Member profile: Julien Wong

Employer: GFA Accountants & Business Advisers

Position: Senior Accountant

I moved from Mauritius to Perth in 2007 to undertake my Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Finance at Curtin University. Straight after my university degree I went on to complete a post graduate diploma in Chartered Accounting which I completed in November 2012. More recently I completed the Chartered Tax Adviser Program in November 2014. I recently joined the team at GFA accountants & business advisers moving from Grant Thornton.

Describe your current role

A typical day in my role would involve, client meetings, preparation of financial statements and tax returns, tax research and advice and so on.

Working in a small tight knit environment at GFA accountants & business advisers enables me to work with colleagues with definite skill sets. In so doing, I gain exposure and experience in areas such as superannuation, audit and financial planning.

Describe your involvement in The Tax Institute’s committees or contribution to the Institute

I am currently a member of the Western Australian membership services committee.

What are your career highlights?

Having completed the Chartered Tax Adviser Program of The Tax Institute. Being able to win over clients and seeing them achieving their financial goals because of the sound advices our team provided.

Why did you join The Tax Institute?

The tax institute is now a reference for tax expertise in Australia and it was natural to join The Tax Institute to gain access to the high quality of tax training and resources. The tax institute also provide good networking opportunities. Having the CTA designation in the tax industry is almost a requirement to be considered by your peers.

What advice can you give to graduates?

My advice would be to be as proactive as humanly possible in gaining as much knowledge as possible. Nowadays, we should not be afraid of learning, hard work and failure as they will be ever present. We should embrace these experiences as they will better us as professionals.

Who or what inspires you?

I would say that in addition to the prominent world figures like Gandhi, Mandela and Mother Teresa, there are a lot of people among my family, my friends and my colleagues who inspire me. They are those who while being great professionals are able to lead happy, balanced and fruitful lives. I am also highly inspired by those kind and loving people who consciously do things to make the world a better place to live in for everybody, even if it often means going against the tide. Also, in the course of my readings, I often come across ideas that are food for thought and help me grow both as a professional and as a person. I usually value these ideas too.

What do you do to unwind?

I find that exercising is a good way to evacuate stress. Also, spending time with my family is always invigorating and inspiring.

Favourite holiday destination?

Actually, I have no favourite holiday destination because all the places that I have visited on holiday are places full of charm and character on their own. I believe that every country or every place in the world has something different but particular to offer to visitors and I just like to enjoy and make the most of what the place has to offer.


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