Podcast for Talent: working as a consultant in accountancy at BDO

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Podcast for Talent with BDO colleagues
What does working as an accountant involve? And how do you build an accounting career at BDO? Our colleagues Julie and Wesley share their experiences in the Podcast for Talent. 

Julie Van Der Vennet is Manager Accountancy and has been with BDO for ten years, where she walked through the entire career path from junior accountant to manager. Wesley Clemens is Managing Partner Accounting & Reporting and joined BDO after working at a Big 4 firm and Cynex. 

Together they speak openly about the evolution of the profession, the role of AI in accounting, and what you can expect as a starter in Accountancy at BDO. 
 

Your first job in accounting? Here is what to expect

Many students have a preconceived idea of accountancy. Number crunching, filing tax returns, little variety. Julie and Wesley paint a completely different picture. As an accountant, you are in direct contact with entrepreneurs and businesses. You get to know their business, think along about their future, and build relationships that last for years. 

This involvement is what makes your work meaningful. You see entrepreneurs grow, help them through difficult periods, and celebrate their successes with them. Wesley is convinced: “Personally, I think accountancy is a crucial job for the future.” 

Wesley Clements BDO

I sometimes say I have the best job there is. It is up to us to give clients support, direction, and the drive to doing business.

Wesley ClementsPartner Accounting & Reporting BDO Belgium

What does an accountant do daily at BDO?

From processing numbers to strategic advice

Accountancy has changed considerably over the past twenty years. Wesley still remembers the time when clients came in with a shoebox full of papers. Those days are over, he says: “Where bookkeeping used to be the end deliverable, a clear financial overview is now the starting point for guiding your client.”

Today, accounts are updated digitally on a daily basis. Clients have access to their own figures and now come with targeted questions. They expect you to think proactively about their growth, investments, and international ambitions. Processing business results is part of it, but personal and practical advice is what it is all about. 

Julie sums it up: “We make sure the numbers reflect the state of the business. And then we guide the client to see where they can optimise and grow.”

Career growth in accounting: your career path at BDO

From Junior Accountant to Partner

As accountancy consultant at BDO, you follow a clear career path based on your interests and ambitions. Julie has taken quite a few steps over the past ten years. 

“Your first years as a junior are mainly about focusing on your technical knowledge. Knowing how accounts work, how to process an invoice, which deadlines are involved.”

Soft skills vs. technical knowledge: what do you need?

As you grow in your career, the focus of your job shifts. You get more and more responsibility and autonomy, and you have much more interactions with clients. After a while, people management and commercial tasks are added, such as guiding new colleagues on their own career path or preparing proposals.

BDO offers you plenty of opportunities to grow in your own way and at your own pace. They listen to your interests and what you want to achieve. This way I grew year after year, both personally and professionally.

Julie Van Der VennetManager Accountancy BDO Belgium

According to Wesley, the typical profile of an accountant is changing. Technical knowledge remains key, but communication and commercial skills are becoming increasingly important: “In the past, the more analytical types chose a job as an accountant. Now you also see people who are a bit more extroverted.”

Julie Van Der Vennet BDO

Diversity as a learning experience: SMEs and corporates 

What sets accountancy BDO apart is the mix of clients. From innovative start-ups to supermarket chains, from local SMEs to complex international groups with forty subsidiaries.

Wesley explains: “We work with both SMEs and large companies at BDO. We have a separate approach for both segments, and that shapes you into an accountant with broad expertise.”

A good example is TRU, a Belgian company specialising in cleaning cleanrooms for the pharmaceutical industry and chip production. Wesley has been guiding them since 2019, when they were still a start-up. Today, TRU has offices in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States. “We don’t just discuss the figures with them, we discuss their international plans together. Are we looking at a new location? How do we finance an acquisition? That is so much more than bookkeeping alone.”

Read our case study about TRU (Dutch) to discover our personal BDO approachOpens in a new window/tab

AI and the future of accounting

AI is everywhere, but how do our accountants at BDO put it to good use? With a Chief AI Officer and a fully developed strategy, AI is not a distant future for us. BDO is closely involved with aiGust, a platform that compares clients’ financial figures with similar companies in the same sector. 

Client expectations have also evolved with the rise of AI. Entrepreneurs now come prepared to financial meetings, with questions and answers from ChatGPT. This requires a different way of working. As an accountant, you offer them more context and nuance about their financial results and give them information tailored to their organisation. 

Advice for accounting graduates

If you’re about to kick off your career, Julie and Wesley both shared some good advice in the Podcast for Talent. 

“Ambition is good, really good. But you only become a real expert once you have a strong foundation. Knowing how accounts work, what deadlines there are, how everything is connected. Those are the crucial fundamentals. The temptation to do the advanced work quickly is big. Drawing up a financial plan sounds more interesting than getting to know account codes. Yet that foundation is indispensable. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t hesitate to ask for an explanation, or to say a second time: I do not understand.”

“As a Junior at BDO, you are a worthy team member and colleague. You get the space and responsibility here to figure out what you enjoy, while doing useful work for other companies. This way you discover whether a job as an accountant and our culture as a company suits you. A tip: if something feels right, just take the leap and go for it."

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Listen to the full Podcast for Talent

Curious about the full conversation with Julie and Wesley? Listen to the (Dutch) Podcast for Talent and discover more insights about working as an accountant at BDO. 





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Want to know more?

Visit our website for young graduates and discover if BDO is the right fit for you, or learn more about accountancy at BDO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to some frequently asked questions below.

As an accountant at BDO, you process the accounts of clients, analyse their figures, and provide advice about the future of their organisation. You are in direct contact with entrepreneurs and think together with them about their financial future. The focus is on guidance and advice, with a strong view of the figures as the starting point. 

BDO combines the diversity of a large firm with a personal approach. You work with both SMEs and large enterprises and get a clear career path that you can tailor to your own interests and ambitions.

The career path runs from junior (level 1 and 2) to senior (level 1 and 2), then junior manager, manager, senior manager, and ultimately partner. Each step brings new responsibilities: from technical expertise to client contact, people management, and commercial tasks.

In addition to technical knowledge, communication, willingness to learn, and proactivity are essential. As you progress, people management and commercial skills become more important. Always be open to ask questions and don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t understand something.

AI accelerates data processing and gives accountants more time for practical advice and personal client contact. BDO is investing heavily in AI with a Chief AI Officer, AI ambassadors per office, and tools like aiGust for benchmarking. As a starter, you get the space to experiment with AI tools and sharpen your critical eye.

Absolutely. The profession has evolved from purely processing figures to offering strategic advice. Today, companies expect their accountant to think along about their growth, investments, and possible international ambitions.