Working with Group Audit: What We’ve Learned with Abin

Read how working with Abin’s group audit team challenged our auditors to grow—adapting to Dutch standards and gaining a new perspective on international audit.

June 26, 2025

Post by Wilma Ivanisevic

What is it like to move from a component audit role to leading group audits for Dutch clients? And what new skills does this work develop? To find out, we spoke with members of Becky’s audit team in Belgrade. They work closely with Abin, a respected Dutch firm known for its commitment to quality and people-first culture. Together with Abin’s team in Noordwijk, they are driving more efficient and insightful audit processes. In this blog, we share what they had to say about the experience and how it has contributed to their professional growth.

Meet the People Behind the Audit

To understand the collaboration with Abin (https://www.abin.nl/), we first spoke with Nemanja, Stojanka, and Andrijana, experienced professionals whose work strengthens Abin’s Dutch team.

Nemanja

Nemanja is a finance professional with a degree in Business and Economics from the University of Belgrade. He built his career at Baker Tilly and KPMG, developing expertise in auditing and financial controlling. Today, he is deepening his knowledge of Dutch GAAP while working as an auditor for a Dutch company and expanding his international experience.

Stojanka

Stojanka entered the audit profession right after university. Three years at EY helped shape her career path and sparked a passion for data analysis and process automation. As a supervisor at KPMG, she further strengthened her leadership skills. Now working with Dutch companies, she continues to grow her international expertise.

Andrijana

With more than 17 years of experience in audit and finance, Andrijana now leads cross-border projects as an Audit Manager at Abin. She began her career in Belgrade, building a strong foundation in auditing, controlling, and consulting. In her work, she values technical precision, trust-building, and continuous learning, qualities that drive her passion for the profession.

Now that we know them a little better, let’s take a closer look at their experience working with Abin, both from a professional and personal perspective.

Adapting to Dutch Business Culture

Adjusting to a new business culture provided valuable lessons. The team described how they adapted to Dutch work practices.

One of the first differences they noticed was the work rhythm. Dutch teams operate with a high degree of clarity, structure, and directness. Meetings are brief and focused. Issues are addressed right away. While this level of transparency took some getting used to, the team has come to value it greatly.

Coming from a Serbian business culture, where communication can often be more formal and layered, they had to adapt their style. Over time, their communication became more concise. They learned to ask sharper questions and to give and receive feedback more naturally. These adjustments improved everything from audit reviews to daily planning.

The team also appreciates the Dutch respect for work-life boundaries. When the workday ends, it truly ends. This approach helped them rethink how they manage time and well-being. In previous roles, long hours were often seen as a sign of dedication. At Abin, they discovered a different mindset: work with focus during the day, then disconnect and recharge.

Far from reducing their commitment, this shift in culture has had the opposite effect. It has motivated them to stay disciplined, meet deadlines, and maintain both high performance and personal well-being.

Another Layer of Learning: Working with Group Auditors

The team’s roles have evolved significantly since joining Abin.

Before joining Abin, the team mostly worked as component auditors in Serbia, focusing on individual parts of larger group audits. While many Serbian companies operate within international corporate structures, providing valuable exposure to the full audit process and occasional opportunities to take the lead, it was less common for them to act as the group auditor responsible for overseeing an entire engagement.

At Abin, they began stepping into group auditor roles more frequently. This expanded their responsibilities to include leading overall audit strategy, aligning component teams, and ensuring high-quality, consistent reporting. The shift built on their prior expertise and enhanced their role as trusted advisors in complex, cross-border engagements.

Stepping into these roles gave them the opportunity to apply leadership, planning, and coordination skills on a broader scale. It also refined their professional approach and provided deeper insight into how large, international audits are structured and executed from start to finish.

Dutch GAAP and Data Tools: Adapting to New Systems

Adapting to Dutch GAAP proved to be a valuable addition to their prior experience. They spent significant time comparing it with IFRS and Serbian practice, learning both the subtle and more pronounced differences. This process built on their existing audit approach and helped them align fully with Abin’s standards, while further refining their way of working in a new environment.

Along the way, they were introduced to tools such as FDS. Thanks to their experience with a range of audit platforms in Serbia, adapting to new tools like FDS came naturally. While each system has its nuances, the core purpose remains the same: enhancing data analysis and audit efficiency. Their background enabled them to adopt new technology quickly and confidently, ensuring their work remained both effective and up to date.

Personal Growth in an International Team

The benefits of this experience extend far beyond technical skills. It has broadened their professional perspective and deepened their expertise. They have developed stronger communication skills, learned to give and receive feedback with confidence, and gained experience working effectively across cultures.

Partnering with the Dutch team has made them more structured, more efficient, and more mindful of work-life balance. While their journey began in Belgrade, their outlook now extends far beyond it. They remain proud of their roots while growing into a team that thinks and operates on an international level. As they say — they are just getting started.

Looking Ahead

As this team’s story shows, working in an international audit environment brings both professional growth and personal development. By stepping into group auditor roles, adapting to new standards, and collaborating across cultures, they are building valuable expertise and broadening their perspective.

At Becky, we focus on creating opportunities where talented professionals can learn and enjoy, while partnering with forward-thinking firms like Abin. For this team, the journey is just beginning, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.