Meet the CIPFA members

What's your typical working day like?

At the moment, I’m responsible for finance, IT, HR and customer services. I’m also Company Secretary. I would say only about 30% of my time is spent on financial matters. IT is absolutely critical and making sure we have a system that works effectively, especially in an agile working environment. Leadership is essential and creating an environment where the organisation can thrive. A typical day involves a mix of all areas of my role. It’s important that I spend time supporting my teams and creating a culture of autonomy and trust. I believe this leads to happier and motivated colleagues.

If you didn't work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I’d probably work on a petting farm. I love feeding goats – make of that what you wish! We have a petting zoo locally, and if I’ve had a stressful morning, I will go and feed the goats at lunch and I feel relaxed after that. 

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I’d probably open a goat sanctuary!

If you were chancellor for the day what would be the first change you would make?

That’s a big question. I’d improve funding for public services.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

It’s going to have to be Dave Grohl!

What's your typical working day like?

I don't really have one! You just come in and see what there is to do, especially on the vaccination programme at the moment. Every day is different — new guidance is coming out, with the government announcing changes to the programme to meet the needs of the population on a regular basis. Obviously, we have our typical day where we have meetings and our emails to go through and our day-to-day work, and we run a monthly cycle, but we have to be really flexible.

Only last week, they announced an over-75s booster programme and the children's programme, so now we're working through all of that. There isn't necessarily a typical day, and that's what I like about it. You've got to accept that you might have planned to do emails, meetings, lunch, but it just doesn't happen. That's what I like about this job – I like the fact it is different. It's varied and no day is the same.

If you didn't work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I'd either own a wedding shop or I'd be a wedding planner because my other passion in life (alongside the NHS and medical sector generally) is weddings. I'm not sure exactly where that's come from, but it's probably the slight romantic in me. I love weddings, they're happy events. As a little girl I grew up loving the whole wedding thing – big dresses, churches, you name it. I had this vision one day of having my own wedding shop with this quality deli café in it. That's probably one of things I didn't do that maybe I regret.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I'd pay the mortgage off, take that risk out of life, and book a few holidays. I love going to Zakynthos, so I'd get myself a little villa out there. I'd probably buy my son Harry all the toys he wants. And I would definitely put some into my savings, as I need to have savings – it may just be the accountant in me!

If you were chancellor for the day what would be the first change you would make?

Genuinely, I'm not sure. I'd probably change the pension age back down to something like 55. And I know that's probably a little bit controversial because I know we need people working longer for the economy. But it might give everyone a little bit more life in their retirement age.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

Westlife, my favourite Irish boy band; Chris Evans, the Virgin Radio broadcaster; and then a bit of royalty with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, because I think they're fascinating. A bit of an eclectic mix there. That'd be a good party: Westlife singing, Chris Evans doing a bit of DJing, and then some real quality conversation with the Cambridges.

What is your typical working day like?

It's a cliché, but there isn't really a typical day in my role at the moment. Some days I'll be working on large-scale business cases; others I'll be finalising allocation of funds to clinical commissioning groups around the country. It really depends on what part of the month we're in, what the demands are like, and what's happening within other teams – whether they might need support with last-minute deadlines or commitments. It keeps me on my feet and keeps it interesting.

If you didn't work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I've always had an interest in technology, so if I wasn't working in public finance, it would probably be for a tech start-up or a medium-sized tech organisation focused on a social cause, maybe in finance or project management. AI and healthcare are areas of tech that are of particular interest to me and you can transform so many different areas in healthcare for the better with AI. That is something I think the NHS really needs to adopt and run with because it has the potential to lead to some really life-changing transformations.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I would try to buy a property in London – it would probably just about pay for a shed!

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I'd give the NHS more than a 3% pay rise – they deserve more than they are currently being offered.

Who'd be your ultimate dinner party guests?

I'm a huge West Ham United fan, so I would probably say someone like Mark Noble or Declan Rice – but if I could, I might just invite the whole first team squad, and the manager David Moyes!

Vicky has been Director of Public Spending at HM Treasury since January 2019, having joined the UK government department eight years earlier. Her role includes leading the teams responsible for delivering high-quality government financial reporting and data in order to improve decision making and accountability across government.

What is your typical working day like?

It's incredibly varied. I could be doing ten different things across different teams and subject areas. I work part time around school hours, so every day for me means a lot of prioritisation. I think a lot about what I have to do and making sure that people are set up and have good direction. Then it's covering any one of those ten different subject areas, switching between them quickly when necessary, making connections. It can sometimes be a little bit disorientating, but it keeps me on my toes.

If you did not work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I don't know. I never really had a plan B – this has always been my plan A, and I’ve been doing it for a while now. If I wasn’t working in public finance, I’d still be working in the public sector and doing some-thing that involved trying to ensure good delivery of public services. I don’t think it would be a million miles away from what I’m doing now. Even if I won the lottery, it would have to be a lot of money before I changed what I’m doing – I’m doing the job that I chose and I really love it. 

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I am going to take this question very literally and spend the money, not save or invest it, which is probably the instinct of most accountants. I didn’t take a gap year before going to university, so the first thing I would do would be to take a sabbatical and go travelling with my family. That would be a good start and would give me time and inspiration to enjoy spending the rest.  

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I don't think I can answer that one. I have to be impartial!

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

What a difficult question! There have been plenty of times over the last 18 months when I would have answered anyone! I have been listening to a lot of podcasts recently, so I might go for a food-themed dinner party with Jessie Ware, James Acaster, Ed Gamble, Samin Nosrat and a couple more top chefs and ask them to each bring their favourite dish.

Devante joined Southwark Council as a finance graduate trainee in September 2020 after graduating from the University of Manchester, where he gained a first-class honours degree in International Business Finance and Economics. Beginning his career in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, Devante's first placement with the council was in a corporate area that focused on COVID-19.

What is your typical working day like?

I normally start by checking my emails, planning, and prioritising the tasks for my day. I then proceed to get on with work but make sure to take some time out, usually to have a conversation with a colleague about their day, as it normally helps with my own productivity. For lunch, I tend to go for a walk and choose to eat outside when the weather is not too bad. That sort of routine has generally applied whether I’ve been working from home during lockdown or in the office.

