Vishay Valjee moved from South Africa to Dublin to take up a role as manager with our Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) team – read his story, or watch his short video at the end of this post.
I was born and lived in South Africa before I moved to Dublin in June 2018. After my three-year training contract, I qualified as a chartered accountant and joined the Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) team at another Big Four firm.
For me, TAS appealed because it offered the opportunity to work on shorter, more diverse projects. It is also rewarding to be able to make a tangible difference and see the results when completed deals are announced.
A real benefit of working for EY Financial Services is that we have a reputable network of skilled individuals across the world from which to draw experience. The network means that we can give our clients the best service and direct the best possible skills towards the engagement that we are working on and ensure effective cross-selling of skills.
Much of my role involves preparing reports on due diligence engagements for clients and supporting them when it comes to the financial aspects of the sale or purchase agreement. My role also includes business development: reactively, by responding with proposals for potential transactions that come to market, or proactively by creating go-to-market materials, thought leadership or articles. Another important aspect of my job as a manager is to coach other members of the team and provide performance feedback and advice.
We work very collaboratively; a lot of time is spent on discussion and sense-checking ideas and approaches with colleagues. Although we’re a small team, we are looking to grow aggressively over the next few years, both in terms of headcount and performance targets. I enjoy the team environment – we are close-knit and very diverse. One of the things that excites me is being able to grow with the team, and the opportunities and responsibilities this provides. You have exposure to more areas of the business than you might have in a larger team.
EY’s Financial Services TAS team is a great place to work if you’re someone who wants to make an impact, and if you enjoy working on challenging and complex issues and risks. There’s no real recipe – every transaction is different. If you’re a dynamic person and enjoy a high-energy, fast-paced environment, then Transaction Advisory Services can be very rewarding. You develop a lot of soft skills – how to manage time, how to present, how to interact with clients and how to give clients feedback, updates and insights. You also learn a lot by interviewing very senior people in organisations. It can be intimidating at first, but you get comfortable with it very quickly and gain great understanding and insight into strategies. Having that understanding gives you a sound base from which to provide clients with the best service and advice.
Explore current opportunities in EY Financial Services Ireland.
