Annamalai Meenachi Sundaram

Course: Bachelor of Business and Commerce, 2018
Nationality: Malaysian
Current role: Manager (Financial Accounting and Advisory Services), Ernst & Young

Why did you choose to study Bachelor of Business and Commerce?

I chose Bachelor of Business and Commerce as I have always been intrigued by the financial statements of the listed companies in Bursa from a very young age. I wanted to understand how companies operate and how they play into micro and macro-economic factors. After my first year, I chose to specialise in Accounting, Banking and Finance because I wanted to learn more about the operations of the financial institutions, as it was said to be the backbone of the country.

How have your studies at Monash University Malaysia helped to prepare you for the working world?

My education at Monash definitely helped as I got a very broad understanding of companies from management styles, marketing methods, accounting knowledge, financial terms and computations, and auditing basics. All of this greatly helped me take the 1st step into PwC, as it certainly gave me an edge over my peers who were not introduced to a broad spectrum of topics in their university days. It was easier for me to adapt to the working environment and understand terminologies used by clients, which I definitely appreciate. Monash also gave me an opportunity to learn to be a team player with all the projects throughout the three years of my education, which is a very important skill to have in Audit as you are always working in teams of 5 or more.

What type of opportunities did you participate in at Monash?

I was part of the sub-committee in Monash Business Club, where we organised various events such as food drives and a charity run. I was also part of the Culebre (Green House) committee, where I was the treasurer. This gave me a lot of opportunities to talk in front of big crowds and to be organised as I had to manage the cash flows of the club to buy various goods and to ensure it was passed to the right participant. This also gave me a lot of opportunities to get to know various people from different backgrounds.

Did you go for any internships or work placements? If so, where and did the experience help you in terms of career preparation?

I interned in PwC during the summer break at Monash, for which I applied through the annual career fair at Monash, and I am truly grateful. It was definitely a rewarding experience, as that was when I got my first taste of auditing. Interning at PwC taught me that I needed to work on my time management and that I needed to do a lot of self-reading about the industry of my client so that I was able to assist my managers and seniors with the risk assessment and understand the operations of clients better.

What did you enjoy most about your student life at Monash?

I enjoyed the people at Monash. It was a very inviting culture, and people of various backgrounds came together to host events and share their cultures with everyone at food fairs. Monash always had an event happening every other week and it always kept me wanting to get to know more.

What is your biggest career goal, or what difference would you like to make?

My career goal would be to be the CFO of a financial institution. I greatly appreciate the work they do, and I want to be able to make a difference in society via sustainability measures while maintaining profitability for my organisation.