Live music has always been my passion, and a music venue seemed the perfect place to begin my career after obtaining a degree in mathematics from Warwick University. After nearly 20 years at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in various finance roles, I took voluntary redundancy. I was 43, and although I had reached the level of head of finance and administration, I realised my career had hit a ceiling, as I had no accounting qualification.
I decided to use the redundancy payout to begin studying with ACCA. I taught myself at home while working part time, and I qualified four years later. Live music was still a big part of my life, and I was fortunate enough to become finance manager at Kings Place Music Foundation, quickly progressing to finance director.
One of our charitable aims is to make our events accessible to all, despite the current economic climate
The team consists of the finance manager and me. Our role is to ensure the smooth flow of all transactions, provide financial insight and prepare the annual budget. As FD, I feel very fortunate to be involved with the decision-making across the whole organisation.
What I enjoy most about working at a smaller arts venue is the team spirit. Everyone is so passionate and invested in what they do, and the size of the organisation allows you to work closely with everybody in their various roles, learning about the part they play.
It has been a difficult few years for the arts – and continues to be. With government funding and support from our audience, we survived the pandemic, but we now face the cost-of-living crisis and frighteningly high energy costs. Even though our own costs spiral upwards, it is very difficult to increase ticket prices for something that is, to many, a luxury. One of our charitable aims is to make our events accessible to all, despite the current economic climate. Balancing these two factors is extremely challenging.
As a young child, I used to take my grandmother through my ‘accounts’
My biggest achievement so far is having secured additional sustainability funding from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. This money is being used to make us more financially stable going forward and has allowed us to invest in areas we might not have been able to otherwise.
As an accountant, it is very important to stay up to date with developments in the sector. Fortunately we have an audit firm that has expertise in the arts, and they are always happy to answer our questions. There are also a number of arts professional groups that several of us belong to, and conferences are a great way to meet peers and swap ideas.
I think becoming an accountant was always my destiny. As a young child, I used to take my grandmother through my ‘accounts’! It’s just a shame it took me so long to realise it.
Outside work, I like to walk my two dogs, preferably to a pub for a nice meal. I also enjoy travel, pilates and, of course, going to live music events.
