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Accounting Program Manager Shares Experience And Advice

Accounting Program Manager Shares Experience And Advice

July 29, 2021

ICMS welcomes Marcela Hertnekyova, who joins our community as Program Manager for Accounting and Accreditation.

With years’ of industry and academic experience in the accounting sector, Ms Hertnekyova brings real-world insight, academic credentials and industry connections to her role on the ICMS Senior Academic Team. She is also a Certified Public Accountant with CPA Australia, and a member of The Institute of Management Accountants and The Project Management Institute.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Marcela about her professional life, her interest in accounting and the Bachelor of Business Management (Accounting) program. Of course, we didn’t miss the opportunity to ask her for her advice to students looking to pursue a career in the accounting industry.

What is your personal background?

“Aside from constantly running small businesses and working with children from disadvantaged families during summers, my first official job was teaching English at a primary school in my former country Slovakia. Combining my two passions teaching and English, I discovered the career I knew I will always return to.

My original dream was to become a furniture designer, but since there were not many job opportunities in the field at the time and I have had passion for numbers too, I have decided to pursue finance, banking and investment studies.

After finishing my master’s degree, I have worked as a senior financial adviser for a leading banking group in Europe. I decided to complete a postgraduate qualification in education as well, knowing I will definitely go back to teaching one day.

While in my banking role, I started my PhD studies. Working full time in a busy role and studying PhD at the same time became quite a full-on experience, so after one year of the study I decided to take few months off to discover Australia. The discovery led me to eventually moving here.

I have completed Master of Accounting and established my career in financial services and accounting field in Australia, while completing my professional CPA qualification. I have been fortunate enough to work for some reputable organisations such as JP Morgan Chase, Australian Aerospace or Woolworth Limited in analyst and management accounting roles.

After several years of the corporate world experience, I have decided it is time to pursue my passion for teaching and sharing my knowledge and I have slowly transitioned back into education, where I have been over ten years now, holding various academic and leadership positions in both vocational and higher education sector”.

What is your professional background?

“I started my professional career as a Senior Financial Adviser, working for a large banking group in Europe.

After moving to Australia,  I have established my career in financial services and accounting field working for large corporates such as JP Morgan Chase, Australian Aerospace, Woolworth Limited.

Within the past 10 years, I have held various academic and leadership positions in both vocational and higher education sector in Australia.”

Why do you have an interest in accounting? Where did this interest come from?

“My background has been originally in financial services, so accounting became a natural addition to my skillset when migrating to Australia.

Working mostly in analyst and management accounting roles for large corporates, I particularly enjoyed a wide business exposure and an opportunity to translate numbers into business insights, enabling informed decision making for key stakeholders.”

In your opinion, what makes the Bachelor of Business Management (Accounting) a great choice?

“The Bachelor of Business Management (Accounting) course at ICMS offers a great balance between accounting and business, preparing students for a successful career in professional accounting services as well as global commercial environment.

The course is being taught by passionate, industry driven professionals within a small classroom environment, which enables students to become active participants in their learning process. Students will work on real life case studies and scenarios, building the skills they will need to succeed in the current global working environment.

What is unique about the course is that the industry experience is embedded within the course with students having minimum two trimesters of real work experience prior to completing their studies. It gives our students a head start when pursuing their career goals upon graduation.

The course is internationally recognised by the accounting profession and accredited by accounting professional bodies: CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.”

Why, in your opinion, is ICMS a great place to work and study?

“One of the main reasons why I like working at ICMS is the culture and people here. For me personally that is extremely important, the vibe of the place, same whether I am an employee or a student.

ICMS is a great place to work and study, not only because of the beautiful beachside location and the stunning campus in Manly, but largely because of the people that work here. ICMS has a great collaborative culture where people genuinely care about one another and about our students, which inevitably positively impacts the students’ experience as well.

Students are at the forefront of everything we do.

As the new PM of this course, I will personally thrive for students to have the best possible experience studying with us and to support them on their journey towards achieving their career goals. ”

What advice would you give to students looking to pursue a career in the industry?

“I would advise students to work hard, get as much exposure to the industry as possible during their studies, network with other peers within the profession and not to be afraid to pursue their dreams working for large organisations.”

ICMS is very excited to have Ms Hertnekyova join the accounting and accreditation team and look forward to seeing the new ideas she will bring.


Bachelor of Business Management (Accounting)

Bachelor of Business Management (Accounting)

The ICMS Bachelor of Business Management (Accounting) degree provides an accounting specialisation within a broader business context. The degree has been approved for professional accreditation by CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (Charted Accountants ANZ), providing a solid endorsement of quality. The curriculum combines business, management and accounting studies to help you emerge as a well-rounded accounting professional ready to provide real business value.

This degree will equip you with a variety of specialist and more generic ‘soft’ skills, to enable you to work and contribute effectively in a range of complex environments. The broader business skills taught as part of this degree, such as people management, business communication and leadership, will enable you to adapt in your future accounting career as the business environment continues to evolve.

When you study accounting at ICMS, you will not only develop a thorough understanding of accounting principles and their application; you will learn directly from business experts and through real industry experience. You’ll get experience in preparing, evaluating and analysing financial data. As a graduate, you will able to effectively communicate the financial position of an organisation and confidently contribute to business strategy.

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