Five minutes with Tracy Hickman

Tell us about yourself

I'm a director in the corporate advisory team at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway in New Zealand, helping business owners with governance, financial modelling and guidance around buying and selling businesses. Prior to joining Baker Tilly, I gained 20 years' commercial experience in the UK, Germany and New Zealand, working in a variety of industry sectors including healthcare and construction. Now my clients cover a similarly broad spectrum, including property, horticulture and engineering. I have a degree in Management and Accounting, Masters in Management, qualified through CIMA and am a fellow of CPA Australia and a member of the NZ Institute of Directors.

Outside of work, what keeps you busy?

I'm an avid endurance runner. I have completed over 30 marathons and ultra-marathons, including one in each of the seven continents, 250km in the Sahara Desert and 102km through mountains in New Zealand. Highlights have been running a marathon past penguins in Antarctica and running a marathon in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, and then summiting the mountain. I train most days running, swimming and with strength work, and my next big goal is a 50km run around Naseby in Central Otago, NZ, to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand.

So far in your career, what's been the biggest challenge you've had to overcome?

In 2019, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. In a matter of days, I had to pass my clients to my colleagues to look after, handover partly completed work and prepare myself for the months of treatment ahead. I have always taken a multi-partner approach with clients, so that made it much easier to transfer relationships. Once the core treatment was over, it took months to gradually return to work, juggling valuations, due diligence engagements and board meetings with the myriad of medical appointments and the long-term side effects of treatment such as hearing loss and fatigue.

Thirty years ago, I had a manager who told me to be more aggressive because nice guys come last.

What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Thirty years ago, I had a manager who told me to be more aggressive because nice guys come last. I immediately thought to myself, there must be a way to be successful and stay true to my values of being kind and caring, and that has been my purpose throughout my career. Achieving my goals has probably taken longer because of this, but it has given me opportunities to help colleagues and clients and feel good about the outcomes. So, it was maybe not the best advice, but one that inadvertently shaped my career.

What do you think the future of work looks like post-COVID?

In New Zealand, we have been fortunate that COVID has had a minimal impact upon our day-to-day life, and yet there have still been dramatic changes in the way that we work. Videoconferencing, flexible working hours and working from home have become more commonplace. There is a dichotomy in that we now have much greater flexibility and opportunity for balance, and yet also we are contactable 24/7, even more so than pre-COVID. Hopefully, the future outcome will be greater participation in the workforce by those with commitments to juggle, whether childcare, aged care or other, but also with balance.

What opportunities are there for your firm in the next few years?

At Baker Tilly Staples Rodway we have some fabulous young staff working their way up the ranks, so I look forward to seeing an even greater blend of skills and diversity around the board table in the next few years. Our business is changing, as technology allows us to make greater use of automation. Our focus is moving towards more value-added business lines such as advisory and consulting work. We are providing staff with opportunities to meet clients and build their referral networks from early in their career, so as they progress, we should see even stronger and long-lasting relationships.

Get to know us in five minutes

 

Hisham Sorour		Mari Muela