AccountantsDay 2018: Big firm capability, Small firm personality

On November 13^th 2018 the annual AccountantsDay took place. As chairman, together with Allard, Nikki, Robin and Stijn, we formed the commission that was responsible for the organization. Before the Accountants day took place, we held an information session to inform participating companies about the expectations we had from them. Corporations are very much interested in partaking in this event, which is why we made the choice to expand the AccountantsDay. 8 audit firms participated, as well as the NBA and the SRA. The partaking companies were: Accon avm, Baker Tilly Berk, De Beer,Grant Thornton, Koenen & Co, RSM, Van Oers and WVDB Adviseurs Accountants.

The day format was also renewed and split into two parts. The day started at a luxury location ‘Villa de Vier Jaargetijden’. After a brief welcome speech the companies were given the opportunity to introduce themselves. After this, we started eating lunch and working on a case. During this session there were three accountancy firms, as well as the NBA and SRA. The lunch and making the case was split into different rounds which allowed the students to meet each company individually. In an informal setting, the students were able to ask questions to the firms. After that, the case started. The case was about an airline company, where students had to identify risks of the company. To conclude the first session, the NBA-ambassador Judith Kievit discussed the results of the case. It was especially interesting to get to know more about the different companies, and to get a better understanding of what the NBA and SRA do exactly.

“The lunch and making the case was split into different rounds which allowed the students to meet each company individually. In an informal setting, the students were able to ask questions to the firms.”

During the second session there were five audit firms present. Again, this session began with a brief introduction of the companies. Then, groups debated two different statements, the first being: “It is better for your development to start at a non-Big-4 office”. We picked this statement because it seemed like a good step-up to start a discussion where the companies could explain the differences between Big-4 and smaller offices. The second statement was: “Extensive fraud-investigation should be a standard part of every audit check”. We picked this statement because there is a lot of news lately about fraud in the corporate world and the society often expects that auditors keep an eye on this.

After we discussed these statements in groups, we held a joint debate where everybody could bring in arguments. This debate was led by Luc, the coordinator of our commission. Around five o’ clock we ended the afternoon at ‘Villa de Vier Jaargetijden’ and went to ‘Bij Maud’, where we had a cooking workshop. The students where divided across groups again and got to experience each course at another company. We started with creating the appetizer: spring rolls. After that, we continued with making the entrée and the main course. Everybody was very enthusiastic and through great teamwork we prepared all dishes. This was a fun way to get to know the companies. Lastly, Maud and her team had made dessert for us. After we enjoyed our meals and a few drinks, the day had come to an end.

I look back at a successful AccountantsDay. We received a lot of positive reviews from the companies as well as the students, which is great to hear! I would like to thank all partaking companies and students for their enthusiasm and effort during this AccountantsDay. Also, I would like to thank Allard, Luc, Nikki, Robin & Stijn for their hard work in this commission.