What inspired you to become an accountant?
I studied Engineering at Bristol university and then I went to work in Leatherhead, Surrey as Design Engineer and very quickly concluded that it’s an unstructured, undervalued career and so I thought I should change direction. I then got a job as a Computer Programmer working in Kingston upon Thames for a company that was quite sophisticated at the time.
I thought that would be a career with lots of opportunities and to some extent it is but in other way it isn’t. It’s quite risky as you end up being specialised in something and if new technology comes out you can find yourself redundant quickly. So, I decided to become an accountant as it felt like a secure career.
Explain more about your day-to-day role.
It involves a lot of talking to people – inside and outside of the organisation and a little bit of hopefully inspirational advice to clients and staff. In terms of actual accounting work, I do very little now – that’s led by the fantastic team at Parsons. I work alongside my colleague Eliot on corporate finance and really enjoy that, though I do miss working on some of details that are involved in the work (which Eliot now leads on).
What excites you about your job?
First and foremost, it’s the people I work with— they are an inspiring group. I’m excited that we can provide people with a great place to work – a place where everyone can grow and develop. I also love the corporate finance work; helping clients make a real impact on their businesses, completing deals, and raising funds for expansion.
What advice would you give to the team on progressing in their career?
Stay curious. The work changes all the time, and we are in a period where technology is going to change very rapidly. It’s important stay curious about the changes and learn. Stay calm, things are never as bad as you imagine and just be kind and respectful to your peers as you meet the same group of people over and over again.
Share some proud moments of your career.
Moving from working at home into our first proper office. Another was seeing our first ACA trainee pass their final exams. We took them on as a school leaver and supported them through six years to qualify as a Chartered Accountant.
Throughout your career, what continues to motivate you?
Just a constant feeling that we can do better, that there are improvements to be made. Every day we can do this a bit better – keeps me moving forwards.
Who is your idol and why?
I’m a big Liverpool fan, so my idol has changed over the years. Early on it was Kenny Dalglish, and more recently Jürgen Klopp. As you get older, you realise football really is a team sport—an outstanding player can still end up in a poor team—so the manager’s style matters hugely.
If your job had a theme song, what would it be?
A lot of the time it feels like it should be the Benny Hill theme tune.
How would you like your colleagues to describe you?
Fair, calm and kind.
