Charlene Nunn, 29, joined Mazars in September 2010 as an audit trainee after studying Geography at the University of Manchester. In 2012 she was promoted to audit senior and qualified as an ACA a year later in 2013. She moved to the position of audit manager in September 2015 before being promoted to senior manager only one year later.

In 2016 Charlene was awarded the Rising star accolade from the ICAEW Chartered Accountants Manchester, acknowledging just how quickly she was being fast-tracked through the firm.

How did you get into audit?

I always wanted to be a solicitor but my school advised against doing an A Level in law and to instead pick subjects which were more adaptable and rounded. Similarly, when I was applying for university I was again told not to focus entirely on law but to study a humanities degree and do a law conversion so that after university my options remained open. This happened to be good advice because when I did a law module as part of my degree I found out that I didn’t really like law at all!

So, I was stuck in my third year at university and asking myself ‘what do I do now?’. My dad is an accountant so I decided to follow in his footsteps and apply for audit roles. I was fortunate enough that I chose a career that works for me and I have no regrets. I was very lucky.

What’s your favourite aspect of audit?

I have been in audit for seven-and-a-half years but I have found that a lot of people get three years’ experience in audit then leave to try something new.

In audit every day is different because you are constantly dealing with such an array of businesses at different points in the business cycle from start-ups to more established businesses. I am someone that likes change so this role suits me because no two days are exactly the same.

What is the toughest challenge you have faced?

I would honestly say that my challenges have come from internal barriers rather than external factors. I am an ambitious person meaning I made senior manager at the age of 27. Being in a more senior position when you are young can cause you to have confidence issues and sometimes I would find myself asking whether clients think I am too young to be able to do the job.

Many people at any level, both men and women, will often say they get imposter syndrome where they feel like they are out of their depth but this is just a confidence issue. I have found that by gaining the respect of my clients I have been able to break down these barriers with my clients now looking past my age and gender after I proved to them just how much I know and what I can offer.

I believe people like to work with someone young because it shows that they are passionate about what they do, having gotten to a senior position at a young age.

What is the most important skill to have in audit?

So many different skills compliment audit but I believe analytical skills are one of the most important. Individuals need to be able to see the links between two items as well as cause and effect. When recruiting candidates I look for evidence of logical thinking and common sense.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I would love to be a partner at Mazars but at the same time help the firm to become more diverse.

Report by Amy Austin

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