Name: Stephen Walsh

Position: Associate

Department: Corporate Finance

College attended: University of Limerick and Dublin City University

Course: BSc Economics and Mathematical Science & Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (PDA)

When did you join Deloitte and why did you decide to go for the position?

As part of my UL course, I joined Deloitte as a co-op in 2012. Prior to this, my only previous accounting experience was Junior Cert Business Studies. After finishing my 8 months placement, Deloitte offered to sponsor my place in a PDA, together with a 3 year trainee contract. I accepted the offer, and following completing the PDA, I started my training contract in 2014.

What do you enjoy about your role?

I work in Restructuring Services, in the Corporate Finance Department, mainly dealing with insolvency cases. From the outset, my manager gave me a large amount of responsibility – managing an array of cases and liaising with various stakeholders. While initially challenging, this provided me with great exposure to clients and opportunities for professional growth.

What were your first impressions and how easy did you find it to become integrated?
Starting anywhere new can seem daunting, but with dozens of trainees starting on the same day, you’re all in the same boat. You quickly get to know people through the induction programme, team lunches, and departmental/firm events. When it comes to the workload, it felt like a baptism of fire. It was initially very challenging, learning the different processes and dynamics. You have to learn fast, but you get great experience along the way.

What is the best part about working in Deloitte?
That’s easy – the people. How would you like your career to go from here, are you interested in travel for example? I definitely feel Deloitte provides different progression paths, with opportunities to work on secondment or other Deloitte global firms. I recently started a secondment in a financial institution, which I hope will provide me with valuable experience and an alternate perspective on working.

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