Athena Lim, Vice President at Citi, on Navigating a Career in Accounting and Auditing

Athena Lim, is a New Jersey native who embarked on a career journey that initially started off in fashion and somewhere along the way, ended up in accounting, then auditing. Many who are curious about her story would question: How does a young woman with aspirations to become a star on Project Runway end up in auditing? How could this be the same young woman who spent her high school years dreaming about creating pretty dresses and drawing? The answer, simply put is: Life just happens! And you are allowed to change your mind and the route you take in your career. 

Although Athena kicked off her college career as a Costume Designer in Lehigh University’s Theater Department, she quickly realized that pursuing fashion may not provide her the career stability she needed. You have to realize, Athena attended college from 2007-2011; where she witnessed the crash of the economy in 2008. Once 2009 came around, Athena realized it was time to be more intentional about her future and changed her major to accounting. 

Let’s take a look into Athena’a career trajectory. 

Staff Accountant at Dolce & Gabbana in NYC

Athena’s first job after college was working as a Staff Accountant at Dolce & Gabbana. As someone with a passion for fashion, this was an exciting role for her to break into. Why? Well, she did spend her adolescent and young adult years on the creative side of fashion; now, this was her first opportunity to work on the business side. Although she chose this role for the sake of job security, she learned a lot on the job and actually enjoyed it. Skills Athena developed, included:

• Exploring the more technical aspects of accounting
• Understanding the flow of financial transactions: from the sale of a pair of shoes to the preparation of corporate financial statements 

Ultimately, she gained foundational knowledge about how money works in business.

Public Accounting at Snyder Cohn, a Small CPA Firm in Washington, D.C.

After her 2 year stint at Dolce & Gabbana, Athena was ready for a change. Having been in a long distance relationship for quite some time, Athena and her partner realized that her moving to D.C. would be great for their relationship. For that reason, Athena applied and was selected for a role as a Public Accountant for a small CPA firm called Snyder Cohn based in Washington, D.C. In this role, she had the opportunity to work with clients ranging from small companies to non-profits. This helped her gain valuable auditing experiences. Skills she gained, included:

• Exploring financial statements across various industries, as well as, understanding how companies account for different things.
• Developing the ability to pick up on nuances in accounting practices, demonstrating agility in learning and applying knowledge to different contexts.
• Developing a better understanding of government taxes which in turn helped with her personal taxes.
• Initiating client interactions, learning the dynamics of working with clients and understanding their needs.

Internal Audit at KPMG

Unfortunately, “all good things come to an end”. Athena and her partner, whom she traveled to D.C. for, eventually broke up, which meant it was time for Athena to return back to NY/NJ and re-think the next steps in her career. Athena decided that Big 4 accounting firm, KPMG, would be the right move for her. At KPMG, Athena worked as an Internal Audit, Risk and Compliance Associate. By the time she left the company, 5 years later, she was promoted twice from Senior Associate to Manager. This was her first step transitioning from accounting to auditing. While working at KPMG, Athena truly enjoyed the consulting aspect of the job as well as being able to thoroughly help clients work through their problems and finally be able to add value beyond her technical acumen. Skills she gained:

• Transitioning into consulting, finding satisfaction in helping clients navigate problems and adding value.
• Recognizing the importance of soft skills, such as being agile, in adapting to different situations and learning experiences.
• Overcoming initial discomfort and realizing the importance of humility in admitting when one doesn't know something.
• Engaging in creating proposals and participating in status meetings and project management meetings.

VP, Internal Audit at Citi:

Currently, Athena is working at the executive level. She serves as a VP of Internal Audit Management at Citi, a prestigious financial services company and global bank connecting millions of people across hundreds of countries and cities. After spending nearly 5 years at KPMG, Athena was ready for a change. KPMG was a fruitful experience because it was her first time spending a significant amount of time at a company but she knew it was time for something new. Intentional about doing work that allowed her to transition from short-term consulting projects to more long term projects, this was the perfect role for her. In this role, she has been able to showcase various skills, including: 

• Process improvement
• Exploring the complex internal audit function within Citibank, focusing on finance and control, including finance controllers and tax-based areas.
• Collaborating with stakeholders from different areas of the bank, including credit card teams, mergers and acquisitions, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance teams.
• Emphasizing the goal of being perceived as a helpful resource rather than someone focused on finding faults in her team.

Being able to not only transition roles but also industries and environments has certainly set Athena up for success in her career. Now, she is in a space where she hopes that her story inspires the next generation of leaders. When asked, what has been some of the most fruitful experiences and learnings in her career, she responded,

The most important thing I'm learning is to maintain good relationships with people. I've been able to do a lot of that because of my background working with various types of businesses and stakeholders. I have allowed myself to become very relatable to the people I work with. I understand what they're doing. I'm not just a consultant coming in to blow things up; they understand that I am here to help make their work better.

With such an optimistic attitude, it was a MUST to ask her for advice for professionals interested in career pivoting. She mentioned, 

You don't have to make a final career decision right out of college. I know so many people that are not working in something they majored in. I've had managers within internal audit and accounting come from music and fine arts majors. Anyone can do whatever they please with their careers; it’s all about your dedication to the process. It’s okay to go into something and find out it's not for you. That's totally fine, as well. One of the most useful pieces of advice I've gotten from my career is that, you know, it’s okay to constantly reinvent yourself.

Interested in connecting with Athena Lim? You can find her on LinkedIn, here.

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25 In-Demand Business & Tech Roles for 2024

16 Journal Prompts for Pivoting into Business & Tech Roles