Greg
MacDonald

Who I help

Large corporates. SMEs. Charitable organisations. Not For Profit Organisations.

How I help

Audit & Assurance services. Statutory accounts preparation.

“I pride myself on going the extra mile for all our clients.”

Based in our Aberdeen office Greg MacDonald is an Audit Assistant Manager. He provides a high-quality audit and assurance service to a variety of clients in the oil & gas and not for profit sectors. For Greg, everyday is different and each one brings new challenges and opportunities to learn.

He is part of the charity audit team, something he’s enjoyed being part of as it’s given him the opportunity to learn and gain further insight into some of the local charities we support. For Greg, being able to share advice and support on accounting issues they might be struggling with is really rewarding and gives him great job satisfaction.

Working together to achieve a goal

“Our priority in every audit is to help clients as much as we possibly can. For that to be the case there needs to be a good working relationship where we are working in tandem to reach a common goal. From our clients we need all the relevant information and to be able to really get to know their businesses, processes and exactly how they operate. This helps us to provide the most efficient audit service because we then know exactly the type of information we need to satisfy our audit objectives.

We work hard to establish and develop close personal relationships with clients, taking the time to meet them in person, visit their place of business and speak to them about their lives to get to know them on a personal level and not just a professional one. I love when I can talk to clients about more than just the audit and the business and I can get to know them as people as well. It’s something our clients really appreciate.”

Making a difference for clients

“There’s a common misconception that as auditors we’re just there to pick faults and call out errors which just isn’t true. Our goal is to deliver an audit that adds value for clients, so yes, we might discover and identify issues throughout the audit process, but we’ll also explain how these issues came to pass and provide them with solutions and recommendations for making improvements going forward.

Being part of an audit from the project inception to delivery is really satisfying. You get to build these strong relationships with clients, and you get to share knowledge and experience with the team. When we work with clients year after year it’s amazing to see how our advice has helped them and the difference this makes.”

Merit in having a flexible hybrid approach

“I’m a big believer that elements of the audit process benefit from a more hands-on approach. It’s amazing that throughout the pandemic we were still able to help clients and perform audits virtually. However, the best approach I think is the one that best suits our clients.

It’s great that we place such an importance on technology as it aids us across the board. Helping us to streamline some of the more repetitive day to day tasks so we can free up our time to focus on the harder, more complex areas. Because we’re able to deliver virtually it means we can meet out clients needs and offer flexibility.”

Sharing knowledge

“Having such big team both in Audit across our different locations and the wider AAB Group helps me every day. If there’s ever something I’m unsure of whether that be a technical accounting question or a systems and software one, there’s no shortage of people I can ask for help and support. That is really invaluable to me. As someone who joined the firm as a graduate, I know the team are more than happy to take the time to explain when I am unsure. I’m then able to take that knowledge and pass it on. So, we’re always learning from each other which helps all of us to develop.”