Our People - International Stories: Aisling Kilgannon (Enterprise Risk Consulting)

Q1. What was the motivating factor that made you move over to Australia?

Ash: Myself and my partner always wanted to live overseas for a year or two. We moved to Australia for one year to try it out eight years ago, and we’re still here!

I watched Home and Away religiously (it’s on twice a day in Ireland) through college and so Australia always appealed to us. The weather was a huge factor, and the lifestyle actually lives up to Summer Bay.

Q2. From a lifestyle perspective how has the change been? What are 2 things that you expected and 2 things that you didn’t expect ?

Ash: The change is great, there is so much more to do outdoors and the weather is guaranteed. I have a 4 year old and his childhood is so different to ours, he’s always outside enjoying the weather so it’s a great lifestyle for our family. We live in Sydney near the beach and you're surrounded by so much diversity - and lots of expats. You're close to the city but you can also go to the beach after work and unwind.

I expected the great beaches and the laid back people.

I didn’t expect the vast scale of Australia - I still can’t believe how long it takes to drive/fly to some spots. Also because I originally moved to Hobart, I didn’t realise it snowed in Australia!

Q3. How do you feel your time at KPMG Australia has influenced your career direction ?

Ash: It has been the best career decision for me. I’ve worked in most of the KPMG offices (apart from WA and NT) doing secondments, and it's been great to explore more of Australia.

If I look back, 8 years ago I started with KPMG Australia in Hobart as a Senior Consultant in External Audit, and now I have grown to achieve a Director role in Sydney, leading the growth of our Risk Consulting practice across New South Wales. My career looks a lot different to when I first left Dublin!

Oh and I packed some parental leave in there as well and have been very supported in raising my son. Working at KPMG Australia has allowed me to work flexibly and feel empowered to shape my career around my family.

I never get bored because my role changes all the time and there’s always an opportunity to try something new.

Working in Enterprise has given me so many opportunities and I’ve been supported throughout the journey to grow and stretch myself.

Q4. What has been your most rewarding experience with KPMG and on that note the most challenging experience ?

Ash: For me it definitely has been all the great people I get to work with, and seeing them grow and develop is really rewarding. Enterprise Risk Consulting provides risk & assurance outcomes to mid-market client and sits within Enterprise Advisory, one of the fastest growing areas, so it is a really dynamic and exciting team to work in. Together with the Enterprise partners we have grown the Sydney team to 20 people, from a team of 5 just 18 months ago!  And we are poised for future growth and expansion. It has been an incredible opportunity to grow the division from the ground up, expanding our client base and tailoring our service offering.

I love meeting new people at KPMG and understanding what they do and how they help their clients. There is an expert for everything at KPMG so there are lots of interesting people at our firm! In Enterprise, we get the chance to work across different offices and collaborate with different service lines, as finding the best solution for the client is as the heart of what we do.

There have been many challenging times and living on the other side of the world through COVID was really rough. We had a lot of friends pack up and go home so it was a tough time, but there are finally new people arriving in Australia which is great.

Last year, I was supported by KPMG to spend 2 months in Ireland working flexibly and it was great to catch up with everyone. KPMG has now implemented a Work From Anywhere policy, but it was great to be able to do this before anything formal was in place.

Q5. What would your general advice be for anyone abroad that is on the fence or looking to relocate to Australia ? 

Ash: Go for it, and do your research on where you’d like to move as the cities are all so different. Once you move here say yes to everything, you’ll get to meet loads of great people and get to try lots of different things. Make the most of being the new face and ask as many questions as you can, to put yourself out there and build connections in the team and the wider KPMG network.

Saying yes landed me doing a 4 hour trek in Tassie which I regretted about 30 mins in, as I’d been out the night before, but I got some great pics and a great story! 

If you are interested in joining the KPMG Enterprise Risk Consulting team please reach out directly or search our careers page for upcoming Enterprise Career Opportunities