What’s your job about?

Within the Deals team at McGrathNicol you have the opportunity to work across all stages of the deal cycle from due diligence and valuations to financial modelling and corporate advisory engagements. We seek to identify value drivers and key risks of a potential transaction and provide innovative solutions to ensure the best result is achieved for our client. Every project we work on is varied and relatively short term compared to other service lines within the firm. This means each week brings its own set of unique challenges to solve alongside clients, ranging from family-owned local business to the world’s market leaders.

Due to the size of our team, you are exposed to senior management and clients from the outset which is completely invaluable in the early stages of your career. This exposure comes with a level of responsibility on engagements which is unique and can see you working directly with and learning from Partners at the firm. As a junior in Deals your role tends to focus heavily on the excel based financial analysis. Across my two years at the firm I have been involved in not only critically analysing historical and financial performance to determine key value drivers or risks, but also communicating those key findings to our clients through written reports, presentations and conversations with clients.

How did you get to where you are now?

Growing up I always had a passion for mathematics and solving complex problems, so when faced with the big question of what next, a Bachelor of Commerce seemed like the most logical step. Alongside my Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne I was involved with a range of student societies which ran both networking and social events, and it was at these events where I was first introduced to McGrathNicol.

My journey at McGrathNicol begun with a four-week Summer Vacation Program within the Restructuring team over my university break in 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience from both a professional and social perspective and after completing my degree I returned full-time as a Graduate in February 2023. One month into the Graduate Program, an opportunity arose in the Deals team and I was able to gain exposure to the service line and get to know the team. Although I do not have the traditional accounting background and a fundamental understanding of accounting is important, the most critical skills required as a Deals Graduate is the ability to analyse financial information and understand the commercial objective of your findings. After spending four months in the team, I found the work to be extremely rewarding and heavily aligned with my financial and economics background, which led to my permanent transfer into the team in June 2023.

What attracted you to McGrathNicol?

Throughout my degree I was involved with a range of student societies which ran networking and other professional development events. It was at one of these events I first heard about McGrathNicol and the Summer Vacation / Graduate Program.

After completing my four-week placement with McGrathNicol, what initially drew me to the firm was the diversity of work within each service line and the opportunity to take ownership of my career. What I ultimately learnt from my very first day at McGrathNicol was what makes the firm unique is the people and the genuine commitment to your professional and personal growth. The Graduate Program is specifically designed to help you navigate your first year of full-time work and sets you up with the tools and support to take advantage of all the opportunities that arise in the beginning of your career. The support available to you includes a Counselling Manager and Partner, formal training resources and programs that run throughout the year, and access to the national graduate cohort whenever you have questions or concerns. In my role specifically, the smaller team size has allowed me to have a greater level of responsibility and exposure to a variety of work which has equipped me with the foundational skills that I will carry with me as I progress through my career.