Being part of the largest audit department in the Nordic region is a quality in its own right. The Danske Bank Group’s Audit Department has adopted a strategy which involves the Department being responsible for auditing all the Group’s areas – including market risk, operational risk, credit risk, insurance risk and compliance, amongst others. Audit assignments thus cover all the areas in the Group. To be part of a 200-strong team delivering this service naturally places substantial demands on the individual – but this is rewarded by an extremely varied working day, in which each member of staff helps determine the work assignments.
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Christian Visti Larsen, 30 years |
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Qualifications: BCom auditing
Job title: Auditor
Location: Audit Department
Experience: Three years |
Understanding of processes and business strategy
In the Audit Department you are very aware that from the start new members of staff must develop an understanding of the Bank’s processes and business strategy. I began working on an assignment that was related to valuation and impairment of loans, and this was an excellent learning process for someone who was not a bank trained accountant. When the Group decided that the Audit Department should be responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the new capital requirement regulations, a good opportunity arose for me to take responsibility.
It requires an auditor to keep up with the Bank’s high level of expertise – but this simply makes the daily challenges a little more complex. Apart from my work in the area of CRD (Capital Requirements Directive), I also have the opportunity to participate in some enjoyable additional assignments. These include being on the education and training committee and teaching externally.
Many types of colleagues
When it comes to solving an assignment in the Audit Department you can be sure of an all-round back-up. With around 200 colleagues you can call on many different professional areas – and things work. Skills and expertise are provided by a great variety of qualifications – naturally accountants, but also lawyers, mathematicians, BComs, IT personnel, and other specialists from both Denmark and abroad.
Professional standards are extremely high
I am proud to be working in Danske Bank. It is a stamp of quality and increases your market value. The professional standards are extremely high and taking further education within auditing is positively encouraged. There really is an investment in staff. Naturally, there are also considerable expectations as to how you perform when you are consistently in the foreground, but people listen to us and the Bank backs us up.
A multi-branded company
For those who do not know the Group from the inside, I can only say that there is a big difference between what customers see around the small branches and how big a company the Group really is – bear in mind that I have 24,000 colleagues. This has given me an understanding of how much it takes to run a bank. There is a lot of regulatory supervision and the Bank has to comply with many requirements, but this only makes the auditing work more interesting. It’s developing all the time.
You work well when your private life is running smoothly
It also means a great deal to work in an audit department which really appreciates that flexibility, family and leisure time are an integrated part of our daily routines. That way you give a little more of yourself in return.