Alumni Spotlight: Chris Riggin MPAc 19

What's it like working at a Big Four firm? A tax consultant at Deloitte, alumnus Chris Riggin MPAc 19 shares how internal collaboration at Deloitte makes it possible to meet the client challenges of keeping up with accounting rules and regulations in multiple states and countries. And, a few words of wisdom for future MPAc students.

What does being a collaborative leader mean to you?

Working together and working together for a purpose, not just working together to get something done but to actually accomplish it. And I think those are two different things.

How do you collaborate at work to make an impact?

I don't just collaborate with my leaders in my office. So, I'm actually on a project with a manager in Phoenix office, as well as a manager in our Pennsylvania office, where I'm working on reverse audit. Having that collaboration between us in the different offices allows us to utilize everybody that we have to the best potential that they are.

What are your biggest challenges in your industry?

The challenges that we face are with a company that maybe does business in 35 different states. And those 35 different states all have different rules and regulations and so we have to make sure that we're able to understand each state, translate that information to the client and find the right information needed for that.

What are the highlights of your career the last few years?

It's been great communication and that's definitely a highlight to me because I think communication is the biggest factor in anything you do. Being able to ask them questions and be able to get positive or negative feedback on how something should be done.

Which professor/class had the biggest impact on you?

The number one answer will always be Professor Will. I mean, his audit class and his tax classes and the collaboration you do in those classes and the group presentations that you do are phenomenal. They're just the funnest thing you can do.

What are you seeing that future UC Davis MPAc graduates should be aware of as they start their careers?

Make sure that you take time for your well being and enjoy the ride that you're on. You're gonna make great friends with the people in this program. You're definitely going to develop lifelong friends too. 

Don't miss out on enjoying that time while you're here because you're so focused on all of the school stuff you have to do. The school stuff is important, you need to do it. But connecting with your peers and your cohort is just as important.