Our World

Our World

Mia van der Merwe – Audit Manager – Secondment to Chicago

My experience in Chicago has been the stuff of legends it is the type of experience that you would wish every secondee would have. I got off the plane and was welcomed by a significantly smaller office than what i was accustomed to in Cape Town.  It was very daunting and seemed like an enormous task to take on due to the fact that soon after i had arrived in the Chicago office, they had obtained 3 new clients during busy season that all had their deadlines within the same week.  So naturally i jumped in the deep end and with the incredible support of the management team of the wonderful Chicago office and we managed to complete the jobs assigned to us as seniors…and here i thought i would only be support staff.  The city itself is as legendary as Al Capone himself, incredible people, incredible sites and let’s not forget the most amazing culinary experience.  How many South Africans can say they had unique and authentic deep dish pizza and got to eat the best burgers in America all in the same city? I travelled through most of the mid-west and got to see the heartland of America where the food portions are gigantic and the people are so friendly and welcoming. I thought I came here to work and gain different experiences and at the end of our time I left with life-long friends, unforgettable memories and experiences that i will treasure forever.  Whoever said New York is the place to be is quite mistaken, I was fortunate enough to call the great city Chicago my home for a few months and even endured the pain of being Green Bay fans in Bears country. I will never forget my time here, thank you!

Wihann Rabe – Senior Manager – Secondment to Paris

Paris is an awesome city and it really feels like one is going back to the roots of the Mazars Family. The Paris office has an even bigger blend of employees from all over the world. I worked with people from France, America, Italy, the UK which highlights the true cultural diversity of the Mazars

Nico Jansen – Partner – Secondment to Singapore

I had the privilege of going to Singapore on a 3 month secondment. The exposure, life experience, living in a different country and interacting with different cultures were invaluable in enhancing my career and of course being able to go watch the Malaysian Grand Prix was a dream come true. Everyone’s secondment is a unique and different experience and very valuable in your own individual growth (both in your personal life as well as your work life).

It is something I would definitely recommend to anyone. The friends you make, the experiences you have, not just work experience, but life experience that you gain is something money cannot buy.

Being able to work for the same international firm in a different country and witnessing how the same values are applied within Mazars across the world made me proud to call myself a Mazarian.

Rochelle Murugan – Partner – Secondment to Australia

I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to spend 3 months in the land down under being the incredible city of Sydney, Australia.

Secondment for me was truly a life changing experience, it allowed me to not only have the opportunity to gain exposure at another Mazars office but I had made friends from all around the globe, got to embrace different cultures and learn and grow holistically ( not forgetting I got to interact with Koalas and Kangaroos of course).

The one thing I would recommend, is that if you are afforded the opportunity to go on secondment, do it, it is certainly a journey you will forever treasure.

I am truly proud to be a part of Mazars, an organisation that values its employees, craves learning and growth, is able to make the auditing experience enjoyable and most importantly feels like a family.

Chantell Ajam – Audit Manager – Secondment to London 

Birmingham is situated in the middle of the UK and is the largest city outside of London. Jobs that I worked on were based all over the UK including London and also in Scotland and Wales, so I got see a lot just by travelling for work. During my time there I was exposed to very large corporates, housing associations as well as some defined benefit pension scheme audits. I also developed other skills such as negotiating with clients relating to deferred purchase considerations, due diligence work and tendering for new jobs which I did not have any exposure to prior to the UK. The methods learned in South Africa during my training contract sufficiently equipped me for my role in the UK and there is even further integration with new global audit software to be released soon.

My personal highlight was the ability to travel to Paris, Dublin (Ireland) as well as Spain and Portugal whilst over there. I have also developed a bond with partners and staff in the Birmingham office and there will now be a regular flow of staff to this office.

Ammaar Sukhadia – Audit Senior – Secondment to New York 

I was fortunate enough to work in one of the largest financial hubs in the world.  Making the most of your secondment is not just all the sight-seeing you can do but also bringing back different approaches and methodologies. My articles experience prepared me to adapt to the significant changes one deals overseas.

Mazars is truly a GREAT PLACE TO WORK!