If you did not work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I have always been into competitive sports, so I would picture myself being part of some kind of sports team – perhaps playing football. If it was not that, probably teaching – I do love the art of explaining challenging concepts. I did a two-month placement on the Teach First internship programme in 2019, which involved going into a London school to discuss higher education, talking about how it can improve opportunities for the future, and trying to raise aspirations among students living in economically deprived areas.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it? 

I have family that lives in a rural area in Jamaica. When I visited a few years ago, I realised that they had no places for activities, for the children to play. I would most likely use some of the money to invest in an area for them to play in, and then use the rest of the money to invest in stocks, property and my own travel.

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

There is a lot of tension between local and central government, especially in relation to the handling of the impact of the pandemic. One change I would make is to push for conversations around funding to be taken seriously and make changes to address the lack of protection for local government.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

My family and friends would be my ultimate dinner party guests. The pandemic has meant that I have not been able to see many loved ones face to face who don’t live in the UK. I also missed out on the normal graduation celebrations too – I had lots of international friends at university and we never had the opportunity to say goodbye properly together. It would be amazing to have everyone around for dinner!

James Kidd joined Hertfordshire Constabulary as chief accountant in March 2020, just before the UK’s first COVID-19 lockdown began – a challenging start to his new role. His position involves overseeing financial and management accounting for the organisation, from the standard of the statement of accounts and budget to monthly monitoring and forecasting, managing a team of around 15 people. 

What led you to qualify with CIPFA?

I've always been interested in finance and the public sector. While working with the charity Carers in Bedfordshire, I saw the job opportunity for the graduate trainee position at Hertfordshire County Council. My mum also works in social work, so the public sector ethos is something that's quite ingrained in me and that I've always been keen on. Even while I was at the charity, I’d heard great things about CIPFA and the qualification, as well as the networking opportunities that it provides.

How has being a CIPFA member supported you in your career so far?

Obviously, training has been crucial – learning the ropes of public finance – but alongside that, networking and going to CIPFA events, whether that's training, the conference or other events, has been incredibly useful. I’ve gained some fantastic contacts through them, which has really helped at various stages of my career when I've needed to bounce ideas off people.

Support from peers has been important too. I'm part of the South East CIPFA Student Network, and again, whenever I've found a problem – whether a technical or management issue – the ability to discuss it with peers has been very valuable. CIPFA provides an excellent opportunity to get the broad range of support and advice that you need in many areas. I think it's fantastic, so I'd definitely recommend it.

What's your typical working day like?

It's been very strange – I joined Hertfordshire Constabulary in March 2020 and then more or less went straight into lockdown. Luckily, I managed to meet everyone in my wider team beforehand.

In terms of a typical day, there are a lot of meetings, whether with people from within finance, chief officers, or outside the organisation. At the moment, there is a lot of preparation for year-end work, and although I try and have a bit of a structure for doing this, a lot of it is ad hoc tasks that come in, and you’re battling against your inbox.

Alongside this is the management accounting side. Since joining the Constabulary, we’ve been looking to really evolve how we think of management accounting. It’s not just the process of the monthly 'let's get this out' – it includes the most up-to-date monitoring, looking at what decisions mean and what the operational impacts are of overspend and underspend, and really feeding that into what the audience actually wants.

That's something we're trying to redevelop. We're a good way there, but that's something that I want to continue to develop. Likewise, with the financial accounting side, it's very much a process which we sort everything out at the end of the year, so I've been suggesting we try to implement processes to rectify issues during the year so we haven't got such an impact at year-end.

If you didn't work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I've always had a passion for mental health, and I think it may be later on in my career – or maybe after retirement, who knows – but I'd love to be a counsellor. I'd love to help people who are having issues within that spectrum. That would probably be like my dream job outside of finance.

If you were given £1m, how would you spend it?

Well, I've just bought a house, so probably a lot of that would go into doing the bits and bobs we need to do with the house. I would really love to make a difference in the area of mental health, so maybe establish a charity or support group myself to help reach out to people who have difficulties with their mental health, to share my experience and hopefully help others. On a more selfish note, I would like to get an electric car, so I think I would splash out on that too!

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

Something I'm particularly passionate about is around home ownership and the difficulties that younger people usually have getting onto the housing ladder, so I'd look at that, including different mechanisms that you have to get people onto the housing ladder – or whether we even need to do that. In Europe, for example, a lot of people choose to rent because they've got mechanisms such as rent controls in place. I feel it needs more than just tinkering with deposits and so on, which simply encourages housing developers to sell properties for crazy prices.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

As his podcast is something I've recently got into, I would say David McWilliams to start with. Also Louis Theroux – I think he's fascinating in his documentaries and how he looks at things, and how he gets information out of people. I'm a big music fan and a big comedy fan, so I'd go with my favourite band, Enter Shikari (from St Albans, where I grew up), although if guests could be dead or alive, I'd say Freddie Mercury. Finally, I think in terms of comedy, Jack Dee is someone I've long admired.

Jamie Shah has been working for Westminster City Council (WCC) since joining the London authority as a graduate finance trainee in 2015 via the Finance the Future local government training scheme. He is currently Assistant Finance Manager for Early Years, Schools and Children’s Capital, working for WCC and Royal Brough of Kensington and Chelsea’s (RBKC) Bi-Borough Children and Family Services.

What do you enjoy about working in local government?

I really like the fact that you're quite close to the action. I have calls with schools, school bursars and school finance managers and it’s great that you're able to interact with them and form relationships. You can see the sort of decisions that are being made in local government and the effect they have in the real world. That's something that you don't really get in central government – in local government, the context is just so wide and broad that you can see the impact of it. And you can feel that you’re making a difference.

When did you first become attracted to a career in the public sector, and particularly public finance?

