Alumni Spotlight: Aditya Yerramilli
Introduction
For this edition of Alumni Spotlight we cover Aditya Yerramilli, my QUEST Alumni Mentor. A member of Cohort 14, Aditya graduated from the University of Maryland in 2009 with a Dual Degree in Accounting & Finance. It has been awesome having Aditya as a mentor, I’ve learned so much and had a lot of good laughs. So with no further adieu I give you Aditya Yerramilli.
Can you tell us a little bit about your current position?
I am currently a Senior Associate in Forensic Services at PwC LLP, in Tyson’s Corner. I assist clients with issues ranging from fraud risk management, crisis management, and fraud investigation to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, international arms trade, regulatory compliance, and disputes/arbitration.
Why did you choose to major in accounting?
I have enjoyed accounting ever since high school. I was part of a pre-collegiate program focused on preparing student for careers in accounting/finance. I chose accounting, because no matter what the industry, size, or composition of a business, it must communicate its performance internally and externally through the language of accounting. Being able to understand accounting provides the ability to understand any business, and makes me flexible and versatile when it comes to solving various problems.
How did you discover forensic accounting was for you?
I kind of stumbled into my role as a forensic accountant. I took a forensic accounting class at UMD in my senior year. Although I was familiar with forensic accounting prior to, I never thought about it as a career path until I took this course. One class session, two forensic accountants, a partner & manager, from PwC came in to speak about their forensic services team. After hearing their stories, I was instantly sold, and knew what I wanted to do. I realized, after interning in audit, that I was not cut out to be an auditor. However, the ability to use my accounting background for the greater good of assisting companies and organizations mitigate fraud risk and minimize their exposure to corruption internationally, was a worthwhile and noble cause to pursue.
How would you describe your job as a Forensic Accountant?
I would say that there are many different attributes to my job. A typical day involves working on a few different projects throughout the day, and coordinating/managing a few teams to accomplish various analyses and tasks. My role with PwC allows me the opportunity to interact with C-Suite personnel from fortune 500 companies, in order to understand their company’s situation, needs, and what they are looking to accomplish while working with PwC. Additionally, my role involves a decent amount of travel, both domestic and international, in order to visit key client sites of operation. My job also involves a lot of excel, analyzing accounting/financial information at the transactional level to identify how fraud was committed, or what level of fraud risk a company has. In addition to this, my job also exposes me to clients that require assistance as they sell and export government controlled technology for foreign civilian and military use. All in all, I am exposed to a wide range of issues/areas, across many industries, to help our clients operate successfully in the global economy. A few of my memorable projects have taken me to Africa, South Asia, and Europe.
For those of us looking to pursue a career in accounting, what are some key lessons you’ve learned about the accounting industry that you wish you knew as an undergraduate?
A few tips I would share for aspiring accountants:
- Plan to get your CPA, no matter what you do with accounting. Whether you go into audit, tax, or consulting, or a completely different career path, the only way to be considered a credible accounting professional is to be a CPA. I would encourage accounting majors to plan to be CPA eligible as they move towards graduation.
- More importantly than accounting knowledge, is having a familiarity and understanding of how accounting relates to other areas of business (i.e. finance, marketing, sales, manufacturing, R&D, etc…); it is in understanding these relationships that the true value of accounting is shown.
- Never forget the importance of soft skills. More often than not, having strong soft skills will put opportunities in front of you, which you would otherwise not have.
- Lastly, don’t lose the innovative/out of box mentality that you learn in QUEST. It is perhaps one of the aspects of QUESTees that makes us stand apart amongst others in the industry.
What value do you see forensic accounting skills bringing to the table, and accounting skills in general?
Forensic accountants are very analytical, and have to often break bigger problems down into smaller areas of focus. Additionally, a forensic accountant’s knowledge of accounting and transactional level information is of great value to companies who are exposed to corruption and fraud, because understanding this granular level of detail allows us to identify weak points within a client’s system such that they can plug up the holes to tighten up their anti-fraud controls. Forensic accountants are also quick on their feet, and very flexible, as a lot of times we come into the situation after the fact, and have to figure out what happened in a very short time. As for general accounting skills, understanding accounting always allows a person to better understand a company, since every company communicates through the language of accounting.
What are some of your best memories of QUEST?
My best memories from QUEST really stem from the insightful and extremely valuable information provided during Dr. Suarez’s courses. The tips, skills, and thought process I learned during these courses (such as 190 and systems thinking) were invaluable, and provided for a very fun and enjoyable experience.
How have you enjoyed the QUEST Mentor Program? Have I annoyed you enough?
I think that the QUEST Mentor Program is a great initiative! I strongly believe that one of the best ways to learn and grow is to interact with people who have graduated from QUEST and gone on to use the knowledge and skills from the program in the real word. I have thoroughly enjoyed the mentor program, because it provides me a window into the how QUEST is changing and continuously improving…for lack of a better phraseJ. I also think that my QUEST mentee is awesome!!
What is one piece of advice you’d give to QUEST students today?
I would tell QUEST students to truly cherish the program and community they are a part of, regardless of their level of involvement in the program. I would also confirm with them that the skills and abilities I learned through QUEST truly have been valuable in the real world. Additionally, I would encourage QUEST students to continue to reach out to Alumni, as the relationship between current and former QUESTees is a big part of what will keep the program going strong!