Graduate opportunities

Meet Bijay

Name: Bijay Puri
Job Title: Associate
Service Line: Audit & Assurance
University Attended: Griffith University
Degree qualification: Master of Professional Accounting & Bachelor of Business
Year graduated: 2022

Commencing with Grant Thornton in 2021, Bijay’s career trajectory wasn’t cut and dry. Bijay arrived in Brisbane from Nepal in 2013 to study a Bachelor of Business (Hospitality Management) at Griffith University. After completing his degree, Bijay was offered an opportunity to work at the Sheraton Hotel in Port Douglas. Despite facing challenges within the hospitality industry during COVID-19, Bijay says it wasn’t all bad. During this time of uncertainty, he was able to reflect. He decided to pivot his career trajectory, pursuing a Masters in Professional Accounting. While studying, he began his journey with Grant Thornton as a Vacationer in February 2021, before beginning work as a full-time Associate in July 2021.

He enjoys the challenges in Audit, and loves working as part of a team. “Being an Audit Associate is like solving a giant puzzle. Teamwork is imperative, and communication is key to successful work in this area. For me, being able to contribute to the team and do my part to solve this giant puzzle has enabled me to grow,” Bijay says.

How do you feel supported in your role? Bijay says that Grant Thornton has been a supportive and rewarding learning experience, especially with the Buddy Program and having an assigned coach to give him further support when he needs it. “The relationship I have built with my peers and clients; the development in my skills and knowledge and being able to take ownership in these areas show that I am moving in the right direction. The direction is to grow, and I am on the right track compared to what I was before joining Grant Thornton.”

What do you love most about life in Audit? “The experience of getting to talk to clients and understand how they manage their business through accounting processes brings a wealth of information and knowledge. The exposure from various engagements during the year is just something one cannot expect in any other job, and I love that the most,” Bijay says.

Meet Elena

Name: Elena Davis
Job Title: Associate
Service Line: Audit & Assurance
University Attended: University of Adelaide
Degree qualification: Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance)
Year graduated: 2021

Elena’s journey with Grant Thornton began in 2021 as an Undergraduate in Audit & Assurance at the Adelaide office. Starting full time work while still studying proved challenging, but Elena enjoyed the experience. “I knew I wanted to be in Audit and I haven’t regretted a second of it. Audit is just such a fun aspect of accounting and there’s no shortage of work, so I get to feel like I’m earning my wage most days.”

A day in Audit & Assurance never looks the same, but whatever Elena is assigned, she is guaranteed to be using Excel. “I do a lot of work with Excel – usually things like vouching and recalculations – I love doing stuff like that. I also enjoy reading through company documents like board minutes. To me, it’s like I’m reading the story of the business, and I love seeing how things change and shift over time. That kind of thing also gives me a solid foundation and good context for the work I’m doing,” Elena says.

Moving from America to Australia eight years ago was the catalyst for change in Elena’s life – including her professional journey. When asked about what she loves most about her job, she said that it wasn’t just one thing. “This is a tough question – I love a lot of different things about my job. I enjoy getting to figure out the different pieces of the puzzle when it comes to auditing a client; I enjoy doing things like reading board minutes and ASX announcements. I also really like the culture and community of my team and the Adelaide office,” Elena says.

How can you be your best self at work? “There’s a great opportunity for work-life balance with Grant Thornton, more so than with other firms in my experience. For where I’m at in my life, I really value that, and I appreciate the camaraderie of the service line I work in. We all work to help each other when and if we can, and there’s always room to pick up extra work.”

Meet Will

Name: Will Briggs
Job Title: Associate
Service Line: Corporate Tax
University Attended: University of Adelaide
Degree qualification: Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)
Year graduated: 2020

Will began his Grant Thornton journey in the Corporate Tax team after graduating from The University of Adelaide in 2020. Starting his first full-time, professional job came with some nerves, but his experience has felt nothing but supportive. “Everyone understands that you aren’t going to know everything on day one. When you join, you work closely with a Buddy and Manager to learn the ropes, go through training, and adjust to the environment. People are always happy for you to ask a question or sit down and explain something to help,” Will says.

As an Associate in the Adelaide office, his workday is generally split between tax compliance and advisory or consulting work, depending on the time of year and client requirements. Will particularly enjoys when clients ask his team to help solve a complex tax issue. “The tasks I enjoy most are where clients raise a specific income tax issue for us to resolve, whether it’s research into a niche part of tax law or constructing a workpaper, which helps to prove out a difficult tax calculation. I find that these tasks are the ones where you get the opportunity to work through unfamiliar problems, and test yourself in different scenarios, outside of more general tax compliance work and processes,” Will says.