When I was at the University of Portsmouth, where I studied for a BSc in Pharmacology, I was quite involved in several societies. I was president of one of them, and a large aspect of that was financial management. We did a lot of charity work, and through that experience, I just knew that I wanted to work in the public sector. I wasn't sure in what sort of capacity, though – finance or something more operational.

My mum was a big influence as well. She came across the Finance the Future scheme, which the CIPFA qualification was part of, and suggested I apply for that route into the public sector. I was good with numbers and with money, and with my experience and sense of duty it just seemed a natural fit.

What have been the highlights or biggest successes of your career to date? Are there any stand-out, pivotal moments?

Westminster City Council has its own internal staff awards every year, and in 2017 I was nominated for Young Person of the Year and was runner up. Then, in 2019, one of my colleagues nominated me for Staff Choice of the Year at the awards, and I won, which was really surprising and pleasing for me.

In a totally different and humbling context, in 2017 I was involved with the local authority emergency response team after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. I was part of a small team that was set up in a pizzeria in Portobello Road, meeting survivors and handing out money to them as part of the initial relief effort. That was a highlight for me – trying to help the residents and interacting with them to provide some immediate financial support, whilst knowing that I was making a difference.

On a professional level the other highlight, and one I'm particularly proud of, is being part of the WCC team that worked on closing the year-end accounts and publishing them within five days of the financial year end. For about two or three years previous to that, we were closing in one month, then two weeks, so five days was quite an incredible feat.

How has being a CIPFA student member supported you in your current role?

Being a student member, you receive a lot of support from the CIPFA Student Support team. They have always been so helpful any time I've had a query. The tutors themselves are really good – they have a huge depth of knowledge, they’re approachable, friendly, and they're always contactable when you're doing the course. Being a student has also allowed me to ask questions you would be expected to know if you were qualified.

In the workplace, being a student or graduate trainee, there was always a great emphasis on training and developing our skills. I would work closely with my managers to understand their role and the full context they were operating in. They had a wealth of knowledge and experience relating to that area and were always willing to answer my questions and treat me like an adult.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing public finance professionals of the future?

There are quite a lot! Most people would recognise funding pressure as a major challenge, and I would agree – local government certainly feels the brunt of this.

The lack of BAME leadership in local government – not just in finance but across local government – is also an issue. You don't get to see many BAME individuals in senior positions, and this can have an effect or impact the services provided to residents. I believe that having a diverse range of staff would better serve the interests of the diverse nature of the residents or customers we serve. It will definitely be important to have more BAME people in senior leadership roles now and in the future.

Another challenge is disruptive technology, such as artificial intelligence and automation, which will affect how we work as a profession – we have to be prepared for the changes these technologies will bring.

What is your advice to people considering a CIPFA accounting qualification?

It's a rewarding career, and it can open a lot of doors. Having the CIPFA qualification gives you so many options, and you can use it as a steppingstone. Having such a good grounding in finance enables you to move into different areas.

The CIPFA programme is challenging so you have to be prepared for times when it's going to be quite difficult. The number one thing is to be organised with your time and your work. The time management skills you learn while you're studying and working become invaluable when you are in a substantive post and have conflicting priorities. Develop your skills, technical and soft, as much as you can – and don't be afraid to ask questions.

What's your typical working day like?

Since lockdown, it's got busier. I think this is happening for everyone. It's so weird – being at home, you'd think you would actually have a better work/life balance, but it's actually gone in the other direction. Since I've been working from home, I've been a lot more disciplined with what time I start work and I try to start earlier – around 08.30. The first thing that I do is check my emails and try to deal with any of the urgent items that come up first. Next, I'll call a few of my colleagues and managers just to get, or give, mini updates or check on how some work is progressing. Most of my meetings are in the afternoon and I'll get a lot of my work done at that point. Then, between 5pm and 7pm is kind of my quiet time – that's when I get a lot of my detailed work or admin stuff done.

Outside of lockdown, it would be similar. I guess I would do the same things, but it would be a lot more free flowing. I would be able to just go over to someone and have a quick chat with them, or go out for lunch with a couple of colleagues, where we can actually discuss certain things and have a working lunch. I guess, on the whole, it would probably be the same, except that I would start working a little bit later.

If you didn't work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing or would you like to be doing?

I would like to stay in the public sector – maybe crisis response or emergency planning. I love working under pressure and with high stakes, so doing that would probably fit the bill.

If you were given £1m, how would you spend it?

I would buy a house and invest in shares and cryptocurrency.

If you were Chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

One day would probably not be enough time for the changes I would want to make. I would increase spending on infrastructure to make it more robust, greener and more sustainable. I'd give the NHS more funding and devise a policy that would recognise public sector employees and essential workers for everything that they've done during the pandemic.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

I've got five: Dawn French – she's hilarious; Kevin Feige – the primary creator and producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie franchise, as I'm a huge film nerd; Eddie Murphy; the Queen; and Barack Obama.

After leaving the civil service last year, Christina has now set up her own company and currently works with CIPFA's Apprenticeship team as a work-based learning coach, where she mentors AAT and CIPFA apprentices. She was previously a member of the CIPFA Council for nine years, having been elected in 2010. 

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

I was first denied the opportunity when at Leeds City Council where I worked in revenues, following graduating from Hull University. I was given the chance to study the Rating and Valuation Association exams (now IRRV) and did the four years studying in three and became a prize winner in each year! 

David Magor, now Chief Executive at the IRRV, appointed me to Principal Revenues Officer at Oxford City Council just after I qualified in 1985. He suggested doing CIPFA to me and spoke to Bob Block and John Patrick. I eventually transferred to accountancy and started studying with CETC at Croydon College on the Senior Officer Scheme, done then over weekends so you could work full time during the week. 

I now encourage everyone to take the opportunities that open up to you despite disappointments that happen, and I was very fortunate, but it meant I was 30 by the time I started as an accounting professional. It did mean I had a great deal of management experience under my belt before I started training with CIPFA and that experience I have valued all through my career. 

This experience has definitely shaped my open attitude to those who have not been given opportunities early in their working lives and why I value the opportunities apprenticeships give whatever your age!

