INTHEBLACK April/May 2024 - Magazine - Page 16
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INTHEBLACK, Sarah Petty CPA, Paving the way for future accountants
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Cereal is less popular as a breakfast
food in Asia, so the company focused on
growing its snacks portfolio. In emerging
markets, pricing, currency fluctuations and
distribution channels can be challenging.
The Africa business was even more
challenging, because I had no experience
there at all. I would receive a call from
the business manager in Africa asking for
a pricing proposal, and I would have to
research the country, its currency and its
economic and political environment.
The role helped me to understand how
different markets operated outside of
Australia, which opened my mind to
different ways of working. I became more
agile and resourceful as a result.
Early in my career, I volunteered for
Camp Quality, a charity that provides
support for kids and families affected by
cancer. I took a role on the camp leadership
team. I was involved in planning, organising,
delegating and communicating with volunteers
and parents. It was my first taste of making
a difference in leadership, and I loved it.
16 INTHEBLACK April/May 2024
Job ads for manager roles often require
leadership experience but, as a young person
early in their career, how do you get this
experience if no one will hire you without it?
MY CHALLENGES
Response to change
A benefit of working in a mid-sized
private firm is that my role is quite fluid.
At Target, I followed the standard patterns
for month-end closing, reporting, forecasting
and budgeting. It was easier to plan for peaks
and troughs in the workflow across the year
than my current role.
As CFO at Buzz, it can be tough to plan,
because our clients and suppliers are based
in different time zones all over the world,
so I may not know of emerging issues until
the next morning.
With the travel industry continuing to ramp
up, Buzz must keep up with the pace of change.
There have been a lot of new hires in the past
year, which can make it challenging to build
expertise and integrate and improve processes.
