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The image of a boring accountant, dressed in a suit with a calculator in their hand, is outdated. Liselotte de Zoete is keen to explain why her profession is so fascinating and far from boring. She discovered her interest in accountancy during her Economics and Business Administration studies. After which she followed a business course at PwC and was hooked.
Sharing my opinion
“Before I started studying, people sometimes told me I should become a politician. I have opinions on everything and I really want to make an impact. I didn’t become a politician, but I still like to share my opinion. I do this as a senior associate and recently also as chairman of the works council. A nice combination that challenges me to get the maximum out of myself in different areas. As a senior associate within Financial Services, I advise clients on how to achieve their goals in a responsible manner. On the other hand, as chairman of the works council, I focus on PwC’s own policy. In both roles, I am very much involved in gathering and sharing knowledge. As a senior associate, I work in multidisciplinary teams with various specialists. For example in the field of digitalization and data analysis. That results in a nice interaction in terms of knowledge sharing, from which I in turn also learn a lot.”
Focus on opportunities and possibilities
“PwC employs people with many different backgrounds and talents. That inclusive culture and open work atmosphere immediately appealed to me. I have adhd and am dyslexic. This is no problem at all at PwC. In fact, there is even a diversity network for PwC employees with work challenges. Within this Ability network the focus is not on limitations but on opportunities and possibilities. At the time, I was therefore pleased to be able to do my graduation internship here. It was a nice way to get to know the organization and the audit and accountancy practice better. I discovered that I liked the field of Financial Services within the Assurance business unit best. So it was very nice that I could start working within this team immediately after graduating.”
“The world in general, the world of our clients and that of PwC is constantly changing. So it makes sense to move with that and keep developing yourself.”
A large training center
“PwC is, in a sense, one big training center. The world in general, the world of our clients and that of PwC is constantly changing. So it makes sense to move with it and continue to develop yourself. There are plenty of opportunities to do so. You can follow courses and training programmes and you have access to a worldwide network of professionals with whom you can share knowledge, experience and ideas. When I indicated that I wanted to stand for election to the works council, I was given every opportunity to do so. I had good talks about it with our management team. They thought along with me in a positive and constructive way about how to fulfil this role alongside my work as senior associate. This has worked out well. So good, in fact, that I have been able to make great strides in both areas. The presidency has brought me much and is an immense learning experience. In addition, I will soon grow into the role of manager within my accountancy work, where I am the pivot between management and execution.”
A pleasant working environment for everyone
“Within the OR, we are committed to a pleasant working environment for all employees. We also maintain an open dialogue with the management about company policy and employee interests. This can be about anything. For example, we have made a case for flexible working hours and a personal well-being budget for each employee. In this way we ensure a good work-life balance. What about my own work-life balance? In terms of audits, the winter period is a busy time, when my work really comes first. As soon as the sun shines more often again you can find me on the field hockey field in my spare time. I also love cooking, good food, reading, traveling and of course my dog Saskia.”
