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