Being a 12-year-old girl can be tough at the best of times but for Lizke-Mari Le Roux had an additional challenge; moving from her native South Africa to begin a new life in Melbourne. Enrolled at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School in Melbourne, she faced the duel difficulty of both fitting into a new culture and learning a language, too.
“My English – being a second language speaker- was not that good and I just had to learn,” she recalls.
She credits her parents for their support and commitment to giving her a great education and life, and believes she’s inherited their drive to get the best out of every challenge she faces. Her parents, previously both teachers, taught their daughter not to have regrets, and to grab every opportunity with wholehearted dedication.
It wasn’t long before this bright child was thriving and one particular teacher highlighted her potential in Accounting and helped her find her own passion for the subject.
“I absolutely loved it,” Le Roux explains and adds that her interest in Accounting led her to study commerce at The Univeristy of Melbourne.
While studying, Le Roux completed a two-month internship at EY in 2011 and was immediately drawn to the vibrant company culture. Shortly after, Le Roux was offered a graduate position with the firm and commenced work the following year.
At 24, Le Roux has wasted no time forming firm career foundations, working as an accountant in Ernst & Young’s Assurance division.
Like many people transitioning from university to a professional environment, it had its challenges, particularly because while her some of her university friends were still kicking up their heels and enjoying student life, Le Roux had simultaneously started studying to become a Chartered Accountant (CA) while working full-time.
It might have been harder to learn to manage her time and remain disciplined if she hadn’t had access to colleagues who were happy to provide advice for learning to create work-life balance and cope with a demanding role.
“A few people have really taken me under their wing,” Le Roux says and adds she looked up to those people who manage sizable workloads without going to pieces.
It helps to work for an organisation that really encourages its staff to get out and achieve their personal goals.
In 2013, Le Roux signed up to run the Melbourne Marathon. “My managers were really supportive of it, they knew it was something I had to do,” she explains.
Her training changed from week to week, depending on her workload but she’d often pull on her gym gear and run from home to work, getting some of her training out of the way before even arriving at her desk.
“The day before the marathon I got so many messages from people at work, they were so supportive. It was the same with the CA, there were many times I’d have to go home and study for the CA but they’re so good about it,” Le Roux adds.
As if completing her CA and running a marathon wasn’t enough, Le Roux also joined the EY Foundation, a corporate social responsibility program that enables staff to become involved in community and charity work in areas including youth, mental health, cancer and more.
In addition, she is also on the recruitment committee for the new graduate program. “It’s given me a lot of insight,” she says.
This young go-getter has the advantage of not having to juggle family responsibilities, though she does see that in her future and is heartened to see that EY provides a great deal of support for working mothers.
“Some managers have to leave at five o’clock because they have to pick up kids. You can see that it’s possible to have a family as well as be successful here.”
Because of this, she says she hasn’t been exposed to inequality. “We have many female partners and female managers.” she adds.
Le Roux says there’s no pigeonholing either which is great because she’s keen to avoid the assumptions that accountants are boring.
“I’ve been working with clients that I’m really passionate about. You develop strong relationships when people realise you’re who you say you are,” she points out.
Le Roux’s advice for other young people entering the workforce is to stay true to themselves and always make sure they make time for the important people in their lives.
Her cure for stress is simple: “I just put my headphones in and go running.”
Her career might only be beginning, but Le Roux says she can’t imagine not continuing to grow with EY, possibly gain some work experience with the firm in Asia or elsewhere and continue to work with the company’s charity foundation.