Kathy Lim, Assistant Manager - KPMG Tax Services
I'm currently part of the Transfer Pricing team within the Tax department in KPMG. The work in the transfer pricing practice cuts across all industries. I get to work
on various engagements spanning a diverse portfolio of clients.
Fortunately, I have been given opportunities to work with some major and global clients, with respect to global restructuring and supply chain management projects involving several countries. Involvement in such projects is always challenging and interesting, especially learning about the different angles and approaches there are to tackling just one issue.
A typical day at work involves internal discussions and meetings, and possibly teleconferences in a day. Teleconferences are common, and in a week, I could be attending several teleconferences, both with local and overseas parties, depending on the project and workload during that period of time. Contrary to
the popular belief that Tax work is desk-bound, the reverse is true for me. I get involved in interesting work and I find myself on the move almost all of the time. Further, I am also heavily involved in marketing work, which keeps us on the lookout at all times to extend our services to various multinationals.
I was recently in Shanghai for a six-month secondment, where I was exposed to the transfer pricing regulations introduced in China, and managed clients in the Financial Services and Public Infrastructure sectors. |
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 Apart from the tremendous work exposure, it was clearly a self-enriching experience living in a big city alone, and meeting people from all walks of life.
I balance my worklife commitments by indulging in the activities I enjoy. I carry a book around with me, and enjoy a good read during my commute. I also participate in weekly external netball trainings whenever possible, as well as corporate netball games or leisure volleyball games, which I partake with my colleagues. This ensures I maintain an active lifestyle even outside of the office building. Additionally, there are almost weekly department lunches and Happy Hours which I always look forward to!
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Ong Ying Ni, Senior Associate - Audit
Currently, I've been working on mostly banking clients. While bankers may be perceived as competitiveand calculative, my experience with them is quite the opposite as I generally find them to be interesting personalities. It's not just about business for me, but actually developing a positive relationship with clients.
I am learning so much all the time. When I'm not working on email correspondence or documenting audit findings, I am usually in discussions with my managers, fellow team mates or the clients on queries and issues. Sometimes these discussions are held over the phone, other times, it is a face to face discussion. The day usually ends with reviewing what I've done today and planning for the next day.
My goal is to work with people of diverse cultural backgrounds in different environments, in different types of situations, and eventually be confident enough to manage anything that arises. I can have this exposure right here in the firm as there are many colleagues who come from different universities, countries and backgrounds. I would also add that the firm's Global Opportunities (GO) programme provides lots of exposure even in Singapore - I could be working with an Englishman seconded from the KPMG Bangkok office!
My advice to someone considering a career in one of the Big 4? The experience is second to none and mine has been really fulfilling to date!
So the next time you hear that KPMG is a great place to build your career, believe it.
 Shaun To, Associate - Corporate Finance
What can you get out of an internship? Shaun shares with us his KPMG experience which included an overseas stint at the KPMG Hong Kong office.
Shaun interned at KPMG in 2008 to find out more about KPMG's culture, and understand more about the different services and functions within the firm. Shaun felt that his KPMG internship was beneficial to students like himself because "it offers exposure to the full spectrum of services KPMG provides to clients, and we can find out so much more by talking to people inside the firm."
In his time with KPMG, Shaun spent an exciting 2 months with the Hong Kong office as part of an audit engagement. While there, he participated in the annual KPMG soccer competition where his department's team emerged as the silver medalists. He says, "It was a great bonding session amongst my colleagues. It was an internship filled with lots of fun, and [was] ultimately an amazing learning experience."
When asked what he took away from his experience, Shaun says, "I learnt a lot about the profession, especially in the areas of audit and advisory work." The importance of time management also played a big part during Shaun's internship, as he had to deal with multiple clients simultaneously. He also feels the opportunities to work closely with managers, seniors and clients on the job helped improve his communication skills.
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