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5 days in Cambodia !

Hi, my name is Camelia Diaconescu. I joined Deloitte Luxembourg in November 2008. I recently had the opportunity to spend one week working on the Food Security Project for East Asia, a project driven by PlaNet Finance, with the Give and Share program.
Our mission on-site was to raise awareness on the risk of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in the microfinance industry and to assist the participant Microfinance Institutions to design and implement an anti-money laundering manual.

The most memorable thing about Cambodia

Main cultural difference

Disagreement is considered impolite, so often Cambodian people answer "yes" but do the contrary all the same. I experienced this myself when I asked a taxi driver for an address. He told me there was no problem, but stopped few times during the ride to ask his way.

Cambodians also consider it inappropriate to discuss their problems in public and wish to solve these problems on their own.

So, you can imagine how difficult it was to encourage them to share their findings and to express their concerns in public during the training. For instance, the only way to get them to express their opinions freely about certain missing points in their procedures was to sit down with each of them individually.

And one unforgettable cultural difference I saw during the training sessions…Did I mention that after each coffee break or after lunch, we danced for 5-10 minutes? It seems that dancing helps people better concentrate for the rest of the session.

I know, it sounds quite unbelievable, that's why I took some pictures as supporting evidence… Maybe we should introduce this in Luxembourg!

What I gained from this experience

Through this project I had the opportunity to discover and understand the microfinance industry, a different and less formal financial environment….and …even if the mission was only a week long it was a great opportunity to make new friends among the locally based Planet Finance team as well as among the locals.

Best of Cambodia

The food! It does not really matter where you chose to eat, in a fancy club or in a tiny restaurant, the food is always fresh and tasty, a true delight!
My favourite place: "Friends" a training restaurant for former street youth.

One week in Prague !

Hi, my name is Olivier and I have worked in the HR department in Deloitte Luxembourg for 4 years. I had the chance to participate in an exchange program which took me to Prague for a week. My assignment was to work in the HR information systems (HRIS) and reporting team.

The most exciting thing about Deloitte Prague

I enjoyed my experience a lot because they also work similar IT system and reporting issues to me, but in quite a different way, using different systems, and in a totally different context: they handle 4000 people in 17 different countries from Estonia to Montenegro. Apart from discovering their department and the main systems, my main objective for the week was to understand the Cognos system, which is a powerful reporting tool used to gather data from all systems and thus allowing cross-systems reporting. The change is quite drastic compared to the Excel reporting I am used to do. One week is very short to understand all the functionalities of Cognos but I think I got the basics at least. At the end of the week, I looked at my job in quite a different way, with more perspective.

The other aspect was the people I worked with. The team did an amazing job welcoming me in the best way they could, and they also kept me busy outside working hours with a city tour, beers, bowling, beers, cinema, dark beers, football match, more beers… I had a crazy week!

Main cultural differences

I have not noticed a big cultural gap between Czechs and Western Europeans, but I definitely have noticed some distinctive features of Czech Republic and Czech people:

• Czech people are introduced to you by their name, but then they are usually called by a nickname or a variation of the name, which could have a distant relation to the original name but not necessarily. That is really confusing at first.
• They usually present themselves as Moravian or Bohemian more than Czech. Bohemia (where Prague is) and Moravia (where Brno is) are the two major regions of Czech Republic. Moravian and Bohemian entertain a friendly rivalry about almost everything, but they both agree that they are better than Slovakian!
• They are the biggest beer drinkers in the world, with around 158 litres per person and per year (twice as much as in Belgium!). Beers over there are of very good quality, although impossible to pronounce correctly. The default size is a pint. Half-pint are said to be for children or Moravian people (if you're Bohemian) or Bohemian people (if you're Moravian)…
• Best looking restaurants are not necessarily the best ones, so don't trust your first impression on that matter
• There were Skoda cars everywhere (but strangely I was the only one in the office to actually own one)

Best of Prague

Finally, I have to say a word about the city itself. Prague is a magical city, like an open-air museum. I had a good feeling about walking around the old city at night during a weekday, when the streets were almost empty. It felt like time-travel, 200 years back from now. I especially got this feeling in the Kampa Island and in the Jewish district. I also really liked Vysherad early in the morning, and the Wenceslas square because it is the living heart of Prague.

Story of my mobility experience in Düsseldorf

Hi! My name is Thibaut. I have been working with Deloitte Luxembourg since September 2010 where I joined the Mergers & Acquisitions department within the tax service line. I had the opportunity to spend two months with Deloitte Düsseldorf, where I discovered a new team and way of working.

At Deloitte Düsseldorf, I worked within the transfer pricing department, headed by Heinz-Klaus Kroppen, Head of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu’s EMEA Transfer Pricing Group. Deloitte Dusseldorf is the main office focusing on transfer pricing within Germany and within the EMEA region.

