EP 02: What It’s Like to Work in Big 4 Financial Due Diligence | Breakfast with CAs

🎙️ Breakfast with Chartered Accountants – A podcast series uncovering real journeys, real careers, and real decisions behind the CA tag. In this episode, we sit down with CA Piyush Malani, who has over 3.5 years of experience in Financial Due Diligence (FDD) at a Big 4 firm. If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of M&A transactions, private equity deals, or large investments — this episode is your go-to. ✅ What you’ll learn in this podcast: • What Financial Due Diligence (FDD) actually means • Day-to-day work of a CA in the FDD domain • Tools, skills & mindset needed to succeed in FDD • Challenges of Big 4 deal advisory roles • Career growth, learning curve & exit opportunities Whether you’re a CA aspirant, fresher, or mid-level finance pro — this is your backstage pass to the high-stakes world of deal making. 💬 Drop your questions in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe ⸻ 🎧 New episodes every week: #BreakfastWithCharteredAccountants 🔖 Tags: #financialduediligence #dealadvisory #charteredaccountant #CAcareer #big4life #transactionservices #mergersandacquisitions #financejobs #fdd Time stamps 00:00 - Introduction 1:15 - CA journey and feeling 4:16 - Next steps after clearing CA 9:35 - Interview journey and tips 14:00 - FDD specific interview tips 18:34 - Why FDD? 21:25 - What is Financial Due Diligence 25:18 - Hierarchy, Promotions, Pay scale 27:29 - Exit opportunities 29:30 - Pros and cons, typical day in FDD 32:50 - Pre-requisite’s before joining FDD 34:40 - Myths about FDD 36:07 - Conclusion