A travelling adventure that led to Jersey

I was very privileged to grow up on a farm in the West of Ireland, one of the most beautiful places in the world. I love the countryside, walking, nature – the smell of freshly cut grass or fields buttercups are some of the best things in life.

There were three things that shaped me:

Firstly, my father from an early age instilled a passion for education in us all. He didn’t have the opportunity to progress to further education as he supported his parents on the farm, and he encouraged us all to grasp opportunities and always strive to progress and be our best.

Growing up on a farm, the second thing is the work ethic both my parents inspired in us. They taught us about the importance of always working diligently at whatever we did, being reliable and being hungry to support others. This sense of approaching situations with energy has stood me well as I have always been willing to give whatever I do my best.

Finally, the sense of family and belonging – I have taken this into all my roles. My family aren’t on the island and recognising that ‘family’ are also the people and community around you, always extending a sense of welcome, support to others. My Jersey family have been some of the most amazing, kindest, generous people I am fortunate to have met.

From an early age, I loved numbers and wanted to become an accountant. I initially trained as a CIMA (Management) Accountant which gave we a great insight to strategy and planning. When I started working in audit I obtained my ACA and ACCA qualifications. A professional accountancy qualification is so versatile and something I encourage everyone to obtain. It opens so many doors and is recognised worldwide.

I initially came to the island with friends as part of our travelling adventure, and like many, planned to stay 6-12 months but never left. I genuinely fell in love with the island and all Jersey has to offer. The island is now so accessible and the direct flights to Dublin have been so welcomed to allow friends and family to visit more often.  

My role with Deloitte has been so varied, that is the fantastic benefit our firm offers, variety of role and ability to progress through the firm. I started off in Fund Accounting, and moved to Audit. I have been very lucky to be surrounded by great people, in Jersey and our UK firm, that not only supported me on my journey but were active sponsors who gave me opportunities and put my name forward for leadership roles. This meant the transition to partner was seamless and I felt ready and excited to step into the role. Deloitte as a firm is an amazing place to build a career and I am very privileged to be in this position.

There are lots of similarities indeed, but each island has its own uniqueness – Guernsey is thriving in the VC space, Gibraltar in the insurance sector and now Crypto/Fintech, Isle of Man also for insurance and E-gaming, Jersey strong in the PE and RE space. However, at the heart of all of the sectors, is a mindset of representing each location to the highest standards.

In as much as there have been challenging times over the period, there also have many opportunities. The growth and innovation over the period continues to astound me. If anything has changed, I would say it’s the ability of the financial services sector and Jersey as a jurisdiction to adapt and be nimble, be resilient, whilst focus on always providing top quality service, which has stood us in good stead.

Our 5 Million Futures (5MF) strategy allows each Deloitte office to choose charities locally which the team feel could most benefit through either financial support or investment of time.  Our charity partner is Every Child Our Future and our volunteers get so much out of the time spent helping as part of the numeracy programme.  We have also supported local schools through the provision of laptops. Being able to make a direct impact locally is really important to us.

What attracted me so much to getting involved is the sense of fun that the Club and coaches bring to the sport.  They foster a sense of adventure trying something new, being part of a team, you walk away with a huge sense of positivity from each session. For young children, this opportunity and feeling like you have personally ‘won’ in your own efforts every time you play is so powerful. We would like to see this extended into all of the schools on the island and longer term into the secondary schools.

I think if I could change anything it is to always make more time for family and friends (and exercise), it is easy to get caught up in how busy we are but looking after the elements that satisfy our soul are very important.

Sharing food with friends or family, laughing until the tears flow and your sides hurt – best medicine ever.

sdurcan@deloitte.co.uk

https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/regions/topics/jersey.html