What happened last quarter? Q2: a recap

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The second quarter of the new academic year is over. This quarter was a busy month, with no less than 3 events, both related to Finance and Accountancy. In this article we look back on these activities, with the chairmen of the relevant committees telling their story. They discuss their personal experience of the course of the activities, from the beginning of the preparations to the final event.

AccountantsDay –November 13, 2019

*by Thom van Golde*

Our first meeting as a committee took place on September 17. During this meeting the roles were divided and it was made clear that the AccountantsDay would take place in less than two months (November 14). So, there was plenty of work to be done.

As a member of the committee, I can say, that we all experienced a certain amount of pressure due to the short period of time in which many things had to be arranged such as (but not limited to) promotional material, for example making the flyers, ordering and distributing them, doing lecture talks, coming up with questions for a quiz and statements and keeping the participating companies (which will be appointed later) informed. Nevertheless, despite the start-up problems (red. Technical flaws), we managed to organize a successful event. Thanks to the great commitment of all committee members and the coordinator, it was a great success and I would like to thank them.

A review of the AccountantsDay of course includes a description of the day itself. The event kicked off with a short introduction of the participating companies followed by a quiz where a real gift voucher (!!) could be won. Reason enough to get excited, if you ask me. After the announcement of the quiz winner we continued with the statements in which the room was divided into different groups and the students discussed some accountancy related statements with the offices. For the final activity we went to ‘Bij Maud’ to follow a cooking workshop. This workshop consisted of three (delicious) dishes that we made ourselves and one dessert provided by the staff of ‘Bij Maud’. Because of the diversity in the activities, the students were able to get to know the accountancy firms in all sorts of, but still informal, ways.

I look back on the Accountancy with a great feeling. I would like to thank all participating students and the participating companies Van Oers, Joanknecht, ABAB, HLB Nederland, Joore and Wesselman.

Finance Expedition – November 13-15, 2019

*by Sjors Seinen*

On Wednesday November 13, the time had finally come after 8 months of meetings and preparations: the start of the Finance Expedition 2019. The first day was dedicated to Risk Management, which is why we visited Nationale Nederlanden and PwC.

The alarm went off early, as we had to travel to the head office of Nationale Nederlanden, located in Rotterdam. After a somewhat delayed train journey, we were welcomed by the employees of Nationale Nederlanden. By means of a brief introduction, we got to know the company and we then made an interesting case about the application of Risk Management to the balance sheet. After an interactive lunch, it was already time to continue our expedition to Amsterdam, where a company visit at PwC was scheduled. PwC gave a concise, informative introduction about the company, after which we were able to start quickly with a case on the practical application of Risk Management to consulting. Afterwards, we had dinner with everyone and networked at a modern restaurant in the neighborhood.

“The Finance Expedition was an absolute success, with a perfect combination of work and fun.”

On Thursday, the focus was on Asset Management and we visited a.s.r.’s head office in Utrecht. Again we left the hotel early to catch the train. We were welcomed by a.s.r.’s CFO, Chris Figée, who provided us the perfect opportunity to ask our burning questions. Afterwards, we got an additional introduction form two employees, made a case about Asset Management and concluded with a delicious vegetarian lunch!

On Friday, which was also the last day, the focus was on Corporate Finance and we visited Deloitte and Nielen Schuman. The day started at Deloitte. We got an extensive introduction about Deloitte’s M&A activities, worked on a fun case full of puzzles and issues and had the opportunity to network with Deloitte employees while enjoying a sandwich and a drink. Afterwards, we took the subway to Nielen Schuman’s office. A senior manager briefly told us about Nielen Schuman, so we had enough time left for the case. It was extremely interesting and perfectly fitted within the subject Corporate Finance. After presenting our findings, it was time to pack up and leave for the restaurant. After a delicious three-course dinner, the Finance Expedition was officially over and we travelled back to Tilburg.

Looking back, as chairman, I am very proud of the committee work done. The Finance Expedition was an absolute success, with a perfect combination of work and fun. Besides broadening our knowledge, the Finance Expedition is the perfect opportunity to get in touch with your future employer!

Accounting Insight – November 21, 2019

*by Carlijn de Block*

After 10 months of preparation, Accounting Insight took place on November 21, 2019, an interactive symposium in which various accountancy related topics were debated and discussed. With our committee, we worked hard last year to make it another great edition. One of the most important tasks was to find the right speakers. However, the search started with finding a chairman. This year we quickly ended up with Margreeth Kloppenburg, just as last year. In addition, we succeeded in putting together a versatile panel of speakers including Paul Koster, director of VEB, Antoinette Dijkhuizen, founder of 4you Accountancy, Wim Bartels, partner sustainability at KPMG, Anouk Terstegen, partner at Mazars, and Kavita Nandram, PhD researcher Integrated Reporting.

The theme of this edition was “accountancy in the loop”: despite all the publicity about the extinction of our profession in the future, the accountancy profession is still alive and kicking. Most of the sub-topics were discussed through one-on-one debates. The themes discussed were: the power of the Big Four, the consequences for making mistakes as an accountant, the female quota and the independence of the accountant. Finally, a panel discussion took place on the increasing importance of non-financial information for the execution of the profession. During the symposium, visitors had the opportunity to ask questions via PresentersWall. As a committee, we chose the most interesting questions to the speakers’ panel. In this way, the interactivity between the visitors and the speakers’ panel was increased. We ended the evening with a pleasant networking drink.

As chairman of the Accounting Insight committee, I look back on a successful event. I would like to thank my committee members, Britt, Danique, Roel, Lian and our coordinator Twan for their efforts over the past months. I would also like to thank the partners, KPMG, PwC, EY, Joanknecht, Van Oers, Crowe, De Beer and WVDB. Finally, I would also like to thank our speakers and chairman of the day for all their shared insights.