I’m Selina and I’m a qualified accountant, have 3 young, lively children aged 7,9, 11, and a beautiful puppy. I enjoy reading, socialising with family and friends and travelling.
My parents were born in East Africa, so I spent many holidays in Kenya as a child. I am a British Indian, and a practising Hindu.
What is your role and how long have you been at PKF?
I have been at PKF for 20 years. I started PKF in the 2nd year of my accountancy qualification, and travelled down the audit career path becoming a senior audit manager with a portfolio of audit clients. I am now the COO of the audit divisions and a member of the Firm’s leadership team.
What has inspired you to continue your role at PKF?
With PKF being a reputable firm, I knew they would help me to progress and there were good prospects ahead of me. The firm has lived up to my expectations and has always helped me to progress and develop my skills to be the best I can be. I have always been promoted into roles that were of interest to me.
What has been the single most important thing you learnt so far in your job?
My passion has always been understanding, developing and motivating people, and over the years I have ensured I learnt to do my best at this – I am constantly learning!
What would a ‘normal’ day look like for someone in your role?
My day is completely non-routine which is what I love about the role. I could be pulled into a meeting to discuss anything from developing a new internship programme for graduates, staffing requirements for a new exciting tender, promotions for the coming month, a new resourcing initiative to improve recoveries, to finalising the forecast for the year for the audit divisions. The variety keeps me so interested in the role day to day.
What is the company culture like?
PKF is open, friendly and a fun place to work. Everyone is approachable, and there is a real strong culture of helping and developing people. There are so many events organised by the firm, which allows us to get to know our colleagues more and to simply enjoy ourselves!
Our open plan office also means that we can interact with each other on a daily basis. The firm values were created by the staff, which makes us even more passionate about them, as it is a true reflection of the firm and it’s people.
How important is diversity to you and what is PKF doing in this space at the moment?
I am the Leadership team representative on the Diversity and Inclusion committee for the firm, so it is very important to me. At PKF we look to celebrate as many religions, cultures and any associated events as we can, and also look educate our people, creating a space that encourages them to speak openly about their believes and values. I feel strongly that a diverse team is imperative to creating a stronger working environment so we can all understand each other better.
Finally, any tips for anyone who’d like to apply for a role at PKF?
I would say that you that becoming a qualified accountant will open so many doors for you in the future, and gives you a stable and good career path, that is interesting and rewarding. There is hard work to be done to become a qualified accountant, so go into it knowing that you will have to work hard for the next 3 years to get your qualification – but you can do it! If you are looking for a place of work that will support your goals, help you get that qualification and give you exposure to working with interesting clients, then choose PKF!