Owen Wang, Audit, Auckland, Secondment to Vancouver

I enjoyed my secondment at our network's Vancouver office at the start of my fourth year as a Senior Auditor. It was an amazing learning opportunity, where I gained exposure to clients in entirely unfamiliar industries, including a movie studio. I was pleased to find that my Excel skills and professional scepticism were highly transferrable, even in a landscape with different accounting and tax principles.

I was able to expand my network beyond New Zealand, availing me a new venue of expertise that I can bounce ideas off. Even after my secondment, I would still discuss matters of accounting standards and auditing methodology with their Director of Technical Standards.

Outside work, the secondment opportunity afforded me the chance to travel. I went to Whistler and experienced a world-class resort covered in more snow than I've ever seen. I learned about the indigenous cultures of the Squamish and Lil'wat Nations and discovered a surprising number of similarities with our Māori culture. Partaking in their indigenous-inspired cuisine was a highlight of my trip.

Baker Tilly Staples Rodway always had strong local expertise in New Zealand, and as part of a large international network secondment opportunities and broader sharing of knowledge are also abundant. It's the best of both worlds!