What do you like about client work? “It’s always nice to get that email back from a client after you finalise a job, thanking you for that extra bit of effort that you’ve put in. Clients, particularly in smaller and medium sized businesses, are often very busy people – but they usually pick up on that extra bit of explanation, and they take the time to show appreciation for making their life easier.”

Will says in the almost two years he has been at Grant Thornton, he has been offered opportunities to work on a variety of projects just by putting his hand up. “I’ve been surprised at the different opportunities and responsibilities on offer. Whether it’s work or social, people will be more than happy for you to get involved,” Will says.

Meet Lillian

Name: Lillian Poh
Job Title: Senior Associate
Service Line: Tax - Transfer Pricing
University Attended: University of Melbourne
Degree qualification: Bachelor Commerce (Economics and Finance)
Year graduated: 2020

Lillian’s journey at Grant Thornton began as a Graduate in the Melbourne Transfer Pricing team, and Lillian says that they have been nothing but supportive from the beginning. As of January 2023, Lillian was promoted to Senior Associate.“Grant Thornton is a supportive environment, where I can constantly learn new skills and challenge myself. The firm has a positive culture, which encourages self-development and allows graduates room to make mistakes while learning the ropes. I have found that this positive culture has allowed me to build my skills at an exponential rate,” Lillian says.

As part of Lillian’s role, she assists with writing reports that help establish if transactions are independent. “My role involves performing economic analyses for a wide range of transactions. The client engagements I work on can be determining appropriate interest rates for the provision of debt funding, license fees for the grant of intellectual property rights or mark-ups to be applied to the provision of back-office services,” Lillian says.

Lillian says the theory she learnt throughout university remains relevant to what she does day-to-day. “From my finance major, I found learning about debt funding and investment arrangements to be particularly interesting. The theory I learnt in the classroom remains quite applicable to the work that I do in my role now,” Lillian says.

What do you love most about your job? “I really enjoy being able to take a deep dive into the companies and industries that our clients operate in. I work with clients who develop all types of innovative products and services, which I never even knew existed prior to working at Grant Thornton. As part of undertaking detailed business analyses for these companies, I have had the opportunity to meet with CEOs and CFOs to hear directly from them about the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of their businesses.”

Meet James

Name: James Dang
Job Title: Senior Associate
Service Line: Private Business Tax & Advisory
University Attended: University of Melbourne
Degree qualification: Bachelor of Commerce
Year graduated: 2020

James joined Grant Thornton as a graduate in 2021 after undertaking a month long vacationer program placement in the Private Advisory division at Grant Thornton. As of January 2023, James was promoted to Senior Associate. As a Senior Associate in the Private Advisory team, James assists with the preparation of tax returns for a variety of clients and client groups including companies, trusts and individuals with a focus on private clients. But it’s not all tax returns – James also enjoy being involved with different types of work such as tax advisory, financial modelling, forecasting and business reporting.

James says that the learning and development opportunities and support offered are what makes Grant Thornton different. “Grant Thornton has supported my learning and development through funding my further studies with both the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) and Chartered Accountants (CA) programs. I am really fortunate enough to be working with a group of people who appreciate my contributions and reciprocate this by taking an interest in my ongoing development.”

Meet Lachie

Name: Lachie Strathmore
Job Title: Senior Associate
Service Line: Private Business Tax & Advisory
University Attended: University of Melbourne
Degree qualification: Bachelor of Commerce
Year graduated: 2020

Lachie started as a graduate in March 2021, after completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree at University of Melbourne. After doing rotations in Audit during a vacationer program, Lachie decided to seek a position in Grant Thornton’s Private Business Tax & Advisory team. As of January 2023, Lachie was promoted to Senior Associate.

Working on mainly compliance matters, Lachie enjoys helping clients navigate and comply with their various tax obligations with the ATO. “I find it interesting understanding the bigger picture of a family group – from the main trading entity, to the various companies and trusts in the business structure, and then through to the individuals. There is a lot of variety in the different clients, and I work with lots of different people in my division,” says Lachie.

How have you been supported in development so far? Lachie says one of the great things about working at Grant Thornton is the opportunity for coaching and mentoring. “There are great systems in place, and all of the people are incredibly generous with their time and happy to help you. Whilst you are definitely thrown in the deep-end with all the technical knowledge of a new job, the people around you keep you afloat and make sure you are understanding and progressing. There is a constant feedback loop, and conversations about your own career progression are constant.”

So what’s the best thing about working at Grant Thornton? “How possible it is to make an impact if you take some initiative. I have taken an active role in designing new training sessions, particularly for the incoming graduates and vacationers. I was supported by people at all levels, and was never told to stay in my lane or just focus on the work I’d been given. If you have something you want to innovate, you can do it and have people support you.”

