Paul van Seeters has worked at Van Oers as Audit Director since May 2021. From day one, Van Oers feels like a warm bath to him. An interview about working at Van Oers, but first more about the link with Tilburg University and with Asset.
Did you study at Tilburg University yourself?
I did not spend my student years there, but I did follow the post-master’s course ‘Business succession for family businesses’. Before that, I studied at the Erasmus School of Accounting & Assurance (practical training as a Chartered Accountant) and at Nyenrode University (master’s plus post-master’s in Accountancy). I also laid my foundation for Accountancy at Avans University of Applied Sciences. Van Oers is investing heavily in its relationship with Tilburg University.
How does Van Oers invest in the relationship with Tilburg University and Asset?
You can meet us at Asset’s career events. We have also been participating for some time in Asset’s section, Faces Online. And in our audit team – currently about 80 people – there are several working students from Tilburg University. In combination with their studies, they work at least two days a week with us in the audit team. The nice thing is that this way they can get a taste of what it is like to work for Van Oers and the pleasant atmosphere at Audit. This summer, several work students are also in the project team for the NOW grants. We are going to do all the checks on the NOW subsidies in one go. In this way, we are ahead of the deadline later in the year. Moreover, this year we have associated ourselves with the Tilburg University Challenge. We will be present at the speed dates and provide an in-house day, but what we will mainly be doing is supporting students with their innovative case. That fits well with the innovative character of Van Oers.
Would you like to tell us more about Van Oers and its innovative character?
First something about Van Oers in general, because Van Oers might not be the first office that comes to mind as a university student. After all, we are not one of the Big Four firms. Incidentally, I myself worked for many years – with great pleasure – at one of the Big Four, at PwC. It was not until 2021 that I made the switch to Van Oers. Van Oers is one of the larger regional accountancy and tax consultancy firms in the Netherlands. We have about 400 employees. We are big enough to take on challenging issues but with personal attention for clients and employees. The personal character makes Van Oers truly special in my experience. From day one, the positive work atmosphere and open culture have made it feel like a warm bath for me. Our Audit team works entirely from Breda, but we also have branches in Oosterhout, Roosendaal, Etten-Leur and Zundert. Within Audit, I am the innovation driver, think of the use of data analysis and dashboards. If you look at the way in which Van Oers has embraced the New World of Work, then that is also innovative.
What does the New way of working look like at Van Oers?
In consultation with their team, all employees can opt for their own mix of working from home, working in the office and working at customers. Everything is well organised in terms of system and employment conditions. Every employee gets a nice budget at Coolblue for setting up his own home office. Where you see that many other larger offices are still struggling with the design of the new way of working, it has already been arranged at Van Oers. That has to do with the agility of our organisation. Of course, the new way of working requires good team arrangements. What helps here is that every employee already has an (internal) coach. Co-ordination and coaching are part of the culture. In addition, within Audit we work with a coach per assignment. Giving and receiving feedback is organised via a feedback tool. That is a perfect tool for self-development. The Van Oers University also contributes to this.
“Don’t wait and see, but get to work!”
When you start in the audit team, where do you start?
You start in a staff position and are part of an audit team. That means that you go directly to customers. These are family businesses and private equity firms that are subject to audit. That is, by the way, the great thing about working for Audit. You get the chance to look behind the scenes of so many different companies. Nothing is more fun than getting a tour of the company at the start of an assignment for a new client. I still like that very much. Then the figures really come to life. Anyone starting in the audit team follows the theoretical post-master’s course on Fridays to become an RA.
What is a hot topic in Audit?
Within audit, we are increasingly confronted with the theme of sustainability and report on what companies do in that area. This requires different competences of accountants. Our clients are the first to be confronted with stricter regulations in this area. Sustainability is also an important theme at Van Oers. We are working on making our premises more energy efficient, thinking about how to deal with mobility and are actively involved in the welfare and vitality of our employees. This also includes attention to our social involvement. For us, just like for other companies, this is a search. That is why it was extra nice to organise a knowledge session on this subject recently with one of our clients – construction and developer Maas-Jacobs. Typical Van Oers: don’t wait but take action!
Is that what you want to teach students?
What I mainly want to pass on is: follow your instincts. At the moment, young talent is in demand. So choose an organisation where you feel comfortable. Do you find warm personal contact important in your work? Then Van Oers is really worth considering! Ask us about it when you meet us at one of Asset’s events. Of course, you can also call our recruiter. And I personally enjoy telling people more about the work within Audit and about our organisation.
