- Company: KPMG AG
- Position: Partner, Head of Audit Berne
- Remit/main activity: Managing and coordinating KPMG’s market activities in the Berne and Mittelland region; Head of Audit; Team Leader
- Highest educational qualification: state-certified auditor
- Place of work: Berne / wherever my clients are
- No. of employees at place of work: Approx. 50 (approx. 25 in audit)
What makes my work exciting?
I don’t work for just one company, I work for many companies, our clients. Auditing a company means understanding the business activities from which the figures result.
I can use all of my language skills in local and global teams.
I talk to CFOs, CEOs and boards of directors about the challenges in their companies, I am close at hand and able to make a significant contribution to their success, e.g. to successful transactions.
Why did I enter the profession?
I did an apprenticeship selling sports equipment and enjoyed working with customers, with people. While studying for my vocational diploma, I discovered an interest in business administration and accounting. Audit offered a logical combination.
What challenges does my work present?
As an auditor, I work in “production” (service provision) and quality assurance at our company. In my job, I also play a significant role in “sales” and, of course, management – both line management and project management. Balancing this and keeping up to date at all times keeps me fresh and agile.
How does my work benefit the economy?
We generate trust among companies’ stakeholders. Trust in information that it is often not possible for third parties to verify.
For the companies themselves, we are a valuable sparring partner that can often make a key contribution to process and information quality thanks to our critical external view.
For our employees, we offer exceptional training and opportunities for personal growth and development. This means we also provide the labour market with highly-qualified professionals.
What is important to me in my client relationships?
That they are based on respect and trust and that criticisms can also be openly discussed.
What is currently important for my clients in our cooperation (keyword: coronavirus)?
Dass sie spüren, dass sie in mir einen Partner haben, der sie besonders auch in dieser herausfordernden Zeit unterstützen kann, unkompliziert kommuniziert und die Prioritäten richtig einschätzt.
How has the industry changed? What are the challenges of the future?
Seeing what is important amid the increasing complexity and volume of data, harnessing the potential of new technologies and taking people along with us.
As an industry, we need to stay relevant and show that we provide services that cannot in future be replaced by the Googles, SAPs and Microsofts of this world.
And we must help ensure that Switzerland remains an attractive economic centre with a smart approach to regulatory pressure.