Meet a Chartered Accountant...

Name: Nadine Rossetto CA Position: Corporate Reporting Manager Organisation: National Foods Limited (formerly Dairy Farmers)

I still remember filling out my UAC preference form. Business, Commerce or Accounting was the last degree I wanted to do. Almost 15 years later I couldn’t be more pleased with where my career has taken me. I always wanted to do Physiotherapy but I ended up enrolling in Town Planning. After my first year at university I transferred to a Commerce-Accounting degree and have since completed a Bachelor of Law.

In the first year of my Commerce-Accounting degree I stumbled on an ad, in a university newspaper, for a traineeship with Ernst & Young. I thought why not apply and give it a go. I resigned from my casual job at Bakers Delight and started full time work. At the time someone made a comment to me that it would be so boring being an accountant. Many people’s understanding of what an accountant does is just associated with tax returns. Yes, I have done a hand full of tax returns over the years, but being an accountant is far from boring. Throughout my career the next day is never the same as the last, my roles have been very team focussed and I work with people from all across the organisation.

Completing the traineeship was the most valuable experience in the early stages of my career. Balancing full time work and part time study at 19 years old certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone. University became a whole lot easier when I could see how it worked in the ‘real world’ and similarly I could apply what I was learning back to my work. By the time I finished my degree I already had 2 years full time experience, had a guaranteed job at the end of university and was ready to start the Chartered Accountants Program.

At Ernst & Young I worked in the Financial Services audit group (Insurance and Superannuation) and the Entrepreneurial Services group (now Strategic Growth Markets) where I not only did audit work, but also taxation, assurance projects and business services work. Working for a large Chartered Accounting firm provided me with strong technical skills, exposure to a variety of companies, industries and all levels of staff and management and a professional network. I completed the Program with my peers at Ernst & Young and formed many close friendships during this time which still continue today.

I later moved into a commercial role as a Corporate Accountant with Bartter Enterprises (better known as ‘Steggles’). During this time I was promoted to Finance Manager. My role involved:

• Managing a team of 6 staff
• Month end financial accounting
• Preparing annual statutory accounts for a group of 17 companies
• Preparing the Group’s tax-effect accounting
• Aligning the accounting policies of the business to what were the new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Project work as needed by the Finance Division such as systems implementation, process improvement and corporate due diligence.

In the first half of 2008 I worked in Milan, Italy. My husband (who is also a Chartered Accountant) was offered a secondment with his work. Through my professional networks I secured an interview and a position with KPMG Milan in the Transactional Services division, working on sale and acquisition projects for Italian companies. Neither of us spoke Italian. That was part of what made the experience so memorable and challenging. It was great to experience a different culture, learn a new language, make new friends and it was a fantastic opportunity to fit in some European travel. The Chartered Accountant designation is internationally recognised and many of my fellow Chartered Accountant friends have similar tales to tell.

I am currently working for National Foods Limited (formerly Dairy Farmers) as a Corporate Reporting Manager. I am based in Sydney and manage a team of 8 staff with a focus in the areas of:

• Corporate and statutory accounting
• Taxation
• Payroll
• Fixed assets
• Management reporting.

My role largely involves ensuring the financial accounting is reported in a timely and accurate manner to our head office in Melbourne and international parent in Japan. Currently I am working closely with our Melbourne office on integration projects to ensure the Finance functions of the two companies are integrated and bring together one company that can move forward in a better position.

In amongst all of this I still have time to enjoy the things I love doing outside of work. I play competition tennis and love to ski in the winter. I don’t regret any of the choices I have made during my career. The Program was demanding but I wasn’t doing it by myself. Others at work had been through the Program and certainly had plenty of tips to offer.

I work hard, but the rewards are worth it. Each day I am challenged and learn something new. I love being able to return similar opportunities to the teams I work with and also sharing my experiences with colleagues who are just starting out on similar journeys. I look forward to the road ahead. The accounting world is constantly changing and I feel my professional qualification and Chartered Accounting background has given me the skills I need to deal with change, provide value adding solutions to the Finance Division and wider organisation I work with.

As a good friend once told me…you only regret what you don’t do, not what you do!