Circumstances more than work brought Mark Murtagh ACA to Spain five years ago. And, there could be more adventure to come.
Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I grew up in Perrystown Dublin, and I studied Business & Accounting in TU Dublin Tallaght. I then completed my training contract in PKF, before working with O´Regan & Co for two years. My partner had moved to Barcelona to further her education, so I then decided to take the jump and move to Spain.
What made you choose to be a Chartered Accountant?
I had an interest in accounting and general business topics since I was young. I was always the first to grab the business sections of the Sunday newspapers, and I suppose my interest just grew from that into wanting to become a Chartered Accountant.
It always came across like a great profession that opens doors for you and goes much further than just double entry, which has certainly proved to be the case for me!
Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both geographical relocation and career path.
After completing my training contract with PKF, I worked with O´Regan & Co as Audit & Assurance Manager for two years, which allowed me to further develop my personal and business skills across a wide client base. My career however then came to a crossroads.
My partner was already living in Barcelona Spain, and even though I was travelling back and forth monthly, it came to a point where I felt moving abroad could actually be a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone both professionally and culturally.
By nature, I am more of an introverted type of person, so the thoughts of moving abroad did give me some concern. However, looking back, it has been the best decision I could have made.
I now work for Page Group, which is a British international recruitment company, as our Global Controls Assurance Manager. I am responsible for managing our risk & control framework across our Global Transactional Finance function. While we do have a key Shared Service Centre here in Barcelona, my scope also covers our other regional Shared Services Centres, which includes Slough, Buenos Aires, and Singapore.
I started working for Page Group shortly after arriving in Spain, so I have seen multiple roles in this timespan. In 2017, I started as an R2R Finance Process Specialist, responsible for documenting and improving our procedures, which then transitioned into working on the implementation of our new ERP for Europe.
In 2020, I was promoted to R2R Global Process Owner, where I was responsible for managing and implementing standardised processes globally, before moving to my current role in early 2021, which required me to setup a new function and team within the organisation to manage our internal controls which includes financial and system controls within the Global Transactional Finance department. Over the past five years, I have also been lucky enough to travel to other key locations for my company which includes Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, London, Buenos Aires and shortly Singapore.
What do you value most about your membership of the profession and how do you think those benefits can be used to support the economy and society?
The Chartered Accountant qualification has opened doors for me which I never would have thought possible five years ago. The training we receive allows us to provide valued opinions across a wide range of technical areas in any business or society, be it practice or industry.
As a member living in mainland Europe, can you talk to us about how your membership has been of value to you globally and what do you value about it now that you´re living overseas (and what would you like to see more of)?
Living in Spain, Chartered Accountants is not as widely recognised publicly, however, it is a well-respected qualification and I believe it played a key part in helping me succeed, firstly in getting a job in Page Group, but also on what I have achieved since.
Over the past five years, I have not only been able to progress in a professional sense, but also from a personal point of view. The plan is to stay in Spain for now, the way of life here is more relaxed, and the weather helps of course! My next goal is to further improve my level of Spanish and then see where life takes me next!
And finally, if you weren´t an accountant, what do you think you would be/have been?
I think I would have been a policeman!
Mark Murtagh is Global Controls Assurance Manager at PageGroup
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