Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Information Systems
Forensic Accountant, SV Partners, Brisbane, Australia
Owner, DSQUARED - DanceDezire
As she continues within her career in accounting with SV Partners, Nisha is looking forward to fulfilling the clear goals she has set herself.
"Every day at work we uncover something new and I really enjoy my role," she says. "It has a significant investigative component to it as well as a strong legal aspect. We specialise mainly in the investigation of insolvent firms that have entered liquidation or individuals that have been declared bankrupt and investigate any fraudulent transactions that took place prior."
Following her degree in Accounting and Information Systems at UC, Nisha was quick to land a job in Australia with global firm Deloitte as a Graduate Analyst in the Auditing division for external clients. She later did work in superannuation with QSuper Ltd (Queensland government), which involved developing leadership qualities managing her own team.
Alongside her current role in Forensic Accounting, Nisha is also working towards her chartered accounting qualification with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (ICAANZ).
Although most of her family work in science, when it came to her own career Nisha was keen to take a different route.
"Business and accounting sounded exciting to me when I discussed the subject and its prospects with friends and family. I chose UC because I knew people studying there who had great things to say about the lecturers and the variety of subjects offered."
Nisha was not disappointed by UC and says that her studies were only part of a wider, enjoyable time which has set her up well for the future.
"There was a lot of exciting events organised by UCSA societies to keep students motivated and entertained," she says. "The Accounting degree itself was great – it had a mix of theory and practical which is all helpful in my current role. The lecturers were always happy to help and provide advice in terms of job applications and interviews, which was outside of their scope.
"The career advisors at UC are also amazing! There were a number of career fairs and other events organised for students which were very helpful in gaining an insight into the attributes employers look for and for networking."
Nisha says it is a good idea to get involved in as many extra-curricular accounting-related activities as possible while at school or university to improve your chances when applying for jobs. She was chosen for the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants Executive Insight Programme and was part of the team that won KPMG's "Ace the Case" business case writing competition.
She was also awarded a first prize scholarship by University of Canterbury College of Business and Law and the ACCA for excellence in one of her courses, and she seized the opportunity to spend a semester at the University of Adelaide as part of the UC exchange programme.
As an accomplished singer and dancer having performed since childhood in numerous stage shows, Nisha also got involved in some of UC's club productions. These experiences had an effect even after graduating, leading to founding her dance company DSQUARED specialising in fusing different types of contemporary dance. In 2014, Nisha organised Brisbane's first Bollywood dance production Ticket to Bollywood: En-route Australia! which involved over 70 participants.
"Those shows gave me the confidence to run my own business in Australia and I am so thankful for it," she says.
Nisha advises other students looking at jobs in accounting to be sure to "talk to UC's career advisors and consider what you want from your career".
She says: "Accounting is an ever expanding field. There are numerous opportunities from Audit to Tax, Risk, Consulting, Forensics and so on – it all depends on maximising your potential. If you enjoy analytical thinking or have a more strategic direction in your thoughts, Accounting covers everything!"
