Meet alumni Stefan Christiansen

By Christian Uhre Di Gregorio, gregorio@sam.sdu.dk, 10/22/2024

Stefan Christiansen 
Education: Graduate Diploma in Accounting and Financial Management, 2017 
Position: Chief controller, Schou & Partners A/S 

Stefan Christiansen is currently employed as the chief controller at Schou & Partners A/S, Odense, where he engages in various aspects of asset management. With degree in business and financial controlling, he is adept at managing both commercial and financial administration tasks. 
 
Role in the industry 
​In his work, Stefan helps establish new investment funds that invite private investors to invest in property in both the Danish and European markets. When it comes to negotiations with clients and investors, Stefan Christiansen always sits at the end of the negotiating table. He regularly interacts with potential buyers, sellers, brokers and tenants, so his day-to-day work often involves communicating with various parties who have very different needs. It’s also his job to keep track of foreign legislation and tax rules, as well as draft legal documents and prepare budgets. 

Choice of education programme 
​When Stefan Christiansen decided to expand his skillset with more professional competences in 2015, he faced a big decision. At the time, Stefan was working in Copenhagen and had a girlfriend and a newborn baby. Having to balance studies with a full-time job and family responsibilities suddenly became a significant demand on his time. When it came to choosing a programme, he had several options. He ultimately chose to apply to the University of Southern Denmark in Kolding. His reason for choosing to study accounting and financial management in Kolding was that the courses took place on Saturdays. The other campuses required attendance twice a week, but the flexibility of the programme in Kolding meant that Stefan could put in more hours every day at his job in Copenhagen. 

Although the journey across the bridges was long, he had two hours each way on the train to read and study, so the extra time he had was used productively. His employer saw great value in Stefan being able to add more professional competences to his work, so they didn’t mind that Stefan sometimes had to leave early on Fridays to study for the next day. 

‘I’ve been lucky to have flexibility in my job. I’ve been able to organise my own schedule in terms of when each task at work should be completed. There might be a period leading up to an exam where I’ve worked 30 hours, but then I’ve worked 50 hours in the period afterwards,’ he says. 

The importance of studying a programme 
​When Stefan chose to further his studies at the University of Southern Denmark, his aim was to connect theoretical knowledge with his existing practice experience. During the two years he spent studying, he gained a lot of academic knowledge about tax and accounting that gave him an even deeper understanding of the field he is interested in. The Graduate Diploma Accounting and Financial Management programme is designed to give students the tools to solve complex financial problems. Additionally, the programme prepares students for leadership positions in various professions. Stefan also profited from this, as after completing the programme he was made chief controller with several administrative roles. 

The future of the area 
​As technology advances, so do accounting and tax calculations. Stefan thinks that AI will become more integrated into the financial sector in the future. Therefore, he believes it’s important to critically evaluate the numbers generated by an accounting programme. AI is already being used to some extent in accounting work. This provides new opportunities but also the need for quality assurance. It will therefore be essential to use one’s analytical skills to reconcile figures and be able to sniff out errors. In other words, you’re just as involved in preparing accounts and reports, but in a new way.