Mazars IT director Branden Patience supports the audit, tax and advisory firm’s managing partners through efficiencies created in the company’s digital transformation initiatives.

A significant amount of his time is spent on improving the security posture of the Mazars’ IT infrastructure across 11 countries.

TechCentral asked Patience a few questions for the publication’s IT Leadership Series.

What does your company do?

Mazars is a leading international audit, tax and advisory firm. Operating as a united partnership, we work as one integrated team, leveraging our expertise to deliver tailored services in audit and accounting, as well as tax, financial advisory, consulting and legal services.

What do you see as the IT leader’s top priorities in 2023?

Securing the business
Building resilient teams
Improving the flow of work throughout the organisation

What do you most admire in business and why?

The opportunities given to people to excel in their careers and leadership genuinely cares about the well-being of all employees.

How do you attract and retain talent?

We have great career opportunities –to travel and work internationally. We offer continuous learning and hybrid working to maintain a work-life balance.

If you could go back and give your 18-year old self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Purchase property immediately, not focus on other material things that do not appreciate in value.

What’s your favourite productivity hack?

I have various scripts readily available to extract data from various systems. These days I have Power BI reports that connect to almost any service, which helps me to make data-driven decisions.

What occupation (other than your own) would you like to try?

Property developer.

Where do you see the technology industry heading in the next three to five years?

More processes will be automated with little on-premises infrastructure. Senior IT people will work closer with the business and become the broker of IT services, as opposed to managing the IT operations landscape.