Meet Karen
Karen is a dedicated Client Service Coordinator at Inspire, where she plays a vital role in supporting the accounting team. Her daily tasks include organising emails, responding to client requests for essential documents like tax forms and bank statements, managing client files by saving them in the appropriate Google Drive folders, and onboarding new clients by welcoming them and adding them to various portals. Karen’s behind-the-scenes efforts ensure that the accountants can focus on their core responsibilities, helping the entire team run smoothly.
Outside of Inspire
When she’s not at work, Karen loves spending time in nature, enjoying the mountains and beaches to relax and recharge. She is also a long-time member of a musical group in her hometown, showcasing her talent in playing several instruments, including the double bass, guitar, and a unique 14-stringed Filipino instrument called the banduria. Music has been a passion of hers since elementary school.
How did you get interested in client services?
Karen is drawn to client services and the administrative side of the business because she finds great fulfillment in helping others, particularly the accountants on her team. She takes pride in organising emails, directing them to the right people, and generally making the accountants’ jobs easier. While some may view these tasks as simple, Karen understands the value they bring in allowing the accountants to concentrate on their core client work. She sees this role as an opportunity for personal growth and development.
Three Things You Love About Inspire
- Incredible Support: Karen appreciates the warmth and kindness of her colleagues. She especially enjoys the weekly team meetings and the “thank you circle,” where everyone expresses appreciation for one another.
- Positive Environment: Karen loves being surrounded by cheerful and outgoing colleagues, like Tay, who contribute to a positive and uplifting workplace.
- Continuous Learning: Karen feels that the team’s patience, kindness, and willingness to help create an environment where she can continuously learn and develop her skills.
What Karen Has Learned At Inspire
Despite coming from a business administration background without specific accounting knowledge, Karen has gained valuable insights into the accounting and tax processes in Australia through her work at Inspire. This experience has provided her with a deeper understanding of the behind-the-scenes efforts that go into tax preparation and filing.
Fun Fact About Karen
Unlike many who rely on coffee for an energy boost, Karen finds that coffee has the opposite effect on her—it makes her feel more sleepy rather than alert.
Book/Podcast Recommendations
The Lolo and the Child
Karen also recommends the Filipino film “The Lola and the Kid” on Netflix. This story explores the relationship between a grandfather figure and an adopted child, highlighting meaningful lessons about family, sacrifice, and overcoming challenges.
Which Sustainable Development Goals Do You Choose and Why?
Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Reducing Inequalities resonate strongly with Karen. She chose these interconnected goals because they closely align with the challenges she observed, particularly as a recent university graduate.
Karen believes that quality education is foundational for personal and professional growth. However, she has witnessed the barriers that gender inequality can create within the education system. Passionate about fostering acceptance and inclusion, she advocates for the LGBTQ community, who often face discrimination.
Beyond education, Karen feels that addressing broader societal inequalities is crucial. She envisions a more respectful, open, and communicative society where everyone, regardless of gender identity or orientation, has equal access to opportunities and can participate fully.
