LaRia Cornwell is an accountant who likes to help colleagues achieve their career goals as much as she enjoys balancing the books. This is the third in a series of stories where we spotlight employees who have been nominated by their co-workers as role models in how to shape living for the better
A Financial Accounting and Reporting Accountant for Electrolux Professional in North America, she has worked at Electrolux since 2015. Her passion for the job is well-known in the Charlotte, North Carolina office.
“LaRia’s commitment to the company is beyond anything I have seen. Her desire to help her teammates and willingness to go above and beyond make her stand out,” said one colleague in nominating her as a purpose ambassador.
What does shape living for the better mean to you?
It simply means that when I walk through the door each morning, I am focused on providing the best service for my business partners as well as my colleagues. This could mean aiding colleagues with questions, streamlining processes or being a resource for projects.
Why are you passionate about your role?
Outside of the numbers, my favorite part of the job is being able to work with different departments within Electrolux. I get to talk to and work with people in so many different areas including our Tax, Treasury and internal audit teams as well as our Professional team both locally and in Italy.
My main goal is to learn something from every person that I come into contact with. In learning from them, I hope that I am able to offer some type of learning to them as well. Helping colleagues do their jobs better, figure out their career goals and even get better organized is exciting for me.
What do you think it takes to succeed at Electrolux?
Accept that you are the true driver of your success. At Electrolux, you need to learn as much as you can about what we do here and how we do it. Being well versed in the business also means being curious about the happenings in your sector and the overall company goals.
To grow professionally, you have to be flexible with different projects and enjoy being pulled in different directions. And you also have to be curious and inquisitive. If you want to get involved in supply chain, for instance, you have to ask: What skills do I need to work toward that goal? How do I position myself so I am qualified?
What has been your biggest success?
Most recently, the big event has been being a key member of a team that piloted a cloud-based tool for accounting processes. I hope to get it spread globally as it saves time.
I also enjoy hearing when a colleague has set or changed their professional goals because of advice I have given them. One of my colleagues told me he took inspiration from my five-year goals and was now working on his own.
Can you explain what an accountant in your role does?
I perform month-end close responsibilities and financial reporting, as well as quarterly and annual forecast reporting. In addition, I provide frequent and timely support to business partners throughout the organization. Along with variance analysis, I prepare financial statements and presentations.
I am responsible for the technical implementation of accounting guidelines in conjunction with financial reporting. Finally, I ensure the effective administration and integrity of the General Ledger and standardize and streamline process efficiencies.
