Tell us about your academic background?

Bachelor of commerce and Master of Accounting at UCD in 2012 and 2013 respectively. I also joined the UCD exchange programme to study abroad in the University of British Columbia in Canada during my undergraduate study.

Where are you working now?

I am working in the Finance Department in Royal Bank Canada as a senior financial analyst for statutory & regulatory reporting.

Why accountancy? 

It provides great opportunities across all sectors and industries all over the world.

Why Chartered Accountants Ireland?

It is the largest and longest established accountancy body in Ireland. The qualification has great global recognition as it has Mutual Recognition agreements with most Chartered bodies around the world.

Can you explain the Flexible Route to someone who doesn't know what it is?

It is one of the Chartered Accountants programs, offering quality study for candidates starting their careers in different industries.

Was it flexible?

Yes, it allowed me to study on my own terms. I worked in advertising, insurance and fund industries during the program and it recognised all my working experience from different industries.

How was combining work and study?

Working and studying sounds tough, but you’ll find it very helpful and interesting. For example, the various case studies helped me gain a better understanding of my current role in different situations so that I could apply the knowledge I learned into practice.  The work experience I gained also made my study more efficient, I could pick up new knowledge more quickly.

Can you see how someone who is not an accountant might benefit from this qualification?

It would benefit your work directly by sharing the most up to date knowledge wherever you are in the company as all functions in the organisation link to accounting directly or indirectly. It would also help you through professional networking as the qualification has strong global recognition. 

Would you recommend the Flexible Route to others? Why?

Highly recommended. The Flexible Rote offers good work life balance and great flexibilities for candidates who are working and studying.

What advice would you give someone who is considering the Flexible Route?

For study, I would recommend drafting your own study plan and learning notes to make your study more efficient. For work, I would recommend considering different roles and industries at the first stage of your career path to gain more experience.

Where have you worked to date?

I joined the Chartered Accountant Ireland Flexible Route while I was working as an Accountant in Rothco Accenture Interactive in the advertising industry. It was a great experience of understanding company's structure, products and strategy. I also participated in different creative projects and marketing campaigns, which made my accountancy study more interesting. After that, I moved to Allied World Insurance as a Financial Accountant in the Group Finance Team. This provided me with more exposure in inter-company recharge, management & statutory accounting and US GAAP reporting. I am now the Senior Financial Analyst in the Royal Bank Canada Finance Department. In addition to the statutory and regulatory reporting, there are different finance projects like system maintenance and upgrading, which brings information technology into accountancy.

Describe a typical day for you? 

My daily work involves managing general ledgers (bank reconciliations, AP&AR allocations etc.) for management, statutory and regulatory reporting. In addition, there are different finance projects like system maintenance and upgrading.

What are your future goals?

Continue to study through CPD and lifelong learning programmes to achieve more qualifications. Focus on my current role and look forward to more opportunities and challenges.