I did a biomedical science degree at University of London but had no desire to be in a laboratory after that. I really enjoyed my scenario-based learning classes, which were about drawing conclusions from the data or scenarios given to us. I thought that being an accountant would be a good use of those skills.
My parents moved from Zambia to the UK in 1986. My father worked exceptionally hard to become a consultant paediatrician. He used to get up at 5am to study and was always learning, and still is to this day, even in retirement. By watching him, I learned that getting to the top of your profession is one thing; staying at the top is quite another.
We desperately need diversity of thought in the profession to drive innovation and power the economy
I started off in audit studying for Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), but quickly found out that audit was not for me. I felt like a square peg in a round hole. I moved into a high-growth technology company (Receipt Bank, now Dext), which opened my eyes to the world of finance in an industry setting. In 2019, I moved to Realife Tech as a financial controller. I wanted to study a qualification that covered both the technical and strategic elements of finance. I also had to be able to fit the exams into my work schedule. ACCA allowed me to have this flexibility.
As financial controller at Tivian, I enjoy the fact that it is fast-paced and dynamic. I like to learn new things and be a true business partner.
I think many accountants only see one route for success, but sometimes it comes in different forms. We desperately need diversity of thought in the profession – people who have different experiences – to drive innovation and power the economy. We need to work together to help business face new challenges, such as cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens, or accounting for artificial intelligence or climate change. We need to work together as an ecosystem towards better business practice.
I’m keen to step up soon into a finance director role, with a commercial finance focus. In a few years, I think I’ll be ready to become a CFO or COO of a high-growth technology company. My passion is helping people develop a business and realise their dreams, through app or cloud-based solutions.
I’m proud of a number of achievements. For example, I was shortlisted for PQ magazine’s 2021 NQ of the Year award, I completed the Series A fundraising round for my previous company, and I have been accepted on to the master's of accounting programme at the University of Cambridge.
When I have free time, I love to play netball and hockey. I also try to squeeze in a daily workout, including Peloton.
