“…bringing the finances to life for other people and helping them make the right decisions is really rewarding.”
Organisation: Lloyds Banking Group.
Number of years in current position: Five.
Qualifications: MMath Degree, CIMA (Chartered Management Accountant), ACT (Association of Corporate Treasurers).
Briefly describe the organisation you work for: Lloyds is the biggest retail bank in the UK.
Explain what you do on an average day at work:
Lots of time on the computer using Excel to work with numbers and do some pretty complicated calculations! Also as a Management Accountant my job is about communicating with people: I have to understand what the numbers mean and explain them to people. Understanding the finances of a company is vital – it drives how the business works and influences really important decisions.
What do you like most about your job?
I love the fact that I can work with numbers but it is not dry & boring – bringing the finances to life for other people and helping them make the right decisions is really rewarding.
What stimulated your interest in maths, and when?
I’ve always loved maths and numbers. It’s great because it is so logical and everything has a right answer!
What influenced your career choice?
Accountancy is a great practical way to use maths on a day-to-day basis – and there will never be a shortage of jobs for accountants! There are also a lot of excellent Graduate Schemes in Finance where you can work and study in Accountancy after you’ve done a degree.
Which skills do you consider to be essential for your job?
Good at maths, confident IT skills and great interpersonal skills.
Your future career plans.
There are so many different areas within Finance that you can work in that I just want to keep moving roles and learning loads of new and interesting stuff!