Meet Natalja

What did you do before coming to RSM Switzerland?

I started my audit career at a Big 4 company in Estonia, and then in Luxembourg. Afterward, I acquired experience in Private Equity and Venture Capital while working at an investment fund.

Since January 2020, I have been working as an audit senior manager at RSM Switzerland in our Geneva office. 

I am a UK-certified chartered accountant (ACCA), a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and a Swiss Licensed Audit Expert.             

Having lived in four countries, and worked in four different languages, I have experienced the benefits of being part of diverse multicultural teams.

What has been your favourite experience at RSM Switzerland?

There are so many that I have to choose from. My favourite part of working at RSM Switzerland is the team spirit, alignment, common vision and entrepreneurial spirit.

Audit is not only about numbers and laws, but the biggest part of it is about your relationships: your interactions with the team members, your colleagues, the management, and with the client’s personnel from different sectors.                 
 

“It’s very motivating to build and develop long-term relationships with our clients, working in a professional and collaborative way.” 

I also find RSM Switzerland to be very open to innovation. We are running a number of internal process-optimisation projects and it's exciting and challenging to be part of these.

I had the opportunity to take part in various other activities such as being part of the Diversity & Inclusion expert panel discussion at the business school HEC Lausanne.                  
 

How would you describe the daily work of your department?

In my department, we are a team of 15 people. We work as a team on numerous and diverse audit projects in various sectors: industry, finance, non-profits, tech, start-ups, etc. A separate team is allocated to each project, so, during the year, each one has an opportunity to work with different clients and different colleagues.

There is a mentor-mentee program in place so that more senior team members from the management can mentor and support our junior colleagues with advice and guidance, helping them to keep growing and developing.

We also have regular social gatherings, including Monday morning breakfast/cafe all together, etc. We take this opportunity to celebrate our achievements and personal events together.                  
 

How do you manage your team?

I treat my team as my colleagues and I believe that we can learn from each other no matter the seniority or grade.  As leaders, we have a duty to provide an inclusive environment that allows all people to grow.  I believe having a diverse team is key to continuous learning and development, both personally and organisationally.

I am all for managing with empathy, seeing the strengths of each individual and empowering them to build on these. Giving trust and confidence to my team, I balance between supervision and letting people do their share of work independently.

I also take time to coach the junior members so they know they can reach out to me with any type of question, and we will find time to discuss.                 
 

What does it mean to you to be able to promote initiatives such as the United Nations Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) within your company?

I am very passionate about these opportunities. At RSM Switzerland, we were already focussing on certain initiatives linked to diversity and inclusion, equality, and women’s empowerment. Therefore, we saw the commitment to UN WEPs as a natural step that would allow us to leverage everything that we have been doing so far, but in a more structured way. This in turn would allow us to show that gender equality is part of our company DNA.

I am also a member of the Education Committee of the international professional association “100 Women in Finance”, in Geneva. Over the past couple of years, RSM Switzerland hosted several educational events organised by 100 Women in Finance.

We live the values of equality, diversity and inclusion at RSM Switzerland, and this is why it’s always fulfilling and inspiring for me to be able to exchange ideas on the topic internally, with other RSM member firms and at external events as a speaker. We are also doing our best to promote equality through community initiatives.                 
 

Who are you outside of RSM Switzerland?

I like meeting new people and learning new things; curiosity is one of my key values. I network a lot through various professional events as well as just meeting with friends. My areas of interest are also change management and empowerment topics. My passion is reading, mainly fiction, novels, business and psychology.

I am also a mother and a wife, and, as a family, we like to travel and create many memorable moments together.

How do you manage your work-life balance?

I have several pillars to manage my work-life balance. For me, it is very important to have the support of the family. I am lucky to have a husband who fully supports me and helps a lot with daily things. Both of us are working finance professionals, so we make sure to share the responsibilities and be there for each other when needed. 

I also believe it's important to develop time management and project management skills, to delegate efficiently. I need to be able to prioritise tasks and allocate my limited time effectively.

At work, the partners recognise the importance of a balanced life. There is a good degree of trust and flexibility which allows us to balance between work and personal life, which is very much appreciated.