HARRIET MCKENZIE

SENIOR CONSULTANT
Accounting, Finance & Banking
Harriet is an experienced Senior Consultant in the Accounting & Finance team bringing with her 5 years recruitment experience across Wellington and London. Quickly growing in her recruitment career, Harriet focuses on permanent, fixed term and contract placements specialising across both private and public sectors. She is a solution-driven and motivated professional with a strong background in recruitment, business development, and organisational change. Harriet has built a reputation for exceeding expectations while taking a consultative and people-focused approach. She has successfully managed relationships with over 40 organisations and 200+ hiring managers, closed complex deals, and mentored junior consultants, consistently achieving results and earning recognition for her performance.  

Prior to her career in recruitment, Harriet gained extensive experience in organisational development and logistics in New York, where she led cultural change initiatives across North America, designed employee wellbeing strategies, and implemented system improvements that enhanced efficiency and strengthened global relationships. With postgraduate qualifications in Commerce and a Bachelor of Agribusiness and Food Marketing, she combines strong analytical and commercial skills with high emotional intelligence, excellent communication, and an inclusive leadership style. She thrives in dynamic, people-focused environments where she can create value through innovation, collaboration, and long-term relationship building. 

FAQ's

What are the current trends in the Accounting & Finance world in Wellington? 

Growth of automation, AI & system upgrades 
  • More accounting functions are being automated specifically around transaction processing.
  • Cloud accounting is increasingly standard and most core accounting roles expect a basic level of systems knowledge specific to that organisation 
 
Shift toward advisory & strategic finance roles 
  • As automation removes more of the repetitive work, accountants are being expected to deliver higher-value services: financial planning, strategic advice, business modelling, insight reporting 
  • Given the shift in tools and expectations (analytics, advisory, AI, forecasting), there is increasing demand for accounting / finance professionals to upgrade their skills.  
 
Skills shortages, talent competition & cost pressures 
  • A shortage of accounting / finance professionals with specific experience in NZ, especially with local compliance / regulatory and public sector-knowledge.  
  • Employers are increasingly risk adverse seeking out candidates who have a like for like match in skillset 
  • With economic uncertainty (interest rates, global trade shocks etc), businesses are paying more attention to cash flow, credit control, cost control. 
 
Public sector / government budget constraints 
  • In Wellington, many roles are linked to the public sector. With tighter government budgets, focused on cost savings, efficiency, and reduced expenditure. This means many government agencies are under pressure to “do more with less.” 
  • Recruitment freezes, restructuring, and a closer eye on contract extensions are common. 
 
What are your key recommendations when writing a CV? 
  • Keep it concise and use a clear layout that highlights your most recent experience.  
  • Your CV should highlight your most relevant experience to the job you are applying for and give the reader a flavour for the results your delivered through quantifiable measures.  
  • Any tools and skills are really important to list as they can highlight your suitability for a role or organisation.  
  • Using active verbs such as “Delivered”, “Prepared” or “Managed” also create a punchy list of responsibilities.  
  • Keep it professional and remove any jargon or industry slang.  
  • Do not make any spelling mistakes!!