The current head of Grant Thornton Estonia’s business process solutions, Gaily Kuusik has crossed paths with the company several times, in two decades and three different jobs. As a young tax specialist at the start of this millennium, she came to work for the company soon after university, but she joined Grant Thornton again in 2021, now much more experienced, as the head of customer relations.
Gaily is from Ida-Viru County in the northeast – Lüganuse, to be specific. Her home school was Lüganuse Secondary School, very close to her home. After graduating from basic school, she headed to Kohtla-Järve for secondary education. For Gaily, it was like language immersion – because of the large ethnic non-Estonian population – and in hindsight she can only be pleased because proficiency in a foreign language is invaluable.
Gaily recalls that she picked taxation as her speciality at the university level because she had always felt comfortable in the world of numbers. Gaily was a member of the first graduating class in the newly established speciality at the Academy of Security Sciences. In studies at the diploma level, Gaily completed an internship and started her first job in the speciality at the Tax and Customs Board. “I was an enterprising and industrious young tax specialist. That experience gave me my first comprehensive knowledge of the field and the work and also convinced me that I wanted to be in this field in a slightly different capacity,” Gaily recalls, thinking back on that time. During her work at the Tax and Customs Board, she also entered the master’s degree programme in politics and governance at Tallinn University. Later she also studied at the University of Tartu Faculty of Law. “I realized that that law, taxes and legislation were all equally important in my work and I decided to go in a direction where I would be able to use all of my knowledge and skills in my work to an equal degree.”
That is how Gaily gravitated to the Taxpayers Association, where she was employed as a lawyer. Next she received an offer to work for Grant Thornton Baltic (then called Rimess OÜ) in tax services. She made a substantial contribution to achieving Grant Thornton’s professional goals in 2006-2008. After that, Gaily worked for Big4 and starting 1 September 2021 she is back in the Grant Thornton ranks – first as head of customer relations and later, from autumn 2022, head of business process solutions. “Indeed they made an offer for me to return. Over the years, the company had changed a lot and I sensed I had new enthusiasm for joining the team here. I still kept up with many of my former colleagues and good friends made during my first stint. In the interim, I had seen what was being done elsewhere so I had a good comparison point. When I left Grant Thornton the first time, I came away with good emotions and I wanted to come back. So I viewed the offer to return in a positive light. What I like about Grant Thornton, what is close to my heart, is that mid-level managers also have free rein and the right to decide how to advance their field in the company.”
In the last two years that Gaily has been back with Grant Thornton, leading her own team has been important for her. Today there are over 40 people on the accounting team.
“What became important for me again as I returned to Grant Thornton: in the past, the business area had had the same manager for more than 10 years. When the baton was passed to me, I felt it was important to maintain the same sense of being a team and develop it further. Today I am the head of accounting and during that time, about ten new people have joined our team. The last few years have been an exciting journey for both myself and my team. I have to admit that although I have worked as a project manager before, I haven’t been the head of a business area. So I’ve made an effort, studied up and gotten to know my team,” explains Gaily, noting that the position of department head has been a big challenge and a forward step. “A stable group has been a big help for getting everything to flow smoothly. Our team includes people with very disparate backgrounds, age and experience. The team has people with 30 years of experience and others who have just finished school, so it’s a diverse bunch and we all complement each other.”
When I ask Gaily what type of co-worker she can best get in sync with and reach the desired goals, she said that open communication and cooperation are always important for her and she expects the same values from her co-workers.
“Accounting is a demanding and stressful business area. We have deadlines breathing down our neck and that imposes restrictions on the work. I believe that cooperating with and considering each other are especially important in this regard, to overcome stressful situations more easily. Communication on the team and among ourselves are important for me. If there’s a problem, we look for solutions, because all problems can always be overcome if you just want it. I always learn from all situations, even the more complicated ones and I am able to evaluate them,” she adds.
Gaily considers communications with clients to be just as important as keeping a united team. “I believe that no matter what the work-related topics are, human contact should never be lost. If there’s a problem or proposal, you have to make a call or meet face to face with the client because open communication and offering good service always go hand in hand. I can tell you that we find it important to ask all of our clients for feedback at least once a year, map service and implement the necessary additions and innovations,” says Gaily of her everyday work.
Gaily prefers to come in to the office everyday but as to her colleagues, she says that naturally accounting can also be done at the home office. “We have flexible work arrangements. Our company’s offices are in Tallinn and Tartu. Our accountants are mainly in Tartu so I go there often to be there for the Tartu folks,” she adds.
And although Gaily says it’s a stressful field, it is also exciting. For her, numbers are what keep her in the profession. In addition, there were programs, professional work experience – everything has come together to create an atmosphere where every work day is different, you can put yourself to the test and grow. “There have been many opportunities in life. All of the directions and possibilities in my life have followed logical paths and I have chosen those paths. I have only gained experience and knowledge through the years, I just got my fill of dealing with tax topics, so I enjoy being where I am now,” she says, adding that flexibility and challenges are extremely important for her. She now tries to put these to work for the team.
What will the near future bring for Gaily? What does she look forward to and where does she want to go? “I hope that the next year will bring interesting management ideas and management techniques into my life. This autumn I started participating in the Grant Thornton network management programme, which lasts one year and where the world’s top specialists share their tips on leadership. I can say that I have taken that as my key for the year. Over the course of that management programme I want to become more inspiring for my team.”
In her working hours, Gaily focuses 100% on work and tries to clear her head of thoughts about work at other times. “My family is certainly my inspiration and energy source. I have two children and as a parent I devote considerable time to supporting my daughter in the Pirouette rhythmic gymnastics troupe Celladoria. My love of handicraft comes into play. I enjoy making my daughter’s gymnastics costumes, sewing and gluing sequins on them one at a time. One of those costumes can have 3000 to 10,000 gems on it! That helps clear your head from work thoughts and it’s the best kind of meditation – being in the moment. In mid-October, the girls came in first at a world cup children’s tournament in Italy.
Active movement and sports play an important part in her life. “We keep the team spirit high in our company with joint tennis practices and tournaments. Thanks to Grant Thornton, I discovered the allure of tennis and the first three months of tennis practice sessions are under my belt now. We also participated in a Grant Thornton team in a football tournament organized by Big4. It’s good to square off with competitors in the athletic field. It’s great that we were able to also field a women’s team – such a refreshing and pleasant way to build esprit de corps.” Gaily also enjoys hiking and being outdoors. “Being in the fresh air helps clear the mind of work-related thoughts – and generates new interesting ideas. I am also an active armchair sports fan. I also relish watching others compete and I also attend sports events.”
“Of course I like travelling too. I travel on my own for fun and attend professional conferences abroad. We have quite a few conferences in the Baltics, and so I take the opportunity to share experiences with Grant Thornton colleagues from other countries,” says Gaily for whom diversity is also important.
Gaily also enjoys cooking. “We have a very nice tradition of regular pancake breakfasts at the office. That lets us take time out, have conversations in a more informal vein and discuss non-work topics. Our office has a really pleasant terrace that we start enjoying come spring, when the first sunrays and warmth arrive, until the first winds of autumn. The view of the city and the zigzagging roofs all around are a source of inspiration,” Gaily is most happy with the cosy work environment and office. She sees Grant Thornton as providing plenty of professional challenges for the long term.
If you have similar challenges and questions, please contact our specialists.