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

I admit to hating this question as I never finished my career in the way I wanted so never achieved what I was always driven to working toward. But, I also believe in looking forward, not back! I enjoyed many of the people I have met getting to this position. I love what I am doing now, and would not have been able to without the joys and scars that have brought me to where I am. What I will say is having come from a working class background, having to work to do my A levels, being the first in my family to go to university and raising my son since he was a toddler as a single parent working full time while staying employed (having being made redundant whilst on maternity leave) is probably a huge achievement!

What's been the greatest challenge?

The loneliness of being a whistleblower, and being a single parent working full time. Both have been nightmares to manage.

What's your typical working day like?

There's been no such thing since last year. What joy to no longer have to do the three-four hour daily commute to London!

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

I did Politics at university and totally enjoyed it as a subject to study rather than practice it. From then I decided to work in the public sector if I could land a full time job, which I did and enjoyed being in a political environment. 

If you didn't work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I would have stayed within revenues without the opportunity of doing CIPFA and who knows where I would have gone with that. I’d like to think I would have tried my best.

What's the best piece of advice you've been given? And by who?

After I was made redundant as a new mum, the career advisor told me that resilience is a skill.  It's nice to see it recognised as such now.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I'd buy a house with a sea view and with a big enough garden to have a pool, secure a herd of German Shepherds, a massive greenhouse and fruit trees. Oh, and I'd have a weekly deep tissue massage!

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I would give enough money to secondary schools so that they could introduce basic budgeting skills training for all our 11 year olds and above.

What book/film/podcast would you recommend to someone working in public finance?

Candide by Voltaire, the song Beautiful Day by U2, and the film All the Presidents Men (catchphrase: follow the money!)

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

Elizabeth I, George Melly, Shirley Williams, Harold Wilson, Agatha Christie and Victoria Wood!

What would you say to somebody thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

Being a CIPFA accountant will give you opportunities to make a difference, be a respected professional, contribute to society, help to make better decisions. It may never make you rich, but will never be boring!

Devasuda started her role as Finance Manager for NHS England and NHS Improvement in April 2020, and her work since then has focused on the organisation's response to the pandemic. Before qualifying as a CPFA through the NHS Financial Management Training Scheme, her previous experience includes a career in medical research and a PhD in Physics at the University of Nottingham.

When did you first become attracted to the public sector, and particularly public sector finance?

I suppose my medical research background in academia was in some ways public sector-related, even if not directly, as ultimately it was about contributing to patient health and wellbeing. I've always been interested in how patients are served, and I'm passionate about improving the health and care they receive. I've just taken a different route by moving into finance, finding another way to have an impact.

My PhD was based around MRI of foetal development, and applying it to patients. That was my first step – I wanted to contribute to public healthcare. My main research interest at the University of Nottingham and at the University of Edinburgh was perinatal and neonatal MRI analysis, to look at and identify potential health issues in, for example, premature babies, and try to address them to prevent future healthcare issues. But I began to feel frustrated by some of the funding models affecting research decision-making and long-term healthcare priorities. It shouldn't just be about fixing the problems now, it should be about strategies to address healthcare in the long term. I started talking to colleagues and other people in the NHS about how this could be addressed, and one, an alumnus of the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme, suggested I explore that route into NHS finance.

What do you enjoy about working for the NHS?

The NHS's values are very important to me. It's very much public-focused and, for me, all the work I do should align with the values that I embrace. The organisation I work in now creates an environment that enables innovation, encourages partnerships between people and organisations, understands the needs and demands of the population, as well as developing strategy planning aimed at improving people's quality of life. That was really key for me – the backbone of it is improving health and quality of life for the patients I serve, be it as a scientist, as an MRI physicist or through accounting.

What have been the highlights or biggest successes of your career to date?

In some ways, my biggest success was around my academic career, doing my perinatal research. I'm very proud of my contribution towards improving the lives or the prospects of the babies who are born preterm, or babies who would have been going through pregnancy complications. Some of the research I did was around issues such as smoking, diabetes and substance abuse by mothers during their pregnancy, and how it might impact the baby's development. I published several journal papers over the ten years of my academic career, but one highlight was publishing in Nature Scientific Reports.

In my finance career, since completing the CIPFA qualification and becoming a CPFA, the standout moment has been when I worked with NHS England and NHS Improvement on the COVID-19 response immediately after I joined. It was all about supporting the healthcare providers in the East of England: ensuring that the PPE was located and delivered to where it was needed the most in the first wave, and other important work to help tackle the crisis.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing public finance professionals of the future?

A major challenge is that there is too much focus on short-term goals and failure to recognise that sometimes we need to choose or make short-term sacrifices to achieve greater benefit in the long term. That includes investing in research in certain areas, developing solutions and applying this to preventative interventions early on in life to avoid future, more costly treatments. Also, we need to invest in recruitment and getting people to really think about joining this profession in the public sector. We need to invest in training them because they are the future. Finally, I think we really need to modernise and invest more into technology and innovation to get work done more effectively, efficiently and more sustainably in the long term.

What's your typical working day like?

My portfolio is quite diverse, so it really depends on the day. I could be focused on NHS Providers or Systems financial reporting, reviewing capital and revenue business cases for the region or checking on the team. And of course, there's the COVID-19 budgeting and reporting work too. And we often get urgent requests from our directors, which we need to respond to. Some days, I could be doing all the above! It really keeps me on my toes, but I think that's a good thing.

It has definitely become more intense and fast-paced as a result of the pandemic. In the first wave there just wasn't the time to follow all the usual processes, so I ensured we worked efficiently but with proper governance processes in place – for example, doing costings and running them through the central finance and commercial teams before recruiting someone or a consultancy.

Thankfully, I've got some very good staff. I'm not an expert in everything and I believe in asking questions, surrounding myself with the right people to help. The team is doing really well and I am well supported by the senior finance team.

