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Victoria Wynd CA
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Meet a Chartered Accountant...

Name:
Victoria Wynd CA

Position:
Senior Accountant - Business Services

Organisation:
The Age Company Ltd
 

I am the first to admit that on paper being an accountant doesn't sound like the most thrilling experience in the world. However, now as a qualified Chartered Accountant, having travelled the world, I wouldn't change my chosen career path at all.
 
My first exposure to accounting was in secondary school and on reflection I did it more because I was good at numbers and my father had told me it was a valuable skill to have. When I discovered I was actually quite good at it and enjoyed "balancing the books", I decided to pursue a commerce degree at Monash University.

Upon completion of my degree I started as a graduate in a mid tier Chartered Accounting firm - Grant Thornton. If there was anything that showed me accountants were far from your stereotypical stick in the mud, it was my time at Grant Thornton. Not only did they provide a fantastic foundation for my accounting career in terms of work experience, but it was also an extremely social and fun environment to work in. I think this made the Chartered Accountants Program a little less overwhelming. At Grant Thornton you were able to see how hard your colleagues were working to complete the Program, but they were still having fun and enjoying themselves along the way.
 
There is no doubt the Program is a hard slog and requires a great deal of discipline and commitment to get through. However, once completed, I believe it is a qualification that is so highly respected that it can take you anywhere in the world.

I have just returned from two years living and working in Canada and I can say without a doubt that the financial security and job satisfaction the Program provided me with whilst I travelled was invaluable. During my travels I worked as the financial accountant for the Canadian Blood Services and undertook responsibility for preparation of their statutory accounts in accordance with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). One of the things that distinguishes the Program, is it teaches you invaluable skills that can be applied to various situations. Before I left for Canada I didn't know the first thing about Canadian GAAP or how they were applied to the not for profit sector. However, the Program gave me the skills to apply my past knowledge to a new legislation and regulatory environment.
 
Having returned to Australia, I am now the Senior Financial Accountant for Fairfax Media working for the Victorian Metropolitan and Community Publishing sector. This role entails ensuring our statutory compliance with AIFRS (Australian equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards) and tax legislation. On a day to day basis it involves everything from reviewing tax legislation, preparing statutory reporting packs and liaising with our corporate & tax teams with regard to current business issues.  I have a fabulous work life balance at Fairfax and wouldn't change a thing!