Profile: Steffen Grosse

Position:  Financial Reporting Accountant

It's now three and a half years since I joined the BIS. My previous position was with the Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt, which I really enjoyed - but I was looking for a change. I spent seven years there in total: the first three studying for my Business Administration degree, and the latter four focusing full-time on my career.

I was familiar with the BIS before I joined, due to its involvement with the central banks. When I accepted the position, I visited Basel for a weekend to find an apartment, and then I moved a month later - my wife joined me six months down the line after finishing her studies. The move to Basel was really simple, though very interesting as it's a different country, and the BIS was very helpful in getting things organised.

In my position, I focus on financial reporting, the process that generates the Bank's financial statements on a daily, monthly and annual basis. It's fascinating to see just how much global interest there is in my work: we get reporters from newspapers in Germany or India or Brazil asking lots of questions.

What really sets the BIS apart is its relative lack of hierarchy. You often get to see top management in the staff restaurant or in the corridors or at the Christmas party - you know them and they know you. I invest quite a bit of time in my work as it's so interesting, but there's always a clear end to it! After work, you can do many, many things - there's always something going on at the Sports Club, and many of us enjoy meeting one another there after work. Basel has an amazing location, too - you can easily go to the mountains or the lakes, or visit Italy, France and Germany.

Right now, I'm involved in a project to automate reporting. This is a major initiative that aims to reduce the possibility of error by eliminating manual data input. I believe it's going to make a huge difference to the way the BIS works.