Tell us briefly how would you describe your professional development.
After my graduation from Faculty of Economics in Belgrade, since my field of interest were finance, I decided to test myself in TPA, because it was one of the leading regional consulting firms.
I was guided by the idea that such company would have the right environment for me to learn.
Tell us something about your beginnings in TPA team.
I have been working in TPA for less than a year as a part of a tax department team.
My colleague from University advised me to apply for a three-month internship, and after that I got the job. Since then I’ve been officially carrying the title of the youngest member of the team.
What is the most important professional experience you have gained in TPA?
The fact how teamwork and mutual trust of employees are important, especially bearing in mind that the nature of our business is such that the projects we are working on can last for several weeks. Good advice from your colleagues and their help and support at the right time can have an impact on the work, so it is very important to create a climate in which there are no bias regarding sharing mutual knowledge.
However, in addition to teamwork, individual development of each employee is really important. When you work within a small system, compared to large corporations, employees are usually awarded more specific and responsible tasks, so one has the possibility of perceiving their own efforts in the achieved results, which for me is a great source of motivation.
What are your main challenges as an employee of the company?
Multitasking. Taxes are a very dynamic field and tax laws are often changing, so you are required to follow all these changes in a timely manner. Many believe that taxes are uniformed, but they would be surprised if they would learn how our assignments diverse and rarely (almost never) repeat, we always learn something new.
As TPA is a Serbian-Austrian company, working in such an international company provides an opportunity for cooperation with foreign clients and learning about their regulations. Understanding of international regulation and ways of resolving tax issues is, therefore, an additional challenge.
With what challenges are your clients faced with in Serbia?
Sometimes clients require answers to very complicated tax issues, for which the answers cannot be found through a mere reading of the regulations. It often happens that our tax laws in some parts are based on the European laws, but without a detailed analysis of whether there are possibilities for the implementation of such solutions in our country, so in some segments they remain incomplete or inapplicable. In such situations, we are here to discuss all the possibilities and assess what is the most appropriate solution for our clients, presenting them with all possible tax risks.
What do you value the most regarding your clients?
It is a well-known saying that the client is the most valuable asset of any company, so it is extremely important to develop and maintain long-term and stable relations with clients. We are trying to maintain the satisfaction and trust of our clients by providing them with the expertise and professionalism in the execution of assigned tasks, while at the same time fostering friendly approach.
What is your message to young people who are starting their careers in your field?
If you want to develop, it is important to show initiative and to be proactive, as well as to always try to do more than what is required of you. If you show that you are worthy and responsible, your attitude will immediately be recognized and eventually rewarded.
It is important to constantly work on self-development, to read more, to explore, to recognize how to learn from the best. Every beginning is difficult, but you will become much more independent and competent as the time goes by.
Where do you see Serbia and the region in five years?
Hopefully on its way to become a better place for young people by creating opportunities for career advancement and realization of entrepreneurial ideas. First of all, it is important to solve a problem which we are all aware of, and that is the so-called brain drain.
Where do you see TPA in five years?
If we continue to grow at this pace, we’ll probably be among the first few consulting firms in Serbia.
We aim, with the help of our Austrian colleagues, to continue with further expansion in the domestic market through forming a young and flexible team that is able to respond to all of the professional challenges that tomorrow carries.
Basically, constantly learning, having new ideas and strong commitment to clients is a guaranteed formula for success.