5 min read

What's CA Career Mentoring like?

Returning to the workplace after maternity leave, Suzzanah Sanderson CA wanted mentoring to help launch her back into the workplace. Having been down a similar career path years before, Denise Cardew-Hall FCA proved to be a perfect match.

Quick take

  • CA Career Mentoring connects all levels of CAs with experienced CA ANZ members who can share their expertise and career lessons.
  • A chartered accountant with the Australian National Audit Office, Suzzanah Sanderson CA joined the CA Career Mentoring return-to-work program, after maternity leave.
  • Denise Cardew-Hall FCA offered insights into how Suzzanah could launch herself back into her career, juggling high-level roles both at work and home.

Suzzanah Sanderson CA

Director, Australian National Audit Office, Canberra

Suzannah Sanderson and Denise Cardew portrait

Pictured: Suzzanah Sanderson CA (left) turned to advice from Denise Cardew-Hall FCA as their career experience and family situation had many similarities. Photograph by Hilary Wardhaugh. Hair and makeup by Sue Foster.

 

Could you describe your career journey to date?

After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in accounting, I landed a graduate job with Deloitte in the tax compliance and business advisory team and later transferred into risk advisory and forensics. After almost three years at Deloitte, I was offered a job at the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in the audit technical area. I undertook my CA studies while working at both Deloitte and the ANAO, and became accredited in 2019.

Why did you join the CA Career Mentoring program?

I applied in early 2023, as I had recently returned to work after a year on maternity leave when I had my first child. I was now wearing a new hat as a mum, as well as my director hat with the ANAO, and trying to navigate career progression. I wanted someone independent of work to provide some advice. Then, I was matched with Denise.

What made the mentoring relationship between you work?

Denise and I clicked from the day we met for coffee. As we spoke, I could tell she had been through the exact same path – both in her career as well her personal life with a family. She had also worked in both the private and public sectors, so she had some benefit of hindsight which I wanted to learn from.

How did the mentoring relationship develop?

It came down to experience. I wanted to get my career confidence back after having been away, and Denise completely understood what I was feeling and where I wanted to go. We shared a lot of mutual ground, so discussing everything came naturally.

What areas did you explore?

We talked about the value of building career networks, as well as the realities of how to be awesome in your career, as well as at home. Denise always finished off with homework by asking, ‘What’s the plan? Now go think about that’.

When did you know the mentoring program had made a difference?

At work, we have formal performance agreements involving a number of goals. At the end of the 12-month cycle, my supervisor and colleagues acknowledged I had progressed so much in achieving those goals. That was the time I was being mentored by Denise.

How did the program wind up?

Well, it hasn’t! Denise and I went way beyond the six-month formal part of the program and have remained in contact. I got so much more out of this than I ever expected.

Do you think mentoring is important for the profession?

Absolutely! This is all about investing in the next leaders to help develop and inspire them to become exceptional chartered accountants.


Denise Cardew-Hall FCA

Former director at PwC and KPMG, and former COO/CFO at the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra

Could you describe your career journey?

I originally qualified as a CA in England in the 1980s and worked with the big four accounting firms for about 20 years, consulting to both the private and public sectors. I later took on COO and CFO roles, but COVID opened my eyes to other opportunities, and I decided to semiretire in 2020.

Why did you sign up for the CA Career Mentoring program?

I figured it was time to give back. I’m also a qualified life coach, but I like mentoring as I really enjoy interacting with the new generations coming through, to better understand the way they operate and where they are taking the profession.

Why do you think you were matched with Suzzanah?

For starters, we have such similar backgrounds. She also started in the big four and moved into government work, which is the same path I took. She’s also a mother juggling child care and career, and that’s a path I went through with my own family years ago.

How did the mentoring relationship start?

We met for coffee in January 2023 and we both wanted it to be face-to-face, as everyone is over the years of online meetings. We met for an hour or so every month and just let the conversation flow to where it needed to go.

Did you set a clear agenda between you?

Suzzanah is a real self-starter and came so well prepared with the ideas she wanted to work on, and asked for insights from my years of following a similar path. We talked about applying for acting roles, exploring overseas secondments and also staff supervision as she had recently acquired new staff. We also talked a lot about juggling work and a family in a two-career household.

What did you learn from mentoring Suzzanah?

Obviously the working environment and accounting profession these days is so different to what we were doing 20 years ago. It’s much more about flexibility, diversity, equality and 24/7 availability. It opened my eyes to the fact that these more positive conditions can also bring workplace challenges.

Why did this mentoring relationship work so well?

Suzzanah was so engaged – like a sponge! She wanted to learn so much that we ignored the six-month limit of the program and carried on. We still exchange emails and we’re due to catch-up for a coffee in the coming weeks.

How do you explain mentoring to people who still don’t understand it?

It’s being a sounding board to someone who’s from a similar career background, to share stories about experience and knowledge. You suggest new ways of viewing a situation and, at times, give an opinion. It’s about giving back, and I believe it’s something those accountants who have had long, successful careers should get involved with.

Register for CA Career Mentoring

CA Career Mentoring is a six-month CA ANZ program that matches mentors to mentees, to help mentees achieve their career goals or overcome challenges. There are specific programs for early and mid-career, return to work, and practice peer support. The next intake of CA Career Mentoring starts in October 2024. To register as either a mentor or a mentee, visit CA Career Mentoring.