I started in finance 35 years ago, as a junior management accountant in manufacturing. My inspiration for accountancy came from my dad being an accountant, but all I knew at that point was that his job involved numbers and calculators. My interest was heightened further by exposure to Lotus spreadsheets early in my work life, leading me to consider either a career in IT or in finance, with the latter winning out.
During my career I’ve worked in marketing services, for an airline, for several manufacturers and also in insurance. The opportunity to be involved operationally across the breadth of a business is what I really enjoy about my work, mixing corporate and operational accounting with involvement in systems, projects, processes and staff development. I also like being involved in business transformation and leveraging new technologies.
There is more freedom to participate in taking the organisation forwards
The National House-Building Council (NHBC) works with UK house builders of all sizes to help drive quality in the construction of new-build homes. We do this by inspecting and directly insuring new homes registered with us, and through our training and quality services. The UK new-home building market, and NHBC, is hugely affected by economic cycles, leading to peaks and troughs in the number of homes being built. A big challenge involves demand and resource planning where business levels are uncertain. As a regulated insurance business, the NHBC also needs to ensure that it is in a strong solvency position to settle future claims.
To meet these challenges, the finance department works with the business to derive the shape of NHBC’s financial model. We look at the modelling assumptions and variables to build a view of the organisation’s projected financial performance. It is important that this is a cross-functional collaborative undertaking looking at NHBC’s strategy and activities, not just a financial budgeting exercise.
As NHBC is a company limited by guarantee, it has no shareholders. This structure means that NHBC retains earnings within the business to reinvest in its core purpose of raising standards in house building. It also ensures the strong solvency position needed to meet its future liabilities to policyholders. In this type of business, I find that there is more freedom to participate in taking the organisation forwards as there are not the same hoops to jump through that come with working in a conventional business.
If I had law-making powers, I would have stricter enforcement of the Highway Code
Obtaining my ACCA qualification has been my biggest achievement. I had to face many challenges, especially as I was working full time while also having the responsibility of being a father.
One of my favourite mantras is the Serenity Prayer: ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ Through my career and life in general, I have often found myself recalling these words.
If I had law-making powers, I would have stricter enforcement of the Highway Code. This would especially concern driving on motorways, tailgating and using indicators at roundabouts!
In my spare time I am very interested in current affairs. I believe that having a broad knowledge of events is important in all aspects of life, including work. I am a keen follower of sport, especially rugby league, cricket and football. I’ve been an Oxford United fan since 1984. I also enjoy reading non-fiction, especially history and the Second World War.
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