I left KPMG to become the Head of Finance at TSR ask me anything

Hey

I worked at KPMG for 7 years before leaving 3 months ago to become Head of Finance at TSR.

As me anything and I will endeavour to provide answers (caveat - they may not be the ones you want :wink:

)

To all the AS/A-Level students with results today SUPER CONGRATUMALATIONS!!!!! celebrate in style

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Reply 1

Viva Emptiness

Is TSR in a financial position to give me a free sub? And if so, can I have a free sub?

Reply 2

MarcusP

Original post by Viva Emptiness

Is TSR in a financial position to give me a free sub? And if so, can I have a free sub?

If you can submit a viable investment plan I can take it into consideration (note - I strongly suspect it will not achieve board level approval)

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3

99DeadBaboons

Original post by Rainbowpanda

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To all the AS/A-Level students with results today SUPER CONGRATUMALATIONS!!!!! celebrate in style

Your avatar should come with a disclaimer. That thing hurts. It's awesome though :biggrin:

What's your favourite soup?

Reply 4

MarcusP

Original post by 99DeadBaboons

Your avatar should come with a disclaimer. That thing hurts. It's awesome though :biggrin:

What's your favourite soup?

Thank you.

Favourite soup is a difficult one but in the spirit of my opening remarks...

Home made - Broccoli & Stilton

Bought - Glorious Foods Tuscan Chicken and Orzo (other brands of soup are available)

Reply 5

Marky Mark

I suppose I'll ask WHY?!!!!

Reply 6

MarcusP

Original post by Marky Mark

I suppose I'll ask WHY?!!!!

Many reasons, but I think the most relevant is that I had got to the point in my career in financial services when I was becoming tired of giving other people/companies advice on their options and how best to do things and I wanted a taste of what is like on the other side.

Fortunately the opportunity to join the team at TSR presented itself at almost the exact same time which gave me the happy situation of deciding whether to continue in consulting or come and work for a vibrant, exciting company in the midst of a growth period.... It was easy. :smile:

Reply 7

Reue

How much of a pay cut was it?

Reply 8

Motorbiker

What do you do on the average day?

(When not being bothered by me about expenses that is)

Reply 9

MarcusP

Original post by Reue

How much of a pay cut was it?

Both are voluntary roles :wink:

- we do have Sonos in the TSR office though....

Reply 10

Reue

Original post by Rainbowpanda

Both are voluntary roles :wink:

Seems legit

Reply 11

MarcusP

Original post by Motorbiker

What do you do on the average day?

(When not being bothered by me about expenses that is)

It is very changeable throughout a month but my main responsibility is to ensure the Finance department is running smoothly; I oversee a team that performs everything you might expect from the sales cycle to the purchase cycle, payroll, expenses (including being bothered by motorbiker).

At the month end I need to ensure that the management accounts are delivered on a timely basis by the team whilst communicating and resolving issues with other management teams across the business that are thrown up by the process.

I also assist the wider TSR group with financial modelling for strategic purposes and financial reporting for sales and KPIs. Alongside all of that there are responsibilities as a Company Sec and Legal.

Reading your Q again I'm not sure I have given you the average day but in short I work with everyone and wear lots of hats.... Finance is involved in almost everything within a company.

Reply 12

Motorbiker

Original post by Rainbowpanda

Nice reply, i like it.

What's your favourite part of working with TSR? And least favourite?

Reply 13

MarcusP

Original post by Motorbiker

Nice reply, i like it.

What's your favourite part of working with TSR? And least favourite?

Fav - My wife worked from the office a couple of weeks ago and she remarked afterwards what a lovely vibe the office had. I would have to agree and say it is the atmosphere we all have the pleasure of working in (plus the enormous opportunities the company gives people).

Other reasons - we have a bar, air hockey, Sonos and the seaside is less than 1 mile away.

Least Fav - Currently I travel from London which takes me c.3hrs a day so when Friday fun time comes around I am tired these days.... Brighton move soon though!!

Reply 14

Kameron

What did you do at KPMG for 7 years?

Reply 15

MarcusP

Original post by Kameron

What did you do at KPMG for 7 years?

I went through the audit grad program (Bristol) followed by just under a year of management then a couple of secondments to clients for c. 3 months. After audit I went into Corporate Finance Infrastructure (Canary Wharf) for 2.5 years. I also worked closely with Management Consulting whilst in CFI on multi-disciplinary teams.

Reply 16

Kutie Karen

Hi,

Can you please tell me the kind of things an auditor does on a daily basis? What are your thoughts on the KPMG school leaver program? Would you recommend it ?

Reply 17

MarcusP

Original post by Kutie Karen

Hi,

Can you please tell me the kind of things an auditor does on a daily basis? What are your thoughts on the KPMG school leaver program? Would you recommend it ?

It depends on the level you are at but the basics of the job are to gain sufficient confidence that the accounts represent a true and fair view of the financial performance of a company. Auditors use a variety of tests to get this confidence and will in the most part be based in a company's HQ to perform them.

The job that is often banded around for new grads/school leavers is ticking and bashing which means agreeing samples of balances back to supporting docs e.g. a list of sales to sales invoices. In reality this type of auditing is dying a death as more intelligent methods are developed and companies move into high volume digital transactions.

Audit is given a pretty bad rap but one thing it does do is provide a route to becoming a qualified accountant which opens lots of other doors.

The school leaver program is not something I can profess to be an expert on but you can go to these threads for KPMG The KPMG school leaver program 2015 , The KPMG school leavers program 2014 & EY The EY school leavers program 2015

Hope this helps.

Reply 18