Passionate about sustainability – Sustainability with Audit & Assurance – Working at Deloitte

‘Developments in the field of sustainability are moving fast. Being part of that, helping clients get ready and making an impact, is something we are truly passionate about’, Sanne Prins, Staff Audit, and Endri Olsen, Junior Manager Audit Advisory at Deloitte, say. They both joined the Sustainability team, a brand new Deloitte team that focusses on accelerating sustainability knowledge within Audit & Assurance. ‘Sustainable businesses are the future.’

‘Taking the bike to the office, using my own water bottle instead of paper cups, choosing reusable make-up remover pads. In my day to day life I try to live as ‘clean’ as possible’, Sanne (24) explains. ‘Being part of the Sustainability team gives me the opportunity to dive deeper into the topic. I want to help clients, give advice and make colleagues aware.’ Endri (28): ‘Sustainability gets me excited because it is the future of living. By helping clients get ready to be compliant with the sustainability rules of 2023, we can make an impact to the client but also indirectly to their environment. In addition to this, becoming a specialist in sustainability is also interesting from a career development perspective. Your skills will definitely be in high demand, which is valuable to Deloitte and to yourself.’

Like sunshine
Endri already signed up with Deloitte South Africa when she was 18 years old. ‘I was driven to study accounting and finance and work at a Big Four company. When I walked into the Deloitte office, it felt completely different than other accounting firms I visited. The environment was light and warm, like sunshine. That ambience made me choose Deloitte’, Endri says with a smile. ‘Throughout my studies Deloitte supported me and gave me so many opportunities. There were lots of networking events, I actually met my current partner at one of these events. After I got my qualification, I went to work at the Boston office in the USA for three months, fully facilitated by Deloitte. I was looked after very well, so I definitely did not want to leave Deloitte. When my partner and I were considering moving to Europe, it made sense for us to work at Deloitte the Netherlands. Again, a great choice. It is truly a family environment.’

‘At Deloitte you can be who you are, and you can choose the path you want’

So much in common
Sanne also started working at Deloitte at a young age. ‘Five years ago, I was looking for an internship. Deloitte felt good to me, just like Endri says. I stayed as a working student, did another internship, and finally started working at Audit. At that moment I also started my (pre)master accountancy at Nyenrode University. I can say that some of my colleagues are also my friends. We have many things in common, like education, age, interests, and the same lifestyle. Outside of work, we regularly meet each other. Everybody is open to help each other out and to connect. It is just a very friendly and at the same time highly professional working environment. I just finished my master thesis of which one of the topics was the ESG score, that measures the environmental, social, and governance performance of a company. It certainly stimulated my interest in sustainability further.’

Interesting issues
Endri has been working at Audit Advisory for over two years now. ‘I have been involved in all types of projects my division generally does. I am currently helping a client prepare for an IPO, which includes assistance with the preparation of audited financial statements, getting legal and corporate governance in place and parts of the ESG reporting, which I think is really cool. The future of shopping is online and by being involved in developing their ESG reporting, we can guide the client to do it in a more sustainable way. My work offers interesting issues, interesting business models and interesting business operations. One of the things I always enjoy, is getting to really know the client personnel and working with different Deloitte colleagues on each engagement. The clients learn from us, but we also learn from them and each other.’

Professional kitchen
‘Every client is different’, Sanne says. ‘A hotel, companies in retail, real estate or cosmetics. They all differ. Getting insight into their professional operations is always interesting. Especially when it involves the social side of ESG reporting. How are companies dealing with people, both their employees in the Netherlands and the countries in which the products are produced? Are women rewarded in the same way as men? How many women does the board of a company consist of? I am interested in the company values and hope to bring the right awareness.’

The right add-ons
Most Big Four companies offer the same sort of packages, according to Endri. ‘But what Deloitte does really well, is offering the right add-ons. We are taken care of. There is a support structure for women, working from home is very well facilitated, and for expats Deloitte even developed a policy during Covid to work from your home country for a few weeks, just so you can see your family.’ Sanne: ‘Deloitte is a really good employer, that takes people and culture seriously. You can be who you are, and you can choose the path you want. It’s up to you which opportunities you decide to take.’