Working at Crowe Horwath Foederer

Kim Vos (24) is employed as a senior within the audit practice of CHF. Kim is currently following the Post-Master Accountancy (PMA) at Tilburg University. Kim has already been working for quite some time in the audit practice of CHF and has several clients in the profit sector. As a senior Kim is responsible for the execution of audit activities.

Roel van den Berg RA (32) is employed as a manager within the audit practice of CHF and as of 2014 he is also employed as a professor at Tilburg University. Roel has national and international operating clients in large firms as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and in the non-profit sector.

CHF is a rapidly growing company, is nearly employing 450 people and is among the top 15 accountancy firms in the Netherlands. CHF has a nationwide network of offices and is a member of Crowe Horwath International; the eighth largest network in the world with more than 31,000 employees in 125 countries!

Why CHF?

Kim: “As a student I did several internships at different accountancy firms. That is how I came in contact with CHF. Eventually, I was able to paint a clear picture of the work of an auditor and I made the well-considered choice to work for CHF. What really appealed to me was the casual atmosphere and the multidisciplinary approach at CHF.”

“There is not only an informal atmosphere but also a high level of guidance and there is always someone available with whom I can brainstorm with.”

Roel: “After finishing my HBO I started my career at EY in the practice of international audit. During my time there I acquired a lot of experience and knowledge.  Altogether a decision I will never regret. However, at the time, as a result of the change of course within the ‘big four’ in general and EY in particular (focusing almost exclusively on large companies), I continued to pursue my career at a medium-sized accountancy office. Almost two years ago I made the transition to CHF together with a number of other colleagues from EY.

I made my definitive choice for CHF because of their strategy, the innovative ability, the substance, the international connection and the fact that they are solution-oriented. There are all characteristics through which a traditional SME office can anticipate on the ‘market vacuum’ that is currently being drawn by the ‘big four.’ This is an aspect of CHF of which I am a part that is very worthwhile.”

Why is accountancy fun and what are the possibilities within CHF?

Kim: “My clients consist of a good mix of different branches, which makes my work very challenging and diverse. Moreover, I spend the biggest part of my time with clients along with my audit team. Besides auditors, the teams consist of a taxation specialist and an IT auditor as well. Furthermore, the manager and partner at CHF are also contributing to the work being done at CHF which I find really appealing. Because of this there is not only an informal atmosphere but also a high level of guidance and there is always someone available with whom I can brainstorm with. Simultaneously I am getting a lot of responsibilities and I am involved in (almost) every case. As a result I have already learned a fair bit in my early career.”

Roel: “I completely agree with Kim; there is not really much of a hierarchy, this is something what really appeals to me. Working with young but very driven team members is one of the enjoyable aspects of our profession. Just recently we gave our audit practice a boost by hiring a couple of young and passionate employees. This is something that really energizes me.

“At the moment we invest a lot in the evolution of an advanced data-driven total solution.”

Personal and professional development is considered to be of great importance within CHF. Because of this, CHF has a professional programme which offers employees to follow numerous of external as well as internal practice orientated courses on all sort of levels to develop their skills. So it is up to you at what pace and in which direction your career develops.”

The audit practice and the part of data analysis

Roel: “The last period a lot happened in our profession but in the upcoming period there are many things bound to happen. Our profession is in motion, is in development as you might say. An important aspect of that development is data analysis. From the first day I started working at CHF, I was involved in the implementation of data analysis in the audit practice.”

Kim: “In the meantime our audit approach is mostly based on data analysis and luckily this subject is getting more and more attention in education. In practice, data analysis means that we make connections between data and identify exceptional transactions based on the data we get from IT-systems. By examining the background of these transactions, we are not only capable to make a statement about the correctness of the annual statement (a traditional task of the auditor) but we also incite our customers and furthermore we contribute to the optimization of their processes. Exceptions often indicate a break-through of the prescribed process. This approach which I have seen a couple of times in actual practice has led to successes a number of times. In addition, focusing on exceptions helps to minimize unnecessary and time-consuming sampling, making inspections not only more efficient but also more fun as well!”

Roel: “At the moment we invest a lot in the evolution of an advanced data-driven total solution. This means, just like Kim said, that our work has not only changed in regards to the content it also had direct implications on the schedule as well. After all the distinction between the interim and an end-year control will disappear. This also means that future auditors will have to meet different standards. In my opinion, analytical abilities and communicative skills are the essential skills of a future accountant. Subsequently we thoroughly select our new employees on these abilities and skills.”

In conclusion

Do you want to become acquainted with CHF or are you curious about concrete possibilities CHF has to offer you? On our website www.werkenbijcrowefoederer.nl you will find all the necessary information as well as the contact details of our recruiters. An alternative is to directly contact Roel van den Berg through + 31 6 26 96 84 81 or r.vandenberg@crowefoederer.nl.

– This article is translated by an editor of Faces Online