Not all paths to a full-time career are smooth.

Business graduate Souria (Sara) Marano and her family came to Australia via Lebanon after war broke out in Syria in 2011. She had recently completed her university studies, earning a degree in business management. 

Unfortunately, once she arrived in Australia she was unable to access her university transcript due to the war and without it, she needed to start over. 

"I enrolled in TAFE first, completing a diploma in accounting," Sara explains. "This then enabled me to get into a Bachelor of Commerce at the Australian Catholic University."

A love for auditing

During her studies, Sara says she realised accounting wasn't the path she wanted to take and during an internship with Macquarie Bank she discovered a love for auditing.

"Auditing gives you a chance to learn so much about different parts of the business," she says. "It's also about identifying opportunities to improve, which I really enjoy." 

Sara joined Ventia's Graduate Program in 2022 and has completed two rotations so far. Her first, in the commercial team in our Defence business, was under the guidance of GM Richard Kennedy. Her second was in the Telecommunications Finance team, under the guidance of CFO Alex Cockerton.

Alex made sure I had the opportunity to learn about the wider Ventia business by working across the other three sectors, even though I was assigned to Telco.

"I learned more about budget forecasting and journal entries, among other practical tasks," Sara says. 

Sydney Airport Rail Link contract

One of the projects Sara spent time with was the Sydney Airport Rail Link. As a small contract, Sara says she found it easier to get to know the whole team, and she also learned about the intricacies of facility maintenance in a rail environment.

_{Pictured: Sara Morano (R) and General Manager Internal Audit, Nomusa Ngwenya (L)}

Sara's current rotation is in Ventia's Legal team, working with General Manager Nomusa Ngwenya. She anticipates this will give her the opportunity to audit different contracts and group functions. Her final six-month rotation will be with the Risk team under Prue Fellowes, Performance & Risk Review Manager.  

Sara believes her natural curiosity should position her well for her chosen career path, as asking questions is a key part of the audit process. 

"I am also passionate about data," Sara says.

I am studying a Master of Data Science over the next two years whilst I complete my graduate rotation.

'Hopefully my studies along with the practical experience I gain in this graduate program with Ventia will lead to a successful career in auditing,' she says.

Sara's passion and dedication to learning is bound to take her far, and we're proud to have her as part of our Graduate Program.

To find out more about how you can apply to be a Ventia Graduate, visit our website.