Sophie Kim’s journey in audit: Creating value beyond the audit

Sophie Kim, Manager at PKF Melbourne, shares her career journey in audit, from building strong client relationships to developing future talent and creating value beyond the audit.

For Sophie Kim, a career in audit has never been solely about compliance or technical accounting. It has been about helping organisations solve problems, make better decisions and access insights that support their long-term growth.

Her career has taken her from a mid-tier firm in Scotland to PKF in Melbourne, where she is now a Manager in the Audit & Assurance team. As her career has progressed, the variety of the work and the people around her have continued to shape her experience of the profession.

Turning broad experience into practical client value

Sophie discovered early in her career that one of the things she enjoyed most about audit was the breadth of clients she could work with. Her experience from Scotland and continuing in Melbourne spans across start-ups, ASX-listed companies, not-for-profit organisations as well as large construction and manufacturing businesses, giving her a breadth of perspective that she believes is one of the greatest strengths an auditor can bring to a client relationship.

“I love to learn about the niche challenges that each organisation faces,” Sophie says.

From high-growth businesses navigating complex reporting requirements to established organisations looking to strengthen governance, improve processes or prepare for their next stage of growth, Sophie is often able to connect clients with ideas, insights and approaches they may not otherwise encounter within their own sector.

This broader commercial perspective means conversations frequently extend beyond the audit itself.

For Sophie, continuing to learn remains an important part of her career, even as her responsibilities have grown.

Working within the national and international PKF network also enables Sophie to connect clients with specialist expertise, insights and services beyond a traditional audit engagement when circumstances require it. The goal is always the same: helping clients move forward with confidence.

Leadership beyond the technical work

Progressing to Manager has also given Sophie the opportunity to play a greater role in supporting the people around her. Alongside managing clients, engagements and deadlines, Sophie is equally passionate about creating an environment where people can develop successful and fulfilling careers.

Sophie believes a future focussed audit team is tech-enabled but remains deeply people centred.

Her leadership philosophy seeks to bring out high performance in a genuinely supportive environment. This support takes many forms such as investing in training, facilitating knowledge sharing and ways to use emerging technologies to create more opportunities for meaningful work, regular check-ins and connection points within the team.

Sophie also emphasises that building a supportive culture requires attention throughout the year. As she explains, her leadership approach aims “to build that sense of safety and trust within the team” which in turn, enables high quality audits, attentive client service and drive collaborative innovation.

Continuing to grow at PKF

Sophie’s journey reflects how a career can continue to evolve as you move into more senior positions. For Sophie, one of the most rewarding aspects of her profession is that there is always something new to learn.

At PKF, Sophie has continued to build her experience across industries while taking on greater responsibility for clients and her team. She is motivated by the opportunity to create meaningful outcomes for both clients and colleagues.

Her career journey reflects a broader evolution within the profession itself. Today's audit leaders are not only technical specialists. They are problem solvers, trusted partners and people leaders who help organisations and individuals succeed.