I started my finance career in 2008, straight from sixth-form college, with a finance apprenticeship at Brighton & Hove City Council. This was one of the best decisions I ever made. The council was fantastic in supporting my development, with wonderful colleagues who inspired me to continue on in finance.
I moved to London in 2013 and found my ‘work home’ at the London School of Economics. I joined as finance administrator at the International Growth Centre (IGC), which does impressive research. The IGC has inspired me to expand my horizons, seeing how operations closely intertwine with finance and then bringing the two closer together in practice. The most enjoyable part of my job is the freedom I have to innovate and improve systems and processes, while being able to contribute to something meaningful beyond just making a profit. I also have many truly inspiring colleagues who push me to improve myself every day.
I had to juggle my final ACCA exams and getting married during the Covid pandemic. I sat a tough exam nine days before my rescheduled lockdown wedding! However, I decided to channel the stress and received the second-highest score across all exams. Fortunately, this was not at the expense of helping my fiancé with our wedding plans.
I have seen a huge amount of AI innovation in the NGO finance sector. We have been exploring how to use the technology to enhance the efficiency of our financial and operational processes. A key factor for NGOs is demonstrating value for money to donors, and AI helps reduce manual interventions and frees up time so people can focus on contributing directly to the organisation’s mission.
If I’m improving then I’m winning, regardless of who’s going faster or slower
This is my favourite mantra: ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. Many times in my career and personal life I have nearly sabotaged my own happiness by negatively comparing myself to others. I now actively try to fight against this, instead choosing to compare myself to how I was in the past. If I’m improving then I’m winning, regardless of who’s going faster or slower. We’re all on our own journey in this life.
If I had law-making powers, I would reinstitute something like the Education Maintenance Allowance in England. It was invaluable to me when I was at sixth-form college. Inequity within the academic system is a problem, and while £30 per week may sound inconsequential to some, it enabled me to have my finance career rather than dropping out of college.
My biggest achievement has been maintaining my work/life balance. I have a deep faith, which I put at the forefront of my life, and I feel incredibly grateful that I can stretch myself in leadership areas while not sacrificing all my time and energy at work. Keeping this balance is difficult, but it is something I feel proud of maintaining.
Outside of work, I love the gym. I train five times a week, including brutal boxing sessions. I also enjoy learning languages – I’m currently on my fourth, Portuguese, and enjoy taking weekly online classes with a tutor.
