CA Catalyst's in residence programme has already proven to be highly successful in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and Adelaide as it works to immerse CAs into the world of business and innovation. Anna Clarke, Director at Yellow Arc Consulting, will be joining the Spacecubed community as part of this programme.
Her story as a CA began as an enthusiastic audit graduate at Arthur Andersen back in the 90s. “I think back then we all undertook the PY program to qualify as CAs because it was expected of us, and seemed like a very significant box to tick at the start of our careers.” She shared. ”With the benefit of over 20 years experience in the industry, at the time I had no idea how highly regarded those two letters were, and what it would mean to be able to put them against your name.”
“It creates opportunities and is very well respected. It has allowed me to work in both commerce and practice, for both small and global companies, brand new start-ups and well established multinationals alike. It creates a grounding and a skillset from which you can leverage your skills to take your career in the direction you wish to.”
Being located here in Perth, Anna was lucky enough to not be drastically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and instead had the chance to reflect on how important it is to put your clients first.
“Looking after your clients needs to be done seamlessly and that is why it is – in my opinion – critical for businesses to embrace technology and be able to operate remotely without any downtime. Cloud accounting enables this, and I think small businesses that didn’t understand the benefit of transitioning to paperless offices now appreciate how important this adaptability is to be able to keep their businesses running smoothly.”
“It can seem overwhelming to change up your accounting system and the processes that go with this, but I haven’t had a client who has regretted making this transition. On the contrary! Many wish they made it earlier and have noticed a massive improvement in advisory offerings to their business from accountants like myself. This falls out the other side of having a business operating smoothly using the latest and greatest (or simply the most efficient) in cloud technologies.”
When asked what she is mostly looking forward to about joining the Spacecubed community, Anna shared that she’s excited about helping small businesses thrive. “Being an accountant in 2021 is, to me, the most exciting it has been. I thrive on helping small businesses set up their accounting and bookkeeping function and then providing the business owners with some really great information and management tools to help them run their business.”
“The days of preparing financial statements and tax returns annually and clients appreciating or valuing that are limited, if not gone forever. As CAs, our skill sets offer so much more than that, and this is what the Catalyst program means to be. It is exciting that CA ANZ are embracing our new role in the advisory space and I look forward to meeting many of the Spacecubed community and hearing about the journey they are on with their businesses.”
For Spacecubed members to find out more about the CA In Residence Programme, speak to your Community Coordinator today. For the broader community, explore the benefits of a Spacecubed membership here, and discover how you can access unmatched opportunities for as little as $50/month.
