Her Story
About Priyanka
I started my career in the accounting field, working for a CPA firm, where I was doing both internal and external accounting, auditing, and taxation. From there, I was more drawn towards the audit side of things. What I love about auditing is that I learn something new every audit I'm part of, because we audit different departments at different sizes and at different times, so it's like learning everyone's day job for a small set of time and then moving on to something new. It always has variety in it, and that's what draws me to auditing more. My main area of expertise is in internal audit of asset management, mainly in the internal control space. I focus on identifying various key controls and seeing what issues the team is facing for those controls, and what could be the best case scenario for everyone doing their job. I also provide recommendations as a fresh set of eyes looking at somebody's day-to-day job, bringing in a fresh perspective since it's not my day-to-day job. In my current senior role, I mainly manage my team, take care of the day-to-day audit work, and have meetings with executives, mainly those who are the head of the different departments that we are auditing. Our main point of contact is usually the C-suite or the people who are heading the department. Every day looks a little bit different depending on the audit I'm working on. One of my most notable achievements is getting promoted within 3 years in my company, which is the shortest time anyone has gotten promoted, and I'm one of the youngest seniors on my team.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Priyanka
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my family. Their support has got me to where I am - first my parents, my sister, and my husband. My family has been my constant support and my cheerleader, even at my worst times. I think that gives me the strength to face challenges, both professionally and personally. Having cheerleaders who support you in your journey makes all the difference.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to take each day as it comes and to never doubt yourself. Everyone has their own perspective, so it's not necessary that everyone would understand yours, but your job is to give your best, and the rest is for them to see if they like it or not. This advice has helped me stay focused on doing my best work without worrying too much about others' opinions.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just because of the nature of the field, not everyone likes auditors, so it is obviously a tough battle to win trust. But I think the thing that women have the strongest is the fact that we are able to adapt, and that is going to be your strongest power when it comes to entering into this field - to adapt. The ability to adapt and be resilient is crucial, especially in a male-dominated field.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think building trust is a very big challenge and opportunity at the same time. Like I said, the field does - people don't trust you just because of the name of the field. Building the trust that you are doing what you're doing to make that process more streamlined and efficient is very crucial. At the same time, it could be tough because you just have a few meetings to win that trust.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Both in my personal and professional life, I think putting in the effort and building the trust is crucial for any relationship, whether professional or personal. That just builds a sort of bond that helps you grow. Trust is so important - once you start to establish trust, then you want to put the effort in. Once the trust is gone, it's almost impossible to get that back.
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