The most exciting thing about Deloitte Düsseldorf

I was really impressed by the building. It is enormous, composed of four towers connected by a huge atrium. I understood then why Deloitte Dusseldorf was the main German office coordinating the firm's activities for the whole country. I had the chance to enjoy my own office space that I shared with only one other colleague. This is a big change compared to the open space offices I'm used to in Deloitte Luxembourg. The team was also very welcoming and I quickly felt integrated amongst them, which is important since I stayed for only two months there!

What I gained from this experience

The transfer pricing department in Deloitte Dusseldorf renders a wide range of services to clients having transfer pricing issues. The clients are extremely diversified, with a large importance given to industrial and operational companies. It gave me the opportunity to enlarge my vision of methods used to deal with transfer pricings issues (CUP, Resale Price, Cost Plus,TNMM and Profit Split methods) in order to determine the most accurate arm's length remuneration that encounters clients' needs. This experience was also a real opportunity on a personal basis. I enjoyed discovering a new way of working, new opportunities and new challenges! I gained in two months a valuable experience that I will benefit from for a long time!

Best of Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is a great city! During the evening and the weekends, you have a wide range of things to do and to see! Shopping lovers are more than satisfied! In the city centre, there are all types of shops, from basic to really expensive brands (in the famous Düsseldorf's Köningsallee) but also big shopping malls. It is not surprising that Düsseldorf is known worldwide as the place to be for shopping in Germany.
In the afternoon, I liked to go by the rives of the Rhine for a stroll, a glass of fine German beer and then…a climb to the top of the Rheinturm, a 240.5 metre high concrete telecommunications tower where you can enjoy a 360° view of the city.
There are plenty of nice restaurants where you can enjoy all types of food, especially in the Japanese “district”. In search of the places with the best atmosphere, I simply followed the crowd and ended up in Ratingerstraße. Exclusively composed of bars and pubs, this place is known by everyone in the city. Every Wednesday, people from different horizons gather there to enjoy a drink with their friends. When the weather is good, it’s so crowded that it’s even hard to make your way through!

I will definitely remember those places!

Story of my mobility experience in Hong Kong

My name is Yves from Deloitte Luxembourg. After 8 years of experience advising clients on international transactions, I had the opportunity to launch the Deloitte Luxembourg desk in Hong Kong.

This strategic presence enabled Deloitte Luxembourg to be located within less than 5 hours by flight from half of the worldwide population and to advise Asia-Pacific companies looking for cross-border opportunities with the US, Europe, etc. and the other way round. This was a great challenge since the Luxembourg desk started from scratch (although in the premises of Deloitte Hong Kong) during the financial turmoil end of 2008.

At that time, many companies in Asia Pacific knew about the benefits of using Hong Kong and Singapore locations as a regional headquarter for Asia but were not necessarily aware of the benefits offered by Luxembourg. So this opportunity took me to several jurisdictions like Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and The Philippines.

Main cultural difference

They are many differences in the way to behave, to do business, to communicate, etc. and this can also change from one country to another country. In China, for example, after a client seminar, it is very common for the audience to raise few or no questions, whereas in India you can expect to have so many questions that it is an important parameter for scheduling Q&A time.

I also remember a very exciting "lucky draw" game organized by the China firm where Partners randomly picked collaborators' business cards from a box to win prizes ranging from ice cream vouchers, mobile phones to IPADs.
But probably the most exciting and emotional moment was when the Partners took money from their wallet to give it to the luckiest collaborators.

Best of Hong Kong

Without a doubt, as you can see the night view of the Hong Kong Island from Tsim Sha Tsui!

What I gained from this experience

This experience was so rewarding and so unique on many aspects that I am very thankful to have been given such opportunity in my career with Deloitte. I met new colleagues, made new friends and enlarged my professional and private network.

I also had the opportunity to discover and understand different tax environments and to implement Asia Pacific - Luxembourg tax solutions.

Finally, I successfully obtained my advanced diving certification allowing me to dive in the most beautiful diving spots of Asia such as in Thailand, Malaysia, etc..

Story of my mobility experience in Luxembourg

 The most exciting thing about Deloitte Luxembourg

For sure it's the multiculturalism. For example, within my team in Luxembourg there were 4 nationalities (French, German, Belgian and English). Thereby you switch continually between the languages French, English and German. The "good" mix of different cultures within the Deloitte teams in Luxembourg (more than 46!) contributes to great results.

Main cultural difference

Luxembourg is really multi-cultural with many inhabitants of various nationalities. Everyone adapts well with each other. For the work life that means that you need to have - among others - a high level of openness and tolerance. The openness and also warmth that I experienced during my whole stay is what I will remember.

