Emma Harpur

International accounting extraordinaire and avid sportswoman

An intern with the Pitcher Partners Tax Advisory team, the extraordinary Emma Harpur has recently achieved top grades in the Irish accounting exams, while sitting them here in Australia.

Originating from Ireland, Emma has always had a passion for mathematics and learning more
broadly, which motivated her to pursue studies
in accounting.

Despite being accepted to Queens University Belfast to study for an actuarial sciences and risk management degree, she chose to do a Higher-Level Accounting Apprenticeship when she
finished high school in September 2017 so she could study, work and earn.

After completing her first year of study in 2018, she immigrated to Australia for what was meant to be a six month holiday, but has evolved into a three year stay.

Committed to furthering her studies, in early 2020 she began working towards becoming a fully qualified accountant through the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), while also working towards a Bachelor in Accounting and Finance through the Oxford’s Brookes University in England.

The global nature of the accreditations meant that she could study and complete exams for both qualifications from Australia.

Emma remarks that this has been ‘challenging but rewarding’, with Emma having placed first in Australia for each of her three ACCA exams so far, alongside topping the exam charts in Ireland for her Accounting Technicians Ireland Diploma Certificate (a steppingstone towards her Bachelor degree).

Having been with Pitcher Partners Melbourne for almost a year, Emma reflects that her experience here has been critical to furthering her career.

“I work in the Transfer Pricing team and my colleagues continually try to better me and help me improve,” she says.

“I have been given a diverse range of work experience in my role. Also, following COVID the firm have really engaged with staff to boost connections within the business. I really enjoy the social events, broadening my network and making meaningful connections.”

A dedicated professional, when asked what her next steps will be, Emma simply says “I have no limit of where I want to get to professionally. I want to work as hard as I can to get to where I want to be.”

An invaluable part of the Transfer Pricing Team, it’s no doubt that she has a bright future ahead.

An avid sportswoman, if she wasn’t in the professional services industry, Emma reflects her career could have taken an athletic turn.

“When I lived in Ireland, I played football nationally with the Northern Ireland squad from Under 16 to Under 19s playing across Europe in the UEFA Championships,” she says.

“If I wasn’t working in the corporate world, I think I would be highly involved in sport and exercise. I have always maintained a fantastic balance of study and sport and I currently play hockey in the Premier League for Footscray Hockey Club here in Australia.”

With many exciting milestones to come, Emma is sure to make her mark on the accounting industry as she progresses her professional career.

Applications are now open for the Pitcher Partners Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney student programs. Find out more here.