I’m head of finance for Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water sector in England and Wales. I report to the finance director and we manage a team of seven finance staff. The team runs the corporate processes, including month-end, year-end, purchase and sales ledgers, payroll and expenses, budget setting, plus completion of data returns for the Treasury and HMRC.
Each day gives me a different challenge, which I find really motivating. Dealing with a variety of stakeholders from across the business means I have to flex my approach and style. I might go from being in a finance team meeting discussing how we can improve processes, to answering queries from the CEO, and then into a meeting with our external auditors.
Covid-19 has obviously been a big challenge affecting everyone. In the finance team we have spent time re-working our cashflow and risk profiles, and have been ensuring that our processes are all clearly documented and that we have sound business continuity plans in place. We recently completed our year-end audit, which has been pretty full on, as we have internal reporting deadlines and then had to lay the accounts before parliament in June. We have also undergone a restructure of teams across the business, which has given the finance team plenty of changes to deal with regarding coding and reporting.
Working from home has always been an option for Ofwat, so we are fortunate that we had already rolled out a lot of home-working infrastructure before Covid-19 hit. I am really missing the personal interaction that comes from office life – the kitchen and corridor conversations.
To those embarking on their career I would say don’t underestimate the importance of managing expectations. It’s a key skill in dealing with both stakeholders and yourself. What has helped me is realising that everyone is on their own journey in life, and simply doing the things that make you happy will have the biggest impact for you as an individual.
The ACCA Qualification has given me opportunities to progress by giving me confidence to go for the next step. I’ve also become involved directly with ACCA. I’m chair of the West Midlands member network panel and am on the public sector panel. I’m also a college governor and have been involved in delivering career presentations to schools, which is a great way of letting students know about opportunities in finance and studying with ACCA.
I love books (proper ones, not ebooks) and am making a real effort to read more classics. I like early morning runs and walking with friends. One of my proudest achievements outside of work is completing the moonwalk marathon for breast cancer a few years ago.