Helping clients invest in a sustainable future seems worlds apart from KPMG Director Remy Crick’s architectural studies. But the skills required for both are more similar than you might think.
From childcare to finance to sustainability, UNSW alumna Remy Crick’s career is anything but linear. But her path to date was no accident. Behind it is a carefully constructed blend of diverse learning opportunities.
“I’m the type of person who will always say yes to an opportunity, even if I can’t see how it’s going to be useful right now,” Remy said.
It’s how she began her learning journey at UNSW Sydney, seizing the opportunity to participate in a Nura Gili Indigenous pathway program while still in high school.
“I was lucky to take part in the program where we could try out a different field of study every year. I was welcomed into the tertiary space here, so it was a no-brainer for me to study at UNSW.”
Embracing a forward-thinking mindset, Remy believes that learning new skills today can serve as a compass to navigate her future career. And much of this learning is driven by passion.
“I grew up on the south coast of New South Wales, surrounded by nature. And as a Worami woman, caring for Country and having minimal impact on the environment is something I’ve always been passionate about.”
That lifelong interest led Remy to complete a Bachelor of Architectural Studies and a Master of Architecture at UNSW.
“Architecture is all about creating spaces that are at one with the natural landscape but also create a fantastic visual and aesthetic experience for the user.”
While being significant milestones, Remy’s architectural studies didn’t define her subsequent career. It’s the transferable skills she’s picked up along the way that kept her at the forefront of her industry.
For Remy, formal studies were just the beginning – and a framework for continuous learning.
Supporting her mum’s childcare centre for most of her life, she developed a curiosity for business and entrepreneurship.
“For my electives as part of my degrees, I’d do something a bit left field from architecture like commerce-related electives.”
That included marketing, Mandarin language studies and new product and service development courses. These experiences shaped Remy’s customer centric mindset that she’s since drawn on in her various roles.
Her strategic business thinking skills also became useful when she started an e-commerce licensed beverage company, Axel Vodka, while studying. Though her business didn’t thrive as hoped, it helped her exercise entrepreneurship skills and learn by doing.
“I think it’s all transferable skills. Yes, you’re going to fail. And no, it’s not embarrassing because you’ve given it a go and learnt things along the way.”
Beyond her degrees and practical experiences, Remy continuously looks for opportunities to build valuable skills. Among them are two AGSM @ UNSW Business School courses – a Certificate of Executive Management and Development and Angel Investors Program.
“The certificate taught me how to apply an Indigenous mindset to a Western business world and I learnt useful venture capital principles through Angel Investors.”
Remy walked away from the course with skills she’s applied in several roles since. From helping establish , a fund backing businesses with high Indigenous impact, to starting , a not-for-profit promoting the economic development of First Nations youth, these skills keep on giving.
Still, she says degrees still have their place in launching and contributing to a successful career.
“A formal degree shows perseverance. You’ve committed two, three or five years of your life to a particular discipline and shown up consistently. These are positive attributes that are transferable to a professional career.”
Remy also credits her architectural studies for her ability to redefine a sustainable home and improve lending practices in her first graduate role in home loan products at a large Australian bank. This unique skillset opened the door to her current role as a Director at KPMG, supporting clients as they respond to the growing demands of environmental, sustainability and governance needs.
While technical skills from a degree can kickstart a career, it’s the soft skills developed through diverse experiences that accelerate it.
In its Future of Jobs Report 2025, the World Economic Forum says that “creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility, along with curiosity and lifelong learning, are also expected to continue to rise in importance over the 2025-2030 period.”
And Remy agrees. She believes resilience is the number one soft skill for any professional, and it has helped her succeed in many roles throughout her career.
“Persevere even if you don’t understand instantly. You might not be an expert on day one and that’s okay, work and better educate yourself to move forward.”
Remy emphasises that curiosity for knowledge and creative problem-solving are also crucial employable skills for any job or industry. With constant change, she sees this play out daily in her role at KPMG as clients require innovative solutions to their impact-related challenges.
“Sustainability is about how to preserve what we have today for the future. It’s also important to adapt and have the foresight to seek more learning to move with your industry.”
Students and job seekers aren’t the only ones who need to view formal education as simply a piece of the learning puzzle. Employers must look beyond the traditional recruitment criteria and focus on the transferable skills candidates bring to the table.
“There are technical skills they need, and in some cases, that can be learned on the job. Sometimes they need to be attained through a formal qualification.”
Speaking on the Shaping the Future of Skills panel (view video above) at the UNSW Employability Summit in March, Remy encouraged employers to adopt a broader mindset about the people they hire.
“If you go after the same type of candidate, you’ll get the same outcomes. Look beyond narrow skills and education to attract creative talent – people who think differently.”
In a world that is constantly evolving, organisations need to tap into different skillsets and build diverse teams to cater to clients’ changing needs. Employers can identify attributes like curiosity, adaptability and resilience during the hiring process, and work to nurture them over time for long-term success.
Find out more about UNSW Employability’s upcoming courses.
This article was brought to you by UNSW Employability.