If you didn't work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

When I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor, but I was also really interested in science and electronics and keen to help my dad, who is an engineer, with things like soldering. In the end, I opted to take a scholarship and study abroad, starting a medical research career as an MRI physicist before moving into public finance. I think I always wanted the title 'doctor' and that's probably one of the reasons why I did my PhD! I think I made the right choice – I like working behind the scenes, understanding the issues and making changes rather than directly treating patients. So, if I didn't work in public finance, I think I would stay in academia, continuing my research into perinatal imaging. I'd definitely want to get children's research higher up the agenda. I still keep in touch with my former universities – the University of Edinburgh and University of Nottingham – and deliver career and motivational talks to current students, which is really exciting.

What book, film, or podcast would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

I'd recommend two books that are not solely for people in public finance. One is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. And second is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I believe that it's essential to have a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplace, and this includes a diverse range of personalities. These books have helped me to understand how to work more effectively with different people and how to get the best out of people by enabling them to give their best without expecting them to change. As long as you take care of your people, by giving them what they want and allowing them to flourish and be empowered, they are likely to do the job well.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I think I would secure my future by investing in my pension. I value financial security so would also find a good investment fund. I'd probably buy a plot of land, and if there's extra money, design and build my own house with my husband. I'd love to go back to Edinburgh and build a nice new, modern house, preferably with plenty of digitally enabled appliances and functions!

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

This may upset colleagues working in the private sector, but I would close down some of the corporation tax loopholes that companies use to avoid paying their fair share of tax. And then I would start thinking about how to use that money in the public sector.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris and Jacinda Ardern would be so interesting. Then probably Michelle Yeoh, the Malaysian martial artist and actress who was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and definitely represents powerful, strong women. Beyoncé would also be great – she has used her platform as an entertainer to promote the EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] agenda as both a black person and as a woman. It would be an interesting dinner party with lots of great conversation about diversity, leadership and equality, which I think is fundamentally important. I'd just listen to what they're all talking about!

Andy is the CEO of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust - a position he has held for the last ten years. He also works as the senior responsible officer for the Coventry and Warwickshire STP/ICS. He became a CIPFA member in 1994.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

I went into accountancy by accident. It wasn’t something I aspired to. I went for a local role back home after finishing my degree in economics, and I was asked to interview as a trainee accountant.

When it came to qualifying, they were choosing between CIPFA and ACCA. I figured if I’m going to be working in the public sector, I should go for the public sector qualification. I can’t claim it was massively planned, but I’m very glad it happened!

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

Qualifying as an accountant. If there was one thing I was always good at at school it was Maths. My dad always said “become an accountant, you’ll have a job for life” and I always said no. But none the less I did become an accountant. Unfortunately, my dad passed away quite young, so he never saw me qualify.

Becoming a director of finance was a big moment, as was becoming chief executive. In terms of successes, I don’t have to look that far back. I’m proud of my organisation’s response to COVID. It’s been fabulous.

What's been the greatest challenge?

It’s difficult to think of anything before COVID! That without a doubt has been the biggest challenge I’ve been part of. In some ways, it’s one of my most fulfilling periods, and that often comes out of challenge.

When I was a finance director, there was a period of financial difficulty when we had to pursue redundancies. That was very difficult. I always have a lot of empathy with people in that situation.

As a public sector finance professional, we’ve been through incredibly tough times following the 2008 financial crisis. Whilst many in the public sector will look at the health sector with some envy as we were partially protected, austerity led to the need to make some tough decisions. 

There are lots of services we used to provide that we don’t anymore. We want to provide the best for the populations we serve, and when you stop doing things, irrespective of what that decision is based on, it will hit someone – they see value in it.

I think the government will want to invest in the public sector off the back of COVID, having seen the value of what it does as far as managing a crisis is concerned.

What's your typical working day like?

One of the things I love about being a chief executive is that no two days are the same. I’ll always meet my chief officers, I regularly have board meetings. The best bits of my job are going out and spending time in the front-line services. In non-COVID times, I also spent time outside the hospitals working as part of the wider system and as an ambassador for the organisation.

Even if I know what my diary looks like going into the office, that’s often no guarantee of what my day is going to turn out like.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

It happened by accident – but all things happen for a reason. I very quickly discovered I liked the public sector ethos. There’s more to it than just turning up and earning a wage or making a profit. To this day, I have no aspiration to work outside of the public sector. It feels like you’re working for the greater good, no more so than now during COVID.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I love theatre and sport, so I would love to be the chief executive of a theatre, or chief executive of Leicester Tigers! I’ve missed rugby and I miss going to the theatre.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve given? And by who?

It’s a piece of advice you’ll find in many places, but I remember it was specifically said to me. Simply be the best at being yourself. I’ve been lucky – I’ve had some great bosses. Without them, I don’t know if I’d be where I am today.

I’ve definitely taken that into being a chief executive. I learn from others, but you’ve got to be yourself.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I’d pay off my mortgage, I would put some money aside for my nieces and nephews. I’d probably go on a big holiday with friends and family.

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I’d look to radically change the income tax structure. I would change it to make it more equitable and create more incentive in society.

What book/film/podcast would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

I don’t tend to read books unless I’m on holiday! When I do read, it tends to be leadership books. There are lots of great ones to take nuggets from. Whatever level we are in public finance, we’re all leaders of some sort. Leadership to me is a mindset.

Just before my interview for finance director, I read a book called Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani, after he’d just finished being mayor of New York. I was asked an interview question – use up to five words to describe your leadership style. I’d just finished reading the book, and most of his chapters were one-word headings, so I kind of recalled five of those!

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

In sports – Martin Johnson, my sporting hero. Eddie Jones, the England rugby team’s coach, and Ian Botham. In politics – Bill Clinton, as people say he’s very charismatic and Boris Johnson – I have a few questions for him! In theatre/film – Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson.

What would you say to somebody thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

Go for it! There’s so much to gain to have that recognised professional membership. There’s a lot more in it than the salary you get, and the networks are excellent.

Mohaeed is the Senior Manager of Data, Technology and Analytics at PwC UK, where he has worked for the last seven years. He previously worked as a Finance Officer and Systems Accountant at the London Borough of Brent, and became qualified as a CIPFA member in 2012.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA/become a CIPFA member?

