For Northern Districts cricket player Jeet Raval, flexibility is not just a nice-to-have - it’s essential. The professional sportsman currently spends the winter months working as an accountant at BDO Tauranga - before the summer cricket season starts up and he becomes a full-time athlete.
We spoke to Jeet about his passion for cricket, his unique journey into accounting, and why he loves his work at BDO Tauranga.
“My BDO journey has taken many twists and turns! It started back in 2013 when I was playing cricket full-time for Auckland. The season was ending, and I was gearing up to head to England to play over the British summer. But in my last Auckland match, I suffered an ACL injury which meant I couldn’t go.
My coach at the time, Kit Perera, suggested I look for a job to keep myself busy over the winter – I already had a Bachelor of Commerce, so it seemed natural to look in that direction. Kit introduced me to Robert Foster, Advisory Partner at BDO Takapuna, and after discussing my passion for cricket and interest in how I could complement this with another role, I was brought on at BDO Auckland as a graduate. I spent three winters there, learning from the team and growing my accounting career, and really appreciated the value Robert and the team saw in my dual career – they supported my cricket and provided flexibility to let me have the best of both worlds.
In 2016 I was selected for the Black Caps. With that came winter tours and a full-year cricket contract, so I put my accounting career on hold – although I kept up with my Chartered Accountant exams! In 2020, I came out of the New Zealand team and signed to the Northern Districts in the domestic league.
My wife and I moved to Tauranga and as the season was about to start, I attended a Bay of Plenty Cricket golf day – where lo and behold, BDO Tauranga had entered a team. I introduced myself to Fraser Lellman, Advisory Partner, who also happened to be involved in the cricket world and was connected with Robert at BDO Takapuna. The stars aligned and I joined BDO Tauranga in 2021 for another winter of accounting!”
I believe this flexibility helps me to be more productive and focused. During the cricket season, I can play more freely and for the love of the game, as I know I have the stability of my work at BDO to come back to. When the cricket season’s over, I come back refreshed and focused to channel all my energy and efforts into accounting.”
How does BDO’s approach to flexibility make you feel?
“I feel valued and appreciated, both as an accountant and a cricketer. BDO Tauranga’s trust and support inspire me to perform at my best – my work here gives me stability and I feel appreciated for my contributions.
Cricket has given me so many transferrable skills – including resilience, perseverance and teamwork – and these have helped me to develop in my role at BDO. I’m now a Business Advisory Services team leader and I’ve really enjoyed progressing my accounting career while continuing with cricket.
I think everyone should feel empowered and supported to pursue hobbies and interests outside of their day jobs. Having a passion outside your work life allows you to enjoy your work more. It doesn’t have to be a professional sport!”
At BDO, I’m my best when… I have the backing of my team and the flexibility to give things my all, inside and outside of work.
We spoke to Jeet about his passion for cricket, his unique journey into accounting, and why he loves his work at BDO Tauranga.
Tell us about your BDO journey.
“My BDO journey has taken many twists and turns! It started back in 2013 when I was playing cricket full-time for Auckland. The season was ending, and I was gearing up to head to England to play over the British summer. But in my last Auckland match, I suffered an ACL injury which meant I couldn’t go.
My coach at the time, Kit Perera, suggested I look for a job to keep myself busy over the winter – I already had a Bachelor of Commerce, so it seemed natural to look in that direction. Kit introduced me to Robert Foster, Advisory Partner at BDO Takapuna, and after discussing my passion for cricket and interest in how I could complement this with another role, I was brought on at BDO Auckland as a graduate. I spent three winters there, learning from the team and growing my accounting career, and really appreciated the value Robert and the team saw in my dual career – they supported my cricket and provided flexibility to let me have the best of both worlds.
In 2016 I was selected for the Black Caps. With that came winter tours and a full-year cricket contract, so I put my accounting career on hold – although I kept up with my Chartered Accountant exams! In 2020, I came out of the New Zealand team and signed to the Northern Districts in the domestic league.
My wife and I moved to Tauranga and as the season was about to start, I attended a Bay of Plenty Cricket golf day – where lo and behold, BDO Tauranga had entered a team. I introduced myself to Fraser Lellman, Advisory Partner, who also happened to be involved in the cricket world and was connected with Robert at BDO Takapuna. The stars aligned and I joined BDO Tauranga in 2021 for another winter of accounting!”
How does BDO support you to be flexible?
“It goes without saying that flexibility is essential to help balance my cricket career with my corporate work. I feel incredibly fortunate that BDO Tauranga supports my sport and has allowed me to structure my two jobs the way I do. Outside of the cricket season, I work full-time in the Business Advisory Services team – then when the Northern Districts season starts up, I switch to being a full-time cricket player for the summer.I believe this flexibility helps me to be more productive and focused. During the cricket season, I can play more freely and for the love of the game, as I know I have the stability of my work at BDO to come back to. When the cricket season’s over, I come back refreshed and focused to channel all my energy and efforts into accounting.”
How does BDO’s approach to flexibility make you feel?
“I feel valued and appreciated, both as an accountant and a cricketer. BDO Tauranga’s trust and support inspire me to perform at my best – my work here gives me stability and I feel appreciated for my contributions.
Cricket has given me so many transferrable skills – including resilience, perseverance and teamwork – and these have helped me to develop in my role at BDO. I’m now a Business Advisory Services team leader and I’ve really enjoyed progressing my accounting career while continuing with cricket.
I think everyone should feel empowered and supported to pursue hobbies and interests outside of their day jobs. Having a passion outside your work life allows you to enjoy your work more. It doesn’t have to be a professional sport!”
At BDO, I’m my best when… I have the backing of my team and the flexibility to give things my all, inside and outside of work.