Favorite Parts Of Being In Internal Audit At Compass Diversified
Macartan enjoys the inherent curiosity required in their Internal Audit role at Compass Diversified, finding it fascinating to "interact with these decision makers" from diverse backgrounds and learn about their companies' histories and growth, even visiting a baseball bat manufacturer and speaking with a former major league pitcher. The team-oriented approach, where experience levels dictate task assignments but collaboration is always prioritized, is also a highly valued aspect of their work.
Business Acumen, Communication Skills, Teamwork, Problem-Solving, Curiosity
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Macartan McElroy
Internal Audit
Compass Diversified
Villanove University
N/A
Accounting
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Video Highlights
1. Macartan's curiosity and interest in how businesses operate, leading him to interact with company founders and other key decision-makers to understand their business journeys and growth strategies.
2. The collaborative team environment and the opportunity to work with people at different levels, sharing insights and experiences across various processes.
3. The opportunity to work on high-risk areas and utilize his experience to guide and mentor others, while also gaining new insights from diverse company contexts, such as a baseball bat manufacturer
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your current role?
I think part of it is that I'm naturally curious. I have an interest in business and how it works, and I love the interactions with the people at the businesses. I enjoy trying to figure out how their businesses got started.
As I mentioned before, we are a publicly held company and we invest in businesses. Right now, we have 10 businesses, but we also buy a number of add-on companies to support and grow them. My job is to interact with these decision-makers, who are sometimes the founders.
When you generally ask for a little background about their company, people are usually excited to share what it was like in the early days, what they envisioned for the business, and how it evolved. This keeps things interesting, especially when they have bigger moments. I always like to ask, "What were you thinking then?" or "How did you make that decision?" or "How did you pivot that way?"
Because I'm naturally curious, I like hearing people from different backgrounds and experiences explain things. I was at a company that owned a baseball bat manufacturer, and the owner was a former major league pitcher.
I was fascinated by how he grew that business and all the businesses we acquired to support it. I enjoyed having that rapport with different people. I was just as excited talking to people on the production side, those who molded the wood into baseball bats, and learning why their bats were special.
Another thing I like about my current role is that you are always on a team. Even though I work individually, I have people above and below me, and we always take a team approach. We are assigned different processes. Because of my experience level, I handle the higher-risk areas, and with newer entities, I can leverage my past experience.
With my communication skills, I usually go in first to figure out how things are set up. We always have a team approach and work together. If I get ahead of schedule, I can help others. If they have time, I can share insights and experiences into processes they may not have background in. That's the other thing I like about it.
Advizer Personal Links
linkedin.com/in/mac-mcelroy