I got a job with the London Borough of Brent on their Finance Graduate scheme, which included studying for the CPFA qualification. I’d wanted to live in London, train to be an accountant (building on my degree) and be on a graduate pathway so this was the best of everything.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

Getting my qualification, being involved in the Finance transformation at Brent and watching the Council start that modernisation journey and delivering two successful implementations for Finance IT platforms at PwC. Each of those felt like big experiences of my working career that lasted at least a year plus, where I learned things about myself more than how to do something - what I’m good at, what my management style is / what I would like it to be, what I need to work on and what types of people compliment my working style.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

Moving to New York for three years or so and adjusting to a new work culture and expectations.

What’s your typical working day like? 

I guess there’s two answers to that, pre-COVID and post-COVID! Prior to the pandemic, my working day really depended on the type of client and specific project I was on at that moment. That could vary from a day in my own work office and working on development opportunities, writing reports, delivering training and developing our technology platforms. For longer term projects, it’s usually spent in clients' offices, helping them along the same transformation journey that I experienced at Brent. 

Post-COVID it’s the same topics I’m tackling, just from the comfort/discomfort of my own home. There are pros and cons to both but I’m looking forward to a bit more of a balance soon.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

My mum worked for Stratford District Council which is where I had my first ever job. I spent a summer working for them at 16. With my first payslip I went out and bought a new TV! My mum wasn’t too happy. 

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing? 

For some reason I wanted to be an archaeologist growing up so maybe that…?! Or maybe I’d watched too much Indiana Jones. I do like training people so maybe something in teaching? Probably higher education though as I don’t think I’d have the patience for anything else! 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by whom? 

Always take a risk! In my personal life I’ve always thought I will regret the things I don’t do. That advice probably doesn't apply to managing public money though!

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it? 

I would buy my mum a house. 

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make? 

I would definitely get a new briefcase!

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

I’m part way through The Good Immigrant, which is a collection of short stories from British born ethnic minorities on their experiences of life in the UK. I’ve been realising how important it is for the people I work with and my clients - many of whom are in control of public spend or can influence decisions - to understand people’s experiences and empathise with the different ways we experience living in this country. We also need more advocacy to push diversity into senior positions, not just in the public sector but into boardrooms across all industries. 

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

Ryan Reynolds, Ricky Gervais and Kristen Wiig! 

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member? 

CIPFA is a ticket into not only public service, but practice, industry and consulting. Just go for it!

Lauren Gough works as a Senior Finance Officer for Enfield Council. She volunteers for the CIPFA South East Student Network and is also the Communications Officer for the National CIPFA Student Network. She has been studying with CIPFA since August 2017 and has recently become a fully qualified member.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

I was finishing off my masters and looking for a graduate scheme. I knew what I was really interested in doing but I didn't think it existed, so I googled it to see if I could find something associated. I looked up public sector finance and found a graduate scheme which was a CIPFA qualification and matched everything that I was looking for. The public sector is where I want to be working, so getting that specific qualification made so much sense. Training to be an public sector accountant and getting a job whilst doing so was perfect for me.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

Completing the scheme! I got 12 first time passes which I completed in under three years, and whilst doing that my employer gave me a lot of opportunities. I have been able to write reports which have gone to Cabinet, and shadow in those meetings where I have got to see the outcome of my work. It's nice to be able to have that so early on in my career. I helped to produce the quarterly revenue reports and out-turn revenue reports, which allowed me to understand about broad areas, rather than just the one specific area I worked on. Getting to understand the context, intricacies and challenges of other directorates was really useful, and writing a report in a way that non finance professionals can understand and following it through the political cycle has been a great opportunity; not a lot of people in my position get those experiences.

What's been the greatest challenge?

Balancing work and study whilst also having a life can be challenging, especially as I like to work 100% all the time, on all fronts. Learning how to get that balance right and backing myself has been the biggest challenge. I spent about a day a week at college, and then maybe 40 hours at work some weeks including overtime. I would then leave work to study in addition to those college days, so trying to fit a life around this has been hard. I wanted to be doing as much as I could all the time and take all the opportunities I was getting, whilst also trying to be a functioning human!

What's your typical working day like?

I like to start early. I start about 8:30, have a coffee and plan out my day with a to-do list and have some key tasks to tick off. What's on there would vary a lot, but that would be my typical approach. We've all had to respond a lot during lockdown, so we've been trying to help manage the response to the coronavirus on top of our usual duties. We had a resource shortage closing the accounts, so it's been a lot busier and quite a lot more intense, but the approach has still worked.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

I was interested in the public sector for a number of years, because I did some work experience in a local authority, and when I graduated from university I got a job there. I was working in Property Services as an asset transformation analyst. I had a really diverse role and had a lot of exposure to different areas of local government, where I got to pick up lots of skills. I then left to get a masters in economics and public policy; I was so interested in the public sector I wanted to specialise my education. When I was looking for jobs and trying to work out what motivates me, I realised that I enjoyed working with budgets, and trying to take an innovative approach to something to create savings. That's when I got my place on the graduate scheme. Working in the public sector, I love that when you leave your office and walk past someone in the street you know that you've done something that's going to help that person and help make their life better in some way, instead of helping someone get a second holiday home in Spain!

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I think I still would have found my way to the public sector, but if it wasn't in finance I think it would be as a strategy officer, or working closely as an external consultant to lead innovation in the public sector. If it wasn't in the public sector, I think I would be a news reporter.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by who?

I've had some great mentors, a lot of whom I've met through CIPFA who gave me great advice. However, my high school teacher told me a decade ago that 'you get out of life what you put in - to get something you have to open your hands to give, and then you will get back'. It's always resonated with me. 

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it? 

I'd buy a house and have some holidays, and help my parents out with their pensions. I'd invest a bit, donate a bit, and it would be quickly gone after those things.

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make? 

If you mean right now, can the change be that I would resign? It's not a nice job to have at the moment! I'd continue the commitment to invest in infrastructure to help the economy recover. That would need funding, so I think I'd take a harsher stance on those who evade corporate tax. 

