Interview with Deloitte

Adding real value for the customer, thats what I like best about my work.

Rishabh Khattar moved eight years ago from India to the Netherlands. He studied International Business Administration at the Rotterdam School of Management, followed by his master in Finance Investment. After a traineeship in the food industry he joined Deloitte, where he is quickly becoming a ‘mini expert’ on different topics.

“I used to be a finance trainee, but I switched over because my interest lies more towards M&A. A friend used to work here and I became convinced that Deloitte would be one of the perfect places to have a career in M&A. I actually signed up for a traineeship which offered me the opportunity to have a view on different departments. After a year into the traineeship, also because of my earlier experience, I was already allowed to join the department of my choice.

I’m part of the M&A operations team within Transaction Services as an analyst and problem solver. We help companies which are either acquiring other companies or selling their own company or a part of their companies, to perform certain activities which are necessary for these transactions. Most of them entail due diligence processes. We focus more on the operational side rather than the financial side. Our speciality lies in carve-out, when a large corporation with multiple different business units wants to divest certain part of their business.

Within Transaction Services about 25 people are part of M&A operations. Depending on the project, we remotely work in smaller project teams of about 3-8 people. Sometimes we also coordinate with other teams on the same project, like Tax or Pensions, but in different work streams. During a due diligence project we are usually home based, going to the client every now and then. During a carve-out we’re usually based at the client several days a week, because it’s just easier to coordinate and exchange information.

Within Transaction Services about 25 people are part of M&A operations. Depending on the project, we remotely work in smaller project teams of about 3-8 people. Sometimes we also coordinate with other teams on the same project, like Tax or Pensions, but in different work streams. During a due diligence project we are usually home based, going to the client every now and then. During a carve-out we’re usually based at the client several days a week, because it’s just easier to coordinate and exchange information.

Compared to a typical corporate, working at Deloitte is working in a more dynamic and fast paced environment. Usually the average age here is younger and there is a lot more enthusiasm. Basically the focus is on quality. I have some earlier experience working 9-to-5 but I actually prefer our working culture. If you like to have a call or a meeting with one of your colleagues there’s usually no question planning this at 6 or 7 in the evening when necessary, although it’s not common working late every single day.

My home base is The Edge, I moved to Amsterdam two years ago. Life in Amsterdam is amazing, it’s a beautiful city. Not as big as the cities I have been used to, but it has more life and a special atmosphere. I’m even starting to pick up new sports such as Padel, which has courts around the city.

My current goal is to learn as much as I can, I feel there is so much knowledge that Deloitte can offer for many different varieties of projects. I want to get to know even more industries, in order to be able to perhaps specialize in one of those industries in the long term. I have enjoyed my assignment for the past three years and I’m convinced that I will keep enjoying it, not only because of the interesting projects but also because of the colleagues.”

“Because the clients I work for are in all kinds of industries, you quickly need to become a kind of ‘mini expert’ in that particular field.”