Francis Abad Accounting ’15

Assurance Senior Manager, EY

Major: Accounting

Job Title: Senior Manager Assurance

Company: EY

Company Description: Ernst & Young provides audit, consulting, tax, business risk, technology and security risk services, and human capital services worldwide.

Did you have any initial career goals when you entered Isenberg? Were there any key moments or influences (a guest speaker, course, or extracurricular) during your time at Isenberg that changed or confirmed your career goals?  

I was fortunate to have many opportunities in high school to take business classes including accounting. When I entered Isenberg, I knew I wanted to major in accounting. This decision was quickly confirmed when I took my Accounting 221 with Professor Bradley Bennett along with the many positive interactions I had at the various recruiting and Accounting Department events held during my time at Isenberg!

Can you share a favorite work assignment that could help a student understand more about what you do?

I try and use this analogy whenever describing what an audit is: Think of auditing an account like a bucket. During our audit planning process, we go through every account in a company’s financial statements and assess the risk based on factors including number of transactions, account size, investor focus areas, and the complexity of account type. These findings determine the size of our bucket, or said differently, the amount of audit procedures we need to conduct. We then determine our audit procedures, which vary from using detailed testing (i.e. going back to analyze invoices and cash payments) to analytical procedures (i.e. looking at trends in the account year over year, patterns of how companies posts journal entries). All of these procedures help fill our bucket depending on the level of detail. If we have done our job correctly, we have the correct bucket size and the exact amount of water in that bucket. If we have too big or too small of a bucket (or too much or too little water in our bucket), we need to reassess our risk assessment process.

Now that you’re in this position, what aspects have surprised you that you didn’t anticipate before starting? 

My role is as much to do with project management and relationships as it is assets, liabilities, and equity. Project management is such an important skill to continuously improve on, especially as you progress in your career and have multiple different client and team commitments competing with one another.
The ability to project manage and have strong interpersonal skills carries significant weight regardless of your job title or career path.

What inspires you about the work you are doing in your industry? 

Working primarily with clients in in the Life Science and Renewable Energy industries is very inspiring It’s fascinating to see the limits companies are continuing to push. In my position, I have the opportunity to not only see the numbers on financial statements, but the business processes a company implements to reach their operational and financial goals.

What are some daily challenges you experience in your role?   

There will be plenty of days when you blink and it’s 3pm and you haven’t been able to cross much off your to-do list for the day because you have been coaching or helping the rest of the team with their questions/concerns. It’s important to remember that there is a balance between individual and team progress- as long as the entire team is making progress, we are on the right path.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently while a student at Isenberg? 

While I enjoyed almost every aspect of my four years at Isenberg, I wished I tried to be more engaged with clubs outside of my major. In the professional world, you are constantly collaborating with different departments and professionals especially at a Company like EY.

Networking is extremely important but can be intimidating to undergraduates. What tips do you have for getting started engaging with alum or upperclassmen?

It’s clear when someone has a genuine interest in your work experience (including your experience as an upperclassmen). Treat every interaction as an opportunity to learn, not just about a person’s work experience, but also their interests and goals.
I am a big fan of asking people about the different pros and cons associated with their job and company. This information can be helpful to make decisions when considering your own priorities and interests.
The most intimidating step to networking is usually the first conversation. That’s part of the process. Remind yourself that Isenberg alumni and upperclassmen want to be a resource to the next generation of students. However, we can’t do that unless you knock on our proverbial door.
Work Experience
  • Assurance Senior Manager
  • EY
Communities
Career Resources for Accounting Majors