Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting
Manager, Grant Thornton New Zealand Limited, Christchurch
Originally from Malaysia, Elaine successfully graduated from UC in 2010 with a Bachelor of Commerce specialising in financial accounting and information systems.
Since then, Elaine has flourished in her professional career taking on many roles in the field of Accountancy in New Zealand.
“After graduating from UC, I managed to land a Graduate Accountant role at a farming accountancy firm. From there, I was employed by KPMG which provided me the skills and training to become a well-rounded Accountant,” she says.
“KPMG was a stepping stone that led me to work at House of Travel as their Group Internal Auditor – this gave me a taste into the commercial world.
“It was after two years in this role that I joined Grant Thornton to further enhance my skills in the Chartered Accountancy world.”
As a Manager for Grant Thornton, Elaine’s responsibilities are wide ranging.
“My role varies daily; I manage and coach team members within the Business Advisory Service. I also prepare and review financial statements and tax returns for companies, trusts, partnerships, and individuals. I am also responsible for arranging financial forecasts for new business purchasers for bank funding, as well as providing stress advisory on business closure.
“I really enjoy business development and networking, it provides me with the opportunity to work with various clients from different industries.”
Elaine says her time at UC has supported her work-ready skills, and enabled greater preparation for the business world.
“Studying at UC prepared me to be organised, since I had to be independent in preparing for exams, projects and team assignments,’ she says. ‘The team presentation during my third-year Accounting studies helped boost my self-confidence in public speaking.
“UC was also the place that I formed many friendships and acquaintances – university is a good platform for resourceful networking which can open doors into the professional world.”
Elaine’s ambitions from here is to headway her career at Grant Thornton.
“I would want to advance in my career and become a Partner at Grant Thornton one day.”
