‘You really get to help people out, and I love doing that…’

Franca Zandbergen (1970) is a senior accounting consultant. And our comeback kid. Some time ago, she worked at Brouwer & Oudhof for a couple of years. ‘Then I worked for a client for seven years before I came back. I have been working here for eight years now. First in Amsterdam, now in Alkmaar.’ Franca started off by taking the MEAO Commercial track. ‘Later on, I added an MBA and NIMA-A.’ After the MEAO, Franca shopped around in other sectors. ‘I worked for a year and a half in a large clothes shop, but it didn’t fit me.’ Today, she is where she wants to be, because ‘I keep in contact with my clients. And I love to organize things.’

Show and tell
Franca likes very much to guide her clients through their own numbers, up to the annual accounts. ‘Many people have trouble understanding what the numbers mean. Many clients shrink from the hassle. But the numbers are theirs, after all, and it is satisfying to show them how they are doing.’ Franca likes to be involved in the beginning of the process as well. Helping people to organize their accounting system. Telling them which data Brouwer & Oudhof needs. Getting the right document files – down to the basics.

Freedom
‘Working for clients who are all so different is another aspect that I like about my job. Every company is quite different, and my activities are different as well. It also depends on what the clients are willing or able to do for themselves.’ Franca spends a great deal of her time on preparing the annual accounts and handling tax returns. ‘I’m self-reliant, and have a great deal of freedom to plan my own work. I like the challenge of handling everything as well and as quickly as possible.’ If need be, she can always turn to her colleagues for advice: ‘There is a lot of expertise around, and I can always consult with the others.’