What I gained from this experience

The swap was a really great opportunity. We found out that we all work on similar issues and with the exchange of best practices we are able to improve our effectiveness and find more innovative solutions together.

Best of Luxembourg

Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe and after Malta the smallest member of the European Union but at the same time it is place of important European institutions. What I found amazing in Luxembourg was the green spaces in the city centre, which are distributed on a really hilly area through the whole city.

Story of my mobility experience in New York

 The best of Deloitte New York

Getting to know the people! As part of the International Tax Team, I had been focusing on US client issues from a distance from the Luxembourg office. It was certainly an enriching experience to meet and work closely with my US tax colleagues and other foreign tax specialists. This helped gain a better understanding of international tax issues for US clients and to experience first-hand the different cultures and ways of doing business.

And talk about Deloitte being character building, when I flagged down my first cab upon my arrival, my cab driver was handcuffed by a cop under cover. Lucky escape, apparently he wasn't a true cab driver at all!

Main cultural difference

The main cultural difference is definitely for me the open-mindedness and friendly atmosphere that there is in New York. No-one makes judgements about where you are from or what you do and everyone opens themselves up easily. I was able to meet and discuss with some very interesting people in bars, at the basketball game, in the street.... Some may say that it is superficial, and you don't necessarily make lifetime friends, but it certainly gives you the opportunity to take an inside look into New York life! Something else that stood out for me was the service minded attitude. Everything is accessible at any time of the day, and with a smile! Of course, they rely on their tips for their pay check at the end of the month, which certainly explains this, but we Europeans definitely have room to improve.  

The most exciting things about New York

Being a huge fan of basketball, I headed straight to Madison Square Garden! During my stay I got to see the New York Knicks in the play offs – the first match in almost 10 years! And it was great to feel a part of the atmosphere, "shooting some hoops" on the playgrounds with the locals. I arrived with a ball under my arm and was everyone's friend on the pitch! Between the office and the basketball, I also found time for the amazing nightlife - jazz and hip hop concerts, roof top parties... just imagine dancing the night away under the stars with a view of the Empire State building – and not to mention travelling to other big cities like Washington, Chicago and Boston…where I got even more of a taste of American life. Here even the tourists were American!

No need to say that I gained a huge amount both professionally and personally from these experiences and that I miss the international New York atmosphere. I will go back for sure to the Big Apple but in the meantime I look forward to continue working on projects with my fellow colleagues over there.

Story of my mobility experience in Dubai

I worked on very different clients to what I am used to in Luxembourg, going from clients in the financial sector to clients such as hotels, advertising agencies and petrol pipeline constructors…as you can imagine, it was a very different environment. I was regularly at the client site, and whereas the Dubai audit methodology seemed more time consuming, the exchange with the clients was less complex and very professional. They provided the required information in a timely manner, enabling us to anticipate and plan our time to respect the deadlines. My working hours were very reasonable, which gave me plenty of time to discover the culture and nightlife of Dubai!

The most memorable thing about Deloitte Dubai

The audit department is much smaller than in Luxembourg and very welcoming. The whole audit department of around 80 people was in the same open space, so everyone knew each other personally and was incredibly friendly. Everyone was very obliging and helpful whenever I needed anything, I realise now that this is the oriental culture. I was welcomed with other new joiners, with various nationalities, so I immediately felt a part of the team.

Main cultural difference

This was definitely the respect for women. I don't mean us men in Luxembourg are not gallant…, but in Dubai they even have separate carriages on the metro reserved for women, you must never shake the hand of a women in a veil, and you must certainly never show signs of affection in public. Of course, I found this out very quickly, when on the first morning I got in the wrong carriage (at first I couldn't believe my luck!), I shook my manager's hand (who was veiled)…need I say more! Overall, there is just generally more respect, you can't chew gum or swear in public, and of course what is the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you are told you shouldn't say it?!

What I gained from this experience 

This experience was so rewarding, I don't know where to begin. Professionally, it showed me the importance of adapting to the situation and working environment, and to take the time to find the best way to communicate. I even got used to yes being a shake of the head! If I could handle it in Dubai, I am now ready for anything in Luxembourg.

On a more personal note, I met lots of fantastic people, both locals and foreigners, many of whom I am still in contact with today, and I hope to see again soon.

Best of Dubai

The nightlife! The top class clubs in Dubai put even Paris to shame. One of the best evenings was at Atlantis on the artificial island The Palm, with a fantastic atmosphere partying on the beach. Another was in the Armani club, the biggest tour in the world, with huge big screens and amazing DJs. Or even just for going for a drink after work, the Dubai fountains was the perfect place to relax! The shopping malls were also very impressive. They were huge with many storeys. You could even spend the afternoon skiing in one!

