Byran Theunisen

"I am currently a partner at KPMG New Zealand, where I’ve been working for over 16 years. During this time, I’ve been involved in various aspects of tax consulting and compliance. Most recently, I worked with a specialist team which focuses on R&D incentives and government grants. Before specialising in this area, I also worked in corporate and individual taxes."

“It was very important to me to be able to work while studying. As a leader at the firm, I wanted to apply, practice and reflect on the skills I was taught in real-time. Given the ongoing work I had in the KPMG Auckland Office, this provided an excellent opportunity to continue applying what I learned.

“My second reason is, having completed my undergraduate studies at the University, I felt a strong connection with and trust in the University. Balancing full-time work and study can be challenging, but familiarity with the institution made the transition back to studying easier. Over the years, the University’s communications, alumni network and community events kept it front-of-mind when I was looking for options.”

“During my MBA studies, I found value in foundational papers related to law and finance, which served as a refresher. However, it was the marketing and strategy courses that truly expanded my knowledge. Interacting with classmates who were practitioners in those fields, and lecturers who knew when to act as facilitators, enriched my learning experience.

“The leadership papers allowed me to learn from my peers and explore different leadership styles that resonated with me from my own research. Emphasising the learning process over raw output was a key strength of the MBA curriculum. The systematic structure of the course encouraged setting aside a regular time and headspace for learning new concepts and reflection.”

"When I visited Singapore with my cohort as part of the MBA programme, I also met up with some of my KPMG colleagues there. As a result of that interaction, the opportunity for the role I now hold as the Chief Operating Officer for Tax and Legal, Asia Pacific, at KPMG came up. Without the MBA, I wouldn’t have been in Singapore and thus connected with my colleagues there, which ultimately led to this career change.

“Additionally, studying international business during my MBA provided a global perspective and concepts directly relevant to my current role. I’ll work with our KPMG offices across the Asia-Pacific region and on various projects, which I’m really excited about.

“If you ask me why I did the MBA, it was to aid in my long-term goal of adding general management to my foundational technical skills. The MBA has set me up well to make this a reality.”

“I think that continuous learning and professional development are important. Throughout my career, I learned a lot of important concepts and skills on the job. Having gained a lot from on the job and formal career training, I felt it was time to get additional formal training to help me move toward my long-term goals. So, I think it’s important to firstly get that real-world work experience and then you need to look outside of your immediate surroundings for that next jump in terms of learning opportunities to help you reach your goals.

“It’s really good to reach out to organisations like the UoA and have a discussion with them and find a course of study that fits your needs and goals.”