very short-lived as
in 2008 my father had been diagnosed
with stage 4 cancer in the brain
there was no cure and i now had to
condition my mind into the acceptance
which was that for all these years that
one relationship that i saw worth
fighting for
was now about to end before it had even
begun
he was just 54 years old
in 2009 my father eventually lost his
battle and passed away in the presence
of those that loved him the most it was
and still is
the most horrifying yet spiritually
awakening experience of my entire life
i knew from the moment it happened that
life for me had drastically changed
and i was never going to be the same
person ever again
there’s no denying that at the time i
felt sad
heartbroken and angry but in hindsight i
feel that this experience has shaped the
person i am today
giving me a sense of empowerment and a
newfound strength to overcome any
challenges that may lie ahead
with this in mind i wanted to dedicate
my life into becoming the best version
of myself
and i wanted to succeed in everything i
put my mind to
no matter how many mistakes were made
along the way
each lesson learned meant that i became
that much stronger
and one of my goals was to complete my
qualification and escalate up the
accountancy ladder
however i also wanted to be a strong
representation of turning past pain into
motivation to do better
how being a woman from an ethnic
background and being a mother
bears no relevance on how high i can go
showing bravery and courage
by taking the plunge to challenge and
try things outside of my comfort zone
such as entering industries such as
technology for example
where females are still heavily
underrepresented
but above all of this i wanted to
celebrate my authenticity
and show the world especially our
younger generation
that how a young average joe like myself
can still have a sense belong
in the professional world and instead
use her bold
courageous and humble ways to bring a
refreshed approach and help break any
stereotypes that still exist today
hearing these characteristics about my
personality may lead you to believe that
i had no business becoming an accountant
however regardless of popular belief
accounting is changing with the world
it’s not just about a person sitting
behind a desk and churning out numbers
all day
in fact the current possibilities that
lie behind accountancy
are simply infinite and we need to break
that current stereotype
of course it goes without saying that to
become a good accountant you need to
have
good numerical acumen and sound
knowledge around regulations
however is that really enough can we
in this day and age in the middle of a
global pandemic let’s say
go into a business knowing just about
the numbers
the advanced world of technology has
revolutionized the world of accounting
nowadays as businesses strive to
automate transactional processes
through outsourcing and increased
investment in savvy technology
it makes more room for accountants to
conduct more value add activities
for instance rather than having an
accountant that’s bogged down in hours
of data manipulation
thanks to automation they can now skip
that part and instead use that time to
connect with the business better
and explain the reason behind
performance in a forum where the
business can feel free to ask questions
and obtain clarification
we also in turn can learn about the
commercial aspects of the organization
and the two together help bring those
numbers to life
the only way to achieve something like
this is by turning our focus onto
building sound relationships with our
respective business areas
it opens up opportunities to have those
two-way discussions
which in turn then allows us to tailor
our support to what the business wants
rather than what we think they need to
put it in layman’s terms
when a finance professional invests in
their softer skills such as
communication and relationship building
they break down barriers and allow
engagement with the business to take
place
this then acts as a catalyst for
meaningful discussions
helping drive key decisions managing
performance
and understanding financial information
the aim of the game
is to come together as one to achieve a
common goal
you go from becoming an accountant to
becoming a true
finance business partner the slide shows
that if we split the term into two parts
we have that typical finance accountant
on one side and a generic business
partner on the other
neither of which in isolation can best
serve a business’s needs to make those
critical
decisions and understand their
performance external factors and
ever-increasing uncertainty
has meant businesses are under
excruciating pressure to perfect
strategies for the future but not just
to remain competitive
in some cases to survive
kobe 19 is a great example of this the
current pandemic has seen some
businesses collapse
unemployment rates skyrocket and the
economy shutter worldwide
therefore the demand for finance
professionals to up their game
and provide more meaningful support has
never been so imperative
from finding those opportunities to
banking savings
improving cash flows and assessing
investment opportunities
these are just a few great examples that
showcase why traditional accounting
roles
are starting to and will be
unrecognizable in the future
the next diagram shows that in addition
to this the finance business partner
acts as a conduit between the management
information
the chief financial officer and the
business
the finance business partners can
educate the business on their management
information
and prepare them for any challenges that
may come before them from the top down
as humans we are more likely to accept
and deliver on a challenge if we have
been taken on a journey and been prepped
along the way
again coming back to my point before the
backbone to this is through building
sound relationships between finance and
the business
like many other professions accounting
is evolving and the very definition of
what an accountant truly does
is not what one previously thought we
need to stop thinking along the existing
stereotypes
and make every effort to truly
understand the criticality of these
changes
and how this needs to be the new way
forward for finance professionals
business and finance teams need to
create harmonious relationships
which gives them a great foundation to
become united and break down that
us versus them barrier this can be
achieved by making efforts to understand
each other
as well as trying to be understood
listening to each other
as well as trying to be listened to and
giving up a little something
if you want something in return as james
comey once said
no significant learning can occur
without significant relationships
once such relationships are established
there will be increased level of
interaction
and the desire to be more present will
simply start to grow
combat 19 has been a big test of
communication and leadership
given that we are all working remotely
and have very limited interaction beyond
our four walls
if there is one thing this pandemic has
taught us it is to be appreciative of
all the opportunities we have
to make a real impact face to face as
opposed to picking up a phone
or sending an email once established
relationships are further maintained by
that increased level of interaction
the very nature of human connection now
becomes present
you reach a level of comfort where you
know each other as people
and can be your authentic self and
become a magnetic force
that attracts you to each other having a
big personality and a positive attitude
backed with a finance profession is a
unique combination
one which could argue is not very common
in the world of accountancy
but if it is used in the right ways it
could really help you add that value
that the business is longing for
and allow you to truly work to work
together towards that common goal
as the world continues to change in ways
we could never imagine
we need to constantly reflect and refine
the way we do things in the professional
world
we need to work with clarity not just
confidence
if we are to add real value the backbone
to any successful profession
is not just about having the knowledge
but also the ability to share that
knowledge in a way
that everybody can understand adapting
to your audience and getting them inside
is a fundamental part
of any professional career whether you
have an external client
a teammate or a division that relies on
you for support
it really does come down to a partnering
activity
in order for us to keep on growing we
have to keep on challenging ourselves if
we want to see more diversification
especially in those groups that are
still widely underrepresented today
we need to be the ones that are also
willing to take the punt come out of our
comfort zones
and enter new worlds that literally
force us to turn our attention onto a
part of us that we never knew existed
we all have a uniqueness about us which
could bring something wonderful to the
table
if you allow yourself to so the next
time you are made to feel
you can’t or are not good enough to make
it in the professional world
stop and remember the infinite ways you
can bring your authenticity to the table
and help change the game in your field
for me
the term accountant doesn’t mean numbers
are nothing more it is in fact screaming
out for originality
authenticity fresh ideas and a new way
of doing things
never allow yourself or anyone else to
tell you you can’t
i am here to tell you that i’ve heard
this for years and i still stand here
before you
and show you that you can i would like
to dedicate this talk to my beautiful
daughter
in the hope that she too can achieve
great things and finally
in loving memory of my father hoping
that wherever he is now
he is now finally proud of me thank you