Financial Accounting Manager, Head Office
After finishing my A-levels I started as a junior at an accountancy practice in Central Manchester. I worked there for a couple of years and received a good grounding in audit and accounts prep and also started studying for AAT. I realised that I wanted a move out of practice into industry and I joined The Co-operative Group in 1996.
As one of the biggest organisations in the region I knew that there would be lots of opportunities to gain experience and to progress.
The Group has a good reputation for training and developing its staff and that was what I needed to take my career to the next level. This proved to be the right decision as I was fully supported through my professional studies and I have now worked in most of the areas of Food Retail’s finance function.
In my role it is important to keep your technical skills up to date. Luckily I am able to attend regular technical update meetings with the full support of the Group. It is also important to network. I hate to use that word, but knowing the right people across the business goes a very long way when dealing with inevitable issues.
New challenges come along all the time, and I’ve been involved in the Group’s merger with United Co-operatives, a number of company acquisitions, a project on restructuring the ownership of subsidiaries, and I’ve helped out briefly in management accounts.
The Group leads the way with ethical retailing and that is something I fully support. From Fairtrade, to animal welfare to our impact on the environment, we tend to lead where others follow and that’s something I want to be a part of.
I feel that if you work hard and are willing to take responsibility then you can progress very quickly through the organisation. Since I’ve joined I have progressed from a very junior level to managing a team of 9 staff.