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

There's a book called Not Forgetting the Whale by John Ironmonger. I'd recommend it to anybody, but I think for those working in public finance it would be a really good read. Its about an investment banker in a global pandemic, which is quite apt at this time! It really highlights the importance of community and people, and how we can all come together. Sometimes, especially doing finance in a harsh climate like local government when we don't have the funding, it can be easy to get caught up in the figures, and I think this highlights the human side and takes you back to the big picture of why we do what we do and the function we serve.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests? 

I'd love to meet Dolly Parton and Michelle Obama - she can bring Barack with her as well! French and Saunders would be good, and I'd like to invite my mum too - she'd love to be in that crowd and be part of that conversation! If we can have fictional people I'd have Patsy and Edina as well!

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

Do it! It'll open so many doors, and will help you build your career, whatever you want it to be. It can only lead to good things - you just have to do it!

Ebony Hughes is a director at Impower Consulting, which is dedicated to local public services. Ebony has worked at IMPOWER for nearly a decade, having previously been with PwC for six and a half years, where she undertook her CIPFA training as part of PwC’s graduate scheme. She became CIPFA qualified in 2007.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

When I finished my Masters degree and was looking for the right graduate scheme, I was really keen to do something in the public or not-for-profit sector. If I am honest, I didn’t fully realise I was going to train to become an accountant, but I did like the idea of getting a qualification and a skills basis to help me in an advisory role in the public sector. I could choose between doing a qualification with another accounting body or a CIPFA qualification, and to me CIPFA sounded a lot more interesting and more aligned with the reasons why I was applying to do the job I wanted to do.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

I've done some work that I’ve really enjoyed in terms of children's services, reframing how it is delivered to strengthen early intervention and prevention to support the improvement of outcomes for local families. Outside of the day job, I was also a trustee for five years at a children's charity in Caldecott that provided residential and foster care to children. I really enjoyed the opportunity to bring a lot of the skills from my professional financial background as well as an understanding of children's services and commissioning. It was a highlight because I felt like I had supported them to shift their focus to the outcomes they were achieving; taking a value for money approach rather than a perspective where minimising cost is the main factor.

Working with clients, it's been great to see the journey people take - from initially seeing something as a challenge or a roadblock through to creating a vision, energising people around a goal and working with them to get to a point where that is delivered. That's a consistent theme from my work over the past decade, and it's rewarding every time. Facilitating a programme of change and being able to step away knowing that the outcomes will be delivered is a great feeling of success.

What's been the greatest challenge?

Right now, it’s a fascinating time to be working in local government. There's so much positivity about the opportunities for reform in order to bounce forward better and stronger, but it’s going to need a different approach and mind-set than what we've been using before. We need to think of our role as local system influencers which enables the wider local recovery and what it will mean for our communities. However, doing all of this against an alarming financial impact for local authorities is unlike anything we've ever seen before. It's exciting, but very daunting at the same time. The variety of the public sector is one of its strengths, but it also makes it ten times harder.

Aside from the current crisis, something I’ve consistently worked on is brokering the relationship between finance as an enabling function and the services they're supporting. Services needto not narrow-frame the benefits they can get from working closely with finance colleagues, and these colleagues also need to make sure they are actively sharing their insight and intelligence to help and support services make decisions. 

What's your typical working day like?

At the moment I work from 7am - 10am, I do childcare from 10am - 1pm, then I work 1pm - 4pm. After that I do more childcare, and then work after they've gone to bed! 

My typical working day is between 8am and 5pm and includes lots of meetings - at the moment my life is lived via Zoom and Microsoft Teams! I'm currently working with two clients; one is running a homelessness project and the other is more of a financial strategy piece. I'm also having meetings with my internal teams to see how they're getting on.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

I always thought I wanted to work in international development, and it was only when I started working with local government clients that I realised how interesting and exciting the sector could be - and now I’m a total local government geek! I think that the sector could do more to raise the profile of the exciting and impactful work that it does. Working with local government provides an opportunity to really make a difference and achieve a positive impact for people from all walks of life. If you turn on the news in the morning, there’s always something happening in the public sector that's impacting people's lives.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I always wanted to work in international development, so I may have followed that route had I not found my love of local government! I'd love to be a wildlife documentary maker, but I'm not sure I have it in me to be the next David Attenborough!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by who?

One of my director colleagues who used to be my performance manager was a great coach to me. He told me that it’s important to know that you don't need to know everything. Having that permission to not feel like you need to know everything is quite liberating. It reduces the pressure you may put on yourself, and it makes you more open and receptive to listening which is really valuable. It allows you to change the mind-set with which you enter a conversation, because you're not focused on proving you're the expert.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it? 

I'd love to be able to take the family on some travels, and just go off and explore the world. I would pay the mortgage off and disappear around the world for a good year on a big adventure. I'd like to start in Mexico and work my way down.

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make? 

I'd have a proper look at how they can support local government financially going forward. Right now, it's got to be done!

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

Nothing related to public finance! I'd recommend having something that's a complete escape, because it would be far too stressful to be thinking about public finance all the time! As pure escapism, I've been watching New Amsterdam on Amazon Prime which is based in a public hospital in New York and there are always financial and budgeting challenges which they always seem to find a way to overcome. I don’t agree with their stereotypical portrayal of finance staff!

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests? 

Right now, my family! I'd just love to have all my family and friends over - I don't care about celebrities right now. I'd love to get the family around the table for a big dinner and a celebration. 

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

Do it, of course! I'd also encourage them to appreciate not just the grounding when it comes to public finance, but also the broader skills, knowledge, access to a fantastic network and the feeling of identity and belonging the membership gives you. You are part of a community as a result, which is a really nice thing to have - not just to fall back on, but draw upon as you progress.

Carolyn is the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Resources for Hampshire County Council. She also works as the Chief Financial Officer for Hampshire County Council and the Hampshire Pension Fund, and is responsible for Hampshire County Council’s IT service, leading on digital strategy implementation for the council. Carolyn became CIPFA president for the year 2019/20 and has been CIPFA qualified since 1991.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA/become a CIPFA member?

