Meet Matt
Consultant, Financial Reporting Services
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Anthony Chau
Arizona State University
MS Accounting
BS Finance
Accounting majors are strongly encouraged to pursue a career in auditing. But I had decided that wasn’t where I wanted to take my master’s in accountancy. I was more interested in consulting, and that’s what prompted me to talk to Equity Methods at a college career fair. I liked what I heard and decided to apply.
At Equity Methods, my team provides financial reporting solutions for client companies. It’s pretty impactful work—we can see the results flow into our clients’ financial statements. My current role as a Consultant involves managing the process for running the reports that we provide to our clients. I also manage client relationships and respond to client inquiries as they come in.
Beyond that, I train new hires and participate in campus recruiting. I think it’s helpful for students to be able to talk to another young person. It puts them at ease and gives both of us a sense of how we’re going to get along.
Personally, I was surprised at how easy it was to connect with people here. The firm’s culture isn’t very hierarchical, to begin with. And we start campus hires in cohorts, so you have a group of people around your age who are onboarding with you. In my own cohort, everyone quickly became friends. We’ll still get together outside of work, like going to the movies on a Friday night or hanging out over the weekend.
Senior people provide a lot of support as well. If they see you struggling, they show you how to improve. If they see you’re interested in a particular opportunity, they let you investigate it. I’ll give you an example. Six months after I started at Equity Methods, I told my manager I would like to do new hire training and asked if I could sit in on a few courses. My manager immediately responded with, “Why don’t you train them on this topic, and we’ll sit in? That way, we can help you out if you need it.” There are a lot of different ways to grow, and usually people don’t say no to trying something new.
What do you think are the skills that makes somebody successful doing what you do?
Creativity and attention to detail are key. Although my team deals primarily with stock compensation, a lot of complexities come with that. Often those complex problems are unique to the client, and solving them requires thinking outside the box.
Another important skill is communication. It’s not reasonable to expect clients to intuitively grasp our findings or how we do our calculations. So the ability to explain these things in plain English is critical to success in this position.
Any other general career advice?
Speak up if something’s bothering you. I know some companies might not like that. But at Equity Methods, if there’s an issue, it’s better to make yourself heard because there are a lot of people who will help you. So reach out and let them know what’s going on.
What do you like to do outside of the office?
Recently, I’ve taken up stargazing. The best stargazing is a 30 to 45-minute northbound drive outside Scottsdale city lights. I do that quite a bit when the weather is nice.
I also enjoy traveling. The two things I travel for are nature and food. I love to explore both.
What did you do during your last vacation?
I was in Hawaii for a week and a half. I got to spend time with my family, enjoy different cuisines, sightsee, and hike around the islands.
What words or phrases do you most overuse?
In my case it’s a gesture. I give two thumbs up as a way to wrap up a conversation. I have no idea how it started. I only recently realized I was even doing it.
What’s your motto?
I don’t know if I’d call it a motto, but every morning I tell myself, “Today’s going to be a good day.” That’s my way of starting the morning fresh—a happy way to kick off the day.
