Subarna Banerjee is a audit partner at UHY Hacker Young, a leading accounting firm in the City of London. He leads external audits which involves confirming whether the accounts published by companies are 'true and fair'. He is Head of Charities and Not-for-profit and is also a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Some of his clients include the UK's largest grant giving foundations. He also audits a number of privately owned companies which are involved in property and publishing. Subarna has worked at the firm for 5 years having worked at Grant Thornton and Ernst and Young previously. He is married with four children, two of whom are now adults and making their own way in the world. He enjoys travelling and playing tennis in his spare time.
1 Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?
I feel most at home in London. I was born here and have lived all of my life here. I'm proud to call myself a Londoner. My parents were born in Kolkata but moved to the UK around 50 years ago. I have been a number of times to India and would dearly love to visit again.
2 What are your proudest achievements?
I am proud that I have become a partner at a leading accounting firm as well as being a member of its Executive Committee (effectively the firm's Board). This role allows me to help take key decisions and shape the future of the firm.
3 What inspires you?
Seeing people help each other purely out of their own desire to help. There are loads of examples of these on social media and I love watching them!
4 What has been biggest obstacle in your career?
As an auditor, there are a lot of rules and regulations involved. Our files get inspected regularly by our regulators. It is important that these are all adhered to on every assignment. Although we comply completely, there is a lot to get through!
5 Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
The biggest influencer on my career has been my wife, Olga. We have been married for over 20 years and without her, I would not have achieved everything I have done so professionally. Her support and advice at particular points in my personal life and career have made all the difference.
6 What is the best aspect about your current role?
I love coaching people and see them develop in their career. In addition to leading external audits, I see this as a key part of my role.
7 And the worst?
I can't think of any bad aspects of my current role. I love my job!
8 What are your long term goals?
My long term goal is to help ensure that UHY Hacker Young continues to grow. Our strapline is 'Helping you prosper' and we want to see both our clients and our staff do exactly that!
9 If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
A particular aspect of my job is ensuring our clients include gender pay gap information correctly. I think we need to take this to the next stage and ensure that companies must disclose ethnicity pay gaps aswell. It is obvious there are differences in pay in this area and this is an issue that needs to be addressed and corrected.
10 If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why.
I am truly inspired by Nelson Mandela. He achieved a huge amount despite numerous setbacks. His appetite for forgiveness was enormous. The world would be a lot better if our leaders could follow his example.
