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Veronika
They say that the greatest triumphs come in the face of adversity. And while that phrase may be a little on the strong side to describe the work Veronika has been undertaking with JP Morgan, there's no denying that the crisis surrounding the banking sector means there are more eyes than ever looking at her work.
After the fall-out from the Société Genérale scandal, where a low-level French trader managed to incur an unauthorised £3.6bn loss, JP Morgan has been undertaking a review of controls to ensure the same situation could not occur there. Veronika was heavily involved in what was a short, but critically important, project.
She admits to enjoying the frenetic activity that it entailed and the exposure to high profile people. 'It brought me back to my time in external audit, where you have a short time to do a lot of work,' she says.
The knock-on effects of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown in the US have also meant subtle, but significant, changes to the way Veronika undertakes her more run-of-the-mill activities.
'We are keeping a closer eye on certain sets of controls,' she explains. 'In tougher climates people may be tempted to find profit out of the air. We have to make sure there are good controls in place to stop that happening.'
The financial climate also means more work for her in the future, with JP Morgan poised to take over troubled investment bank Bear Stearns.
Of her immediate future, Veronika has little intention of going anywhere. 'This year is not the best to be thinking about moving, and I like the exposure and progress I am getting from my internal audit job.'
Safia
When it's the busiest time of the year and there's an event that you have spent months planning imminent, the last thing you want is to be forced off your feet.
Unfortunately for Safia, that's just what has happened. In the middle of her busy season in audit at KPMG, and her first in the position of assistant manager, she became a victim of the recent stormy weather. Unloading her car, the car boot door was caught by a strong gust and came down hard on her head, meaning that time off work was unavoidable.
'It couldn't have come at a worse time,' she says. It did however, give her the opportunity to put her delegation skills to the test.
On top of that, the accident happened just as the final preparations for the 125th anniversary Liverpool Chartered Accountants Student's Association ball were being put in place.
Safia is chair of LCASA and responsible for the organisation of the ball that happened on 29 March, but fortunately 'a lot of the preparation was done a long time up front, so it has just been the finishing touches that are needed.'
Now that the work for the ball is over, Safia has already found something else to fill her time.
'I've decided to take the Securities and Investment Institute's Islamic finance qualification,' she says. 'It's 100 hours of self study and I intend to take the exams this year. I want to keep the momentum going while I'm still in study mode from the ACA.'
Safia says she is taking the qualification as a personal interest, but hopes that it will eventually lead to a position in what is becoming a very popular and competitive field.
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