It was while working for Grampian Health Board in the finance team. At that time the health sector exclusively trained CIPFA accountants and therefore the opportunity to train was CIPFA only and it was through directed private study, 60% home study with 40% classroom attention.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

For me, up to this point, there are three things that stand out. Firstly, there was the 1996 local government reorganisation across Scotland. This was a massive change programme, encompassing all our elections, re-applying for jobs and a major structural change of local government from two-tier to unitary across the country.

Then, in 2006, came another massive change programme with the Southampton City Council/Capita Partnership which outsourced the corporate centre of Southampton City Council, and secured the necessary IT investment to support a new operating model. Negotiating a new contract with a private sector partner was a new and challenging experience for me, coupled with the TUPE transfer of most of my staff to Capita.

Finally, the Hampshire County Council shared services partnership in 2014. The partnership centred around providing a self-service operating model and the TUPE transfer of all staff involved in HR and finance. The financial arrangement is a cost sharing model which ensures open and transparent partnership behaviour, and since 2014 the partnership has since expanded to include Oxfordshire and three London boroughs, supporting 120,000 staff across all partner organisations. This is the largest arrangement of its kind in the public sector.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

Again, I’ll choose three. In 2001, I was brought in as Inverclyde Council’s new Director of Finance to turn the finance service around. My role was not just about ensuring sound financial controls and governance – my team was lacking confidence and I needed to re-engage them. The end of the first year saw us achieve an unqualified external audit report, which was the accolade the team needed to confirm they were of the expected high standard of a finance service. I learned such a lot about my capability, strength and resilience during this period. 

Fast forward to 2010, and the next ten years of austerity. ‘Relentless’ is the word which comes to mind, as there has been a never-ending focus on driving down net revenue cost in response to government funding cuts – whether that is reducing expenditure or increasing income. 

Which brings me to 2020. COVID-19 is an unexpected crisis on top of already very fragile finances across local government – all of which is undoubtedly a potential recipe for disaster. The initial COVID-19 period was a swift move into full on response mode; for me that included a raft of HR and IT policy issues, including home working, furloughing, pausing sensitive casework and a significant number of financial decisions I needed to take due to a halt to the political decision-making framework, while we awaited government changes to allow virtual meetings. 

What’s your typical working day like? 

My typical working day is spent predominantly in the office in Winchester or in London in meetings and working on email communications and reviewing reports. Focus ranges from providing strategic recommendations to councillors and/or CX and corporate management team to leading and driving performance across the corporate resources team, including overseeing major developments for Hampshire County Council and across shared services partners and also the Hampshire Pension Fund. 

During COVID-19, working at home, all of the above continues plus contributing as part of the Emergency Planning Gold Command in determining our on-going response and recovery which ranges from attending virtual meetings to directing changes across corporate resources to taking decisions regarding HR and IT policy and financial decisions.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

I knew I wanted to work in finance or banking; something with numbers. As I was completing my accountancy qualification at college I was applying for jobs and I was offered a finance officer role in the NHS, with the Grampian Health Board. Initially I didn’t choose the public sector over the private sector – my first job just happened to be in the public sector. 

But throughout my career, whenever I have had opportunities to consider a move to the private sector, I’ve realised that is not the direction I want to take. I prefer the ‘public benefit’ aspect of working in the public sector. Throughout my career I have had significant job satisfaction knowing I am supporting and enabling colleagues delivering front-line services to the community and in particular to vulnerable individuals. For me, that is really rewarding.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

Given my time back I think I would have loved being a lawyer. I deal in facts and I love a strong evidence-based argument; I can usually provide a plausible argument to defend a position.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by who?

To always ‘do the right thing and stand firm’. Having left the health sector upon qualifying with CIPFA and moving to my first local government role as head of accountancy, my boss, the then assistant director of finance, gave me this advice – and I still live by it. 

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it? 

I’d buy a beautiful chateau in the South of France. It would be quite a large building needing some renovation with period features including at least on spire tower, and with a large beautiful garden. I would spend time and money developing it for use as a high-quality venue for weddings and special occasions where large parties arrive to be accommodated and entertained in luxury surroundings. 

I would enjoy using my organizational and planning and delivery skills, along with menu planning and hosting, I do enjoy cooking but I think I would leave that aspect to the professionals! This would allow me to have some ‘full on busy time’ coupled with ‘down time’ and all hopefully in excellent weather. 

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make? 

Local government reorganisation to achieve efficient and effective single-tier organisations able to work at large scale, while staying close to the communities they are there to serve. It is just such an obvious step to take when you look at it from inside local government, but it never gets any central government traction for perhaps obvious reasons. 

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

I recommend the 19 May CIPFA webinar 'Local government in the age of COVID-19: how to deal with short term cash crises'. Not because I am one of the three panelists, but because it is acutely relevant to the here and now and will be part of a pivotal moment between local and central government regarding funding the financial consequences of COVID-19.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests? 

Churchill – I love history and in particular learning about the war. I would like to hear from Churchill about why he didn’t bow out after World War 2 and celebrating his strong leadership role in our victory. Also having been through the war I would be interested in his thoughts around our current COVID-19 crisis and how ‘lockdown Britain’ compares to ‘wartime Britain’. 

Harry Potter – my now young adults grew up with JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series; we have all the books and I saw all of the films at the cinema as they came out. He could perhaps use his magic wand to whisk us all to Hogwarts Great Hall for dinner – imagine a table of food and drink that never runs out!

Our Queen – I am a great fan of ‘The Crown’ and a strong supporter of the UK having a Royal Family. I would like to hear our Queen’s thoughts, after decades on the throne, about the changes she has seen throughout that period, for good and bad, what would she have liked to see play out differently and if she has given any thought to ‘succession planning’. 

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member? 

Absolutely go for it! It is hard work to become qualified, but it shouldn’t be easy if it is to be valued as a qualification. You will never regret the decision.

Mark is a part time associate on the Mayor of London’s energy efficiency programmes and with CIPFA on supporting