By Nathaniel Luce
Charlotte Nicholson (MAcc ’10) is no stranger to the hockey rink. As a six-year member of the U.S. women’s national in-line hockey team, she earned three golds, two silvers, and a bronze. After graduating from Duke with a BS in Economics and Biological Anthropology & Anatomy, she earned her MAcc degree from Vanderbilt and went to work for KPMG in their Audit division, but she never left her love for the game behind.
Now a manager in KPMG’s advisory group, Nicholson is taking a 3-month sabbatical to lace-up for the Rubí Spartans (Barcelona) of the Spanish Elite league. She talked with Vanderbilt about her decision, her career, and post-sabbatical plans.
What fueled your return to the rink? Why Barcelona?
When I was younger, I used to be what the hockey community calls a “rink rat.” I was at the hockey rink all day – playing, working, watching, socializing, eating, you name it. I continued playing throughout high school and college, but as I got older it became increasingly more difficult to play due to work schedules, limited numbers of rinks or leagues, and personal commitments. Over the years, a couple of European teams asked me if I could play for them for a season. I always dreamed of doing it, but I never considered it a real possibility because of my job. Last year, I considered the possibility again – I wasn’t getting any younger, and the chances of this opportunity popping up in the future were diminishing. I knew KPMG had a sabbatical program, so I did some research and made the decision to try to take advantage of the opportunity to play hockey overseas. There are only a handful of countries with strong women’s inline hockey leagues – Spain and France are two of the best. Since I speak Spanish at a conversational level, Spain made sense, and Barcelona is a city I’ve always wanted to get to know better.
How did KPMG react when you explained the reason for your sabbatical? Is it safe to say this is an unusual sabbatical request for KPMG?
My group leaders were really encouraging and positive when I discussed the opportunity with them. It wasn’t the easiest conversation to prepare for, but the end result was really outstanding, and I’m really grateful to have been able to take advantage of this opportunity with the support of my group. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect this was an unusual sabbatical request for KPMG!
Charlotte Nicholson (standing, far right) poses with the Rubí Spartans
Seven years out from your graduation, which hard and soft skills learned in the MAcc program do you continue to employ in your career?
Since graduating from the MAcc program, I spent a few years in Audit before switching to Advisory (Regulatory Risk – Capital Markets). The skills I learned in the MAcc program have really proven to be invaluable. The soft skills, including communication, emotional intelligence, and working as part of a team stand out as being some of the most crucial. No matter how much you know and how technically savvy you are, it’s very difficult to be successful if you can’t communicate effectively, build a rapport with clients and colleagues, and understand what you bring to and how to work in a team environment. I use these skills every second of every day and constantly strive to improve on them.
What are some memorable projects and/or teams you’ve worked on during your career?
One of my most memorable projects during my time in Audit was working on the audit for the Major League Baseball Players’ Choice Awards. As part of the audit, my team got the opportunity to personally interact with MLB players as we handed out and collected ballots during a Mets baseball game.
Another project I really enjoyed during my time in Advisory was an efficiency study of a major US securities industry regulator. We are typically engaged by individual capital markets participants (usually investment banks) to perform the majority of our projects, so it was very unique to see the inner workings of and to identify opportunities for increased efficiencies within a securities industry regulator instead.
What really makes projects great, however, are the people you work with, and I am happy to have been a part of some great teams during my career.
Post-sabbatical, what’s next for you in your accounting and hockey careers?
Post-sabbatical, I hope to continue to be a part of some of the exciting projects my group is currently working on. I hope to continue to expand my experience, knowledge, and skill set to be a successful part of my group at KPMG. As far as hockey goes, I’ve been selected to represent Team USA in the 2017 World Roller Games in Nanjing, China, this September, so I will be busy focusing on doing what I can to help my team bring home the gold!
Contact Person: Nate Luce Director of Business News and Communications
Contact Phone: 615.322.3469
Contact Email: nate.luce@owen.vanderbilt.edu