Meet Becky

Name: Becky Lowe
Job Title: Senior Associate
Service Line: Audit & Assurance
University Attended: Edith Cowan University
Degree qualification: Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)
Year graduated: 2020

Becky began working as a Graduate in 2021, after completing a Bachelor of Commerce at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. After working in supervision and managerial positions within the hospitality industry for many years, Becky made the decision to go back to university as a mature-aged student with a goal to become an accountant.

Despite her concern around being a mature-aged Graduate, Becky found life at Grant Thornton nothing but inclusive and has enjoyed her career journey so far with her colleagues in Audit. As of January 2023, Becky was promoted to Senior Associate. She works with clients across many industries, helping her gain invaluable experience in the accounting world. “The accounting profession has such a wide variety of specialties and pathways, I love hearing how my clients got to where they are in their careers to date and what’s next for them and their business,” says Becky.

Becky also enjoys working at Grant Thornton because her team have broad skillsets that she can learn from. “I’ve spent my entire journey to date in Audit at the Perth office where I love the cohort of such interesting and passionate people and work with a wide variety of clients across Perth. Every day is such a different day which keeps me on my toes and I’m always working in different teams with different people, and the best part is you’re not confined to a cubicle all day, every day,” says Becky.

So what is the best thing about life at Grant Thornton? “Grant Thornton has such a vibrant culture and diverse group of individuals which make for great team catch-ups. We get the opportunity to socialise and network between divisions and it’s great to have friends across all corners of the office. It’s never a dull day at the Grant Thornton Perth office." 

Meet Dylan

Name: Dylan van Dongen
Job Title: Associate
Service Line: Private Business Tax & Advisory
University Attended: Queensland University of Technology
Degree qualification: Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
Year graduated: 2020

Dylan started at Grant Thornton as a Graduate in 2021 after completing his degree at Queensland University of Technology. As an Associate in the Private Business Tax & Advisory team, Dylan enjoys the opportunity to work with a variety of clients who operate in various industries where he can add value to their business decisions. He particularly enjoys client meetings and when his managers trust him with additional tasks outside of his everyday workload.

New to Grant Thornton, he feels supported and valued by his team. “I have the ability to discuss the work I am doing with everyone in my team. The support I can get goes from experienced senior associates, all the way through to managers and even the partner I work under,” Dylan says.

Dylan’s previous experience in a small accounting firm made the transition to Grant Thornton smooth sailing. He appreciates the structure provided by a larger firm, and enjoys the opportunity to meet other people outside of his service line. “The internal management and procedures are like a big firm, but the relationships you develop with your co-workers are like a smaller firm. You can meet everyone and get to know everyone’s names across all service lines. You truly feel valued by everyone on all levels and ranks,” says Dylan.

Any extracurriculars? “I have become more involved in the Grant Thornton social club and help organise events for the Service Line and wider Firm. I was also given the opportunity to co-host the 2022 End of Financial year ball which was very fun,” says Dylan.

Meet Emma

Name: Emma Martin
Job Title: Associate
Service Line: Risk Consulting
University Attended: Monash University
Degree qualification: Bachelor Commerce (Economics and Sustainability), Diploma of Languages (Indonesian)
Year graduated: 2019

Emma started working at Grant Thornton as a Graduate in Risk Consulting after graduating from Monash University in 2019. With previous experience in Salary Packaging and Novated Leasing for a sustainable start-up, Emma was able to hit the ground running at Grant Thornton.

Her day-to-day responsibilities include meetings, fieldwork, extensive document analysis and report writing. “I have been given a few projects where I am the only Associate, so I have the opportunity to work on every facet of a project, from introductory meetings to the fieldwork, document analysis, to drafting the final report for my manager to review and finalise. I like the variety of tasks assigned to me, and the opportunity to learn in every area of the service line,” Emma says. Outside the responsibilities of her consulting role, Emma has been given the opportunity to participate in a ‘think tank’ exercise on how Grant Thornton can integrate sustainability into service offerings too.

How do you feel supported at Grant Thornton? “We are each assigned a People Manager who you can go to for anything – career progression advice, everyday work questions or even just a chat. We are also assigned an Associate buddy, who has been there a bit longer than yourself, who you can go to for the smaller things, such as how to enter a timesheet or where to go for lunch,” says Emma.

What do you love most about your job? “I love the people and the culture! I have met some great and interesting people in my time at Grant Thornton. In terms of my everyday role, I love the many opportunities to be challenged, and to challenge others to solve problems and create practical, valuable solutions and recommendations to our clients,” Emma says.