Employee Testimonials Pav Roome, Control Accountant
What was your path to Geberit?
It all began in my final year of Primary School where my teacher wrote some comments for each of us for our leaving assembly. ‘Be nice to Pavandeep, she might be working out your taxes one day – she wants to be an accountant and will be if she continues to work as hard as she does now’.
Which is exactly what I went on to do!
After completing my degree in Accounting and Finance at Nottingham Trent University, I worked as a Credit Controller for two years at food manufacturing company KTC. I then moved to Rivo, a software company located in Warwick, where I began as an Accounts Assistant and then moved into a Revenue Accounting role. It was at this point I started my ACCA studies.
I joined Geberit at the beginning of 2019 as a Controlling Accountant within the Finance Team. I continued my studies with the support of Geberit and completed my ACCA in October 2020 to become a Chartered Accountant.
What are the roles you’ve held at Geberit?
As a Controlling Accountant my role includes key sales and contract reporting, margin analysis and KPI reporting. As part of this role, I also focus on auditing and documenting internal controls and processes. I am the local GICS (Geberit Internal Control System) co-ordinator where I audit internal controls in preparation for our Group audits. At the beginning of 2020 I joined a team of Internal Auditors which audit internal processes to ensure they are in line with ISO9001:2015.
What's your team dynamic like?
We are a diverse team all showcasing different strengths and working collaboratively towards the same goal. Having this diversity allows us to think differently and challenge each other whilst still working together. We are continually processing data and producing reporting to analyse trends to support the wider business with decision making. To do this, we need to ensure our data is accurate and work together with other departments. In addition to this we also manage the preparation of financial statements, cash flow reporting, payroll, tax, and internal controls.
How would you describe your time here so far?
It has been a great experience so far. Each year has been very different giving me the opportunity to learn new things. I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in my three years at Geberit, and I am still learning.
What do you enjoy most about your role here?
I enjoy the level of collaboration within the team but also with members of other teams within the Company. The team support each other both professionally and personally. I also enjoy the ability to choose between a diverse range of tasks, analysing data that is constantly changing, auditing internal controls and processes. Working from home a day each week also allows me to enjoy a better work life balance.
What’s the best thing you have achieved here?
I qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2020 which was a great personal achievement after a lot of evenings and weekends studying. We also improved our performance on two GICS internal audits which was a great result!
What are the big opportunities ahead for you and your team?
We are focussing on better ways to improve our working methods to allow us to work more effectively and efficiently. We are looking more towards automation, reviewing manual processes, and using less paper.
What lessons have you learned along the way?
I have learnt to plan better, to review my workload at regular intervals during the month to ensure work can be completed in a timely manner and assess any challenges along the way. I have also learnt how important it is to have regular breaks and socialise with my team (especially when we need to discuss what we are watching on Netflix!)
What would you say to someone who’s not sure if they should apply to Geberit?
Geberit has a strong team spirit, it is an exciting company to work for where you will feel welcomed, can work together and drive innovation within your team. Geberit also have great work opportunities which allow employees to apply for jobs across departments. Geberit promote flexibility with flexible working options to allow for a better work life balance.
What’s the one piece of advice you could offer to job seekers looking to join your team?
Stay positive and be authentic, showcase your abilities and be open to learning. Develop the required skills such as Excel. Remember that it is not all about qualifications.