Hi, I'm Manmeet.
Audit & Assurance Partner, automotive enthusiast, Birmingham
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My journey so far…
I was born in London but spent most of my younger years in rural Cambridgeshire. As one of only a few Indian students in my school, I did sometimes feel like the odd one out. I was overweight as a child and wore my Sikh turban which made me look different, so some people made fun of me. Despite that, I had a great group of friends, and my experiences made me more resilient. I went to university in Nottingham which I really enjoyed. I studied accounting because I was passionate about finance and always knew that was the route I wanted to take.
After graduating I was due to travel with friends but chose to join the Deloitte graduate scheme instead. In hindsight, it was the best decision I’ve ever made, because the financial crisis hit just one year later. Despite being early into my career, I already felt like I had some job security.
"When I became Partner in 2020, I received so many messages from people I’d never met, who said it meant a lot to have someone from their background progressing to that role."
Work that matters
I’m now a Partner in Audit & Assurance, leading our corporate accounting advisory business. We provide specialist technical accounting support to a range of businesses. This helps organisations increase the reliability, accuracy, and consistency of their financial reporting, which is important to protect shareholders and other stakeholders, as well as serving the public interest. We have a very diverse team, which allows us to benefit from a variety of perspectives and views.
I’m a member of the Deloitte Sikh Network, and I also chair the UK firm’s Ethnicity Council. The Ethnicity Council is a group of senior individuals across our firm who represent our ethnic diversity objectives and support the UK Executive in directing and delivering our diversity and inclusion strategy. This is something very close to my heart, as it resonates with some of the challenges and experiences I’ve had in my life so far. I want to be able to continue driving positive change, as we build an ever more diverse and inclusive culture.
For example, when I became Partner in 2020, I received so many messages from people I’d never met, who said it meant a lot to have someone from their background progressing to that role. Since then, I’ve continued trying my best to be a role model for our people.
Highlights from my week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today we have an Assurance-wide event in London. As well as hearing from some exciting external speakers, we talk about our development journey as a business and our ambitious growth plans. | I have an executive meeting, then I catch up on our communications plan with our team in Birmingham. I also chair an Ethnicity Council meeting, where we discuss the actions we're taking to improve the experience of our colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds. | I’m at home today working on some reports, as well as responding to companies who are interested in working with us. In the evening, I head to a personal training session. | Our Accounting group are meeting today for our annual group meeting. We focus on our pipeline of work, as well as the ways our people can get involved in our growth activities. | I meet with a healthcare business in Birmingham that wants to work with us, before winding down. In the late afternoon, I head to the south-coast to hike in Bournemouth for the weekend. |
My weekend looks like
I’ve recently embarked on a fitness journey, which includes lots of running, walking and weight training with my personal trainer. I’ve become so much healthier as a result, and it’s had a positive impact on all areas of my life. Eating well is vital for me and I spend a lot of time cooking and preparing food at the weekend. I also love to travel and explore new cultures and experiences. I also love cars, so you’ll often find me with my head buried in the Autotrader app.
3 things I've learned
Be Passionate About What You Do
I love cars, so when I started working at Deloitte, I made it my mission to work with automotive companies. I now sit on our UK Automotive Executive and love being able to combine my work and passion.
Prioritise Your Health
When you’ve got your health, everything else falls into place, so it’s an important thing to prioritise. Feeling happy and healthy also helps you to perform better in every aspect of your life.
Help Others or Pay It Forward
As I’ve progressed through the firm, I’ve had so much help and support on the way up. I think it’s important to pay that forward, so that others can achieve their dreams as well.
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Manmeet's book recommendation
TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, by Chris Anderson
TED Talks is a guide to public speaking written by Chris Anderson, the head of TED. It offers tips and advice for how to communicate with large audiences, as well as the ways you can manage stress and anxiety. I’m not a terrible public speaker, but I do get nervous, and the book has helped me to reinvent how I speak to large groups. I highly recommend it if public speaking is an area you’d like to work on.
