Alante Kreis
Associate – Audit & Assurance (Perth Office)
Murdoch University – Master of Professional Accounting
Graduated in 2023
What’s your job about?
I work as an Associate for Grant Thornton in the Perth Audit team. As auditors, our job is to review the financial accounts of our clients and provide reasonable assurance over the balances presented in their financial statements.
At an associate level, this means being able to analyse data, critically evaluate information, and consider how what you see does or does not meet requirements, with plenty of help from your team along the way! It may mean researching a company and their board, sampling balances to check they tie to relevant documentation, or reviewing documentation for accuracy. You may find yourself reviewing ASX announcements one day, and then discussing an account item with a Financial Controller or a CFO the next. Ultimately, everything you and your team do provides information that assists the audit partner in forming an audit opinion.
What’s your background?
I have come to audit as a career change. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I finished high school, but I knew I loved learning about people, so my first degree was in culture and history. I then spent the better part of 15 years in the travel industry, working both as a travel agent, which took a lot of planning and attention to detail; as well as training, mentoring, and managing teams to achieve goals and provide exceptional service to their clients. Oh! And of course, travelling the world myself!
After becoming a Mum at the start of 2020, and the onset of Covid shortly thereafter, I finally took the leap and returned to university to study accounting. During my studies, I had the opportunity to join Grant Thornton on the Vacationer Program and was lucky enough to be offered a role as an Undergraduate Associate while I finished my studies. This led to a graduate role, and I haven’t looked back! It has been the most incredible learning experience.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Absolutely! An accounting degree gives you the basics, but life experience gives you the skills you need to interact with others and build relationships. Much of the job is about being able to listen, engage and critically evaluate what is presented to you. I might not know the accounting standards and reporting requirements inside out just yet, but, my travel background has given me both interpersonal skills and a business management acumen that has been invaluable to me as I build my new career.
What’s the coolest thing about your job?
The ever-changing nature of the work. Every client is unique, and each engagement only lasts for a short amount of time, which means no two weeks are the same. I meet people from all walks of life and am learning about such a diverse range of industries, all whilst being in one role. There is such a diverse experience to be gained from the audit sector.
What are the limitations of your job?
As an associate, sometimes you can feel limited by your knowledge or lack thereof. Adding to this, the nature of Audit is that it is cyclical, with busy periods, where you might have engagements overlap whilst still trying to meet set reporting deadlines, and quieter periods, where there is more opportunity to hone your skills and build upon what you learn during the busy season. For me, coming from a background where I had many years of experience in my industry, this has meant that during my first busy season when the pressure to complete tasks in a timely manner felt greater, I found myself feeling frustrated by the limitations of my knowledge.
I have such a great team, and the support I received and continue to receive has really helped with this. We are all working together towards a common goal, and I haven’t worked with anyone who wasn’t willing to help me learn and develop. It’s wonderful to look back on my first year in audit and see just how far I have come.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student:
- Focus on one thing at a time
- Trust the process
- Know that knowledge and skills are built upon, so even the learnings that feel most insignificant will help to get you where you want to go