Story of my mobility experience in Montreal

This initiative is enriching for the secondee who has the opportunity to work in another country but also for all members of the Luxembourg office who get the chance to welcome secondees from abroad. Indeed it is a two way initiative. Every year, people from Europe, Malta and the United Arab Emirates (to mention just a few) collaborate with us on our audit engagements in Luxembourg.

The most exciting thing about Deloitte Montreal

Arriving on a sunny Sunday, I discovered, from the windows of my hotel, the building in which the Deloitte office of Montreal was located, a big skyscraper of 46 floors in the centre of the city. Samson Belair, Deloitte & Touch is located on 4 floors starting on the 29th. From my desk I had one of the best points of view on the city and I could even see the Olympic stadium, built in 1976 for the Olympic games. 

  "

Main cultural difference

Each audit senior has his own desk and each manager works in individual offices whereas in Luxembourg, everybody works in an open-space environment. This has advantages and drawbacks. It helps with concentration but decreases the interactions within the team. This drawback is largely balanced by the fact that most of the time, the whole team works at client premises.

Also, there was no canteen in their offices, so I had to remember to take my packed lunch with me every day!

What I gained from this experience 

This experience offered me many opportunities:

From a professional point of view, it gave me the opportunity to discover another industry, commercial companies, whereas my main clients in Luxembourg are investment funds.

From a cultural point of view, this experience opened my eyes on a country that I had never visited before. The weekend, always too short, gave me, nevertheless, the chance to discover the Canadian way of life, by visiting some of the most beautiful places of the province of Quebec, such as Quebec City and the country's capital city, Ottawa, Ontario.

Best of Montreal

I will never forget the warm welcome I received from all the "Montrealais", during my stay, especially the colleagues I met and with whom I worked during my engagements at Deloitte. Their bonhomie and their way of living are in themselves incentives for people to come and visit this wonderful country of more than 9 million square meters. !

 

Story of my mobility experience in Düsseldorf

Hello, my name is Laure. I joined the HR Department in Deloitte Luxembourg in 2008 and had the opportunity to attend a global HR mobility program for 3 weeks with Deloitte Düsseldorf this summer. As part of the Talent Initiative launched in 2010, Deloitte member firms in Europe decided to closely collaborate and strengthen their network enabling professionals to enrol in global mobility programmes.

One of the initiatives is to provide employees within HR departments the opportunity to swap places with an employee in another member firm. Each “Swapee” has the opportunity to spend 1 to 2 weeks abroad and share experiences as well as HR best practices.

I met the German HR recruiting teams with whom I worked closely on different HR topics related to diversity in the workforce, recruitment via social media or employer branding. These issues are of high importance to both the Luxembourg and Düsseldorf offices.

The most exciting thing about Deloitte Düsseldorf

Amazing buildings and big infrastructure! Once inside the building, it was so huge that I got lost all the time.
 
Very different to Luxembourg where all the employees are under one roof, Düsseldorf is the main central office of 17 in different locations in Germany! They coordinate the firm activities on a national basis, with more than 4,600 colleagues.

Main cultural difference

To me, the main cultural difference was that our German colleagues work in individual offices whereas in Luxembourg we work in an open-space environment. This was hard for me at first, but I soon found it was sometimes easier to concentrate! And there were of course coffee and lunch breaks to catch up with my colleagues!

What I gained from this experience 

I am delighted to have had the opportunity to participate in this programme that exposed me to new challenges that stretched me both professionally and personally.

I was able to experience and understand different cultures, ways of living, and ways of doing business that might differ. I loved the way they introduced their tradition of ginger bread in their marketing materiel for school events, adding a touch of originality.

Moving to a different country provided me the opportunity to improve my German language skills and also develop my professional network. I will definitely keep in touch with my colleagues from Düsseldorf and we will be able to continue sharing ideas on on-going projects that we have.

Best of Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf, great choice! The "D-Town" has many things to offer, it's hip and not a bit quiet. “Königsallee”: What would Düsseldorf be without it? I had a great time shopping on this street. I think my credit card was my best friend for the entire 3 weeks! Düsseldorf's Königsallee is more than a street to shop on, I have come back to Luxembourg with a whole new sophisticated style! Affectionately called the "Kö" by Düsseldorf's residents, it belongs to a small group of elite and internationally famous luxury boulevards, which also includes the Champs-Élysées and Fifth Avenue. It has helped Düsseldorf gain a reputation as one of the most elegant shopping destinations in the world. And there’s more, take a look at the photo below, I enjoyed coming here to have a drink and take in the atmosphere. I will definitely go back!

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