For BDO Auckland’s Grace Maddren, being her best means hitting her targets both inside and outside of work. The keen runner and soccer player started her accounting career in April 2024, taking a slightly unconventional route to the graduate position.
We spoke to Grace about her career journey, what she likes about accounting, and how BDO supports her in meeting her goals.
“Grad schemes weren’t on my radar when I graduated, but I’m glad I got here!”
I finished my degree in 2023, graduating from the University of Canterbury with a double major in finance and marketing. I studied some accounting at university, but I wasn’t necessarily considering it as a career path. After so many years of schooling and then studying, I really wanted time to have a break and reset before thinking about my next step. I spent a month travelling around Central and South America and had the best time.
After arriving back in New Zealand, I was ready to get stuck into work. I eventually connected with Dylan Brockett, BDO Auckland’s Talent Acquisition Advisor, before being interviewed by Rachel Shoebridge, an Advisory Partner at BDO Auckland. Although I’d missed the BDO Auckland graduate intake window, I was hired in a graduate position – which shows there are many ways to start your career!
“There’s a great culture here, with plenty of social activities.”
Business Advisory is a really interesting service line. Because I didn’t major in accounting at uni, I’m doing a lot of practical, on-the-job learning. My team have been so welcoming and supportive as I learn more, not just about the job, but about BDO and the wider industry.
I think as a young graduate it’s natural to be a bit apprehensive about integrating and interacting with more experienced colleagues, but I’ve found everyone at BDO Auckland so welcoming and friendly. There's a great group of grads and a lot of social activities to get involved in, from line dancing to pottery.
“The transition from study to work has been surprisingly easy.”
My corporate routine is quite similar to my uni routine – I was structured with my time when I was studying, so I’ve found it reasonably straightforward to make that switch to fulltime work. In my role, I really like that it’s not just about learning the theoretical content, but how that content is applied. I can see firsthand how teams operate, what different functions do, and how people approach situations, which I think is really helpful in the early stages of any career.
“I want to do my CA and my CFA – and run a marathon.”
As a graduate, I have clear goals which my manager and the wider BDO Auckland team support me with. Eventually, I want to become a Chartered Accountant (CA) and longer-term, work towards a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification. Outside of work, I play football and do a lot of running. I have my eye on completing a few more half marathons before eventually going for the full marathon.
“BDO helps me be my best by supporting my goals, inside and outside of work.”
From a work perspective, BDO Auckland helps me push myself and strive for more, working with me to set clear, tailored goals to help achieve my objectives and progress my career.
I’ve also felt supported to reach my potential outside of work. I recently competed in the Gold Coast Half Marathon and was training a lot. Rachel was really flexible and I was able to adjust my work times to accommodate training, which I really appreciated – I ended up beating my target race time by five minutes, so the preparation paid off!
BDO sees the whole person, not just the work person, and I think that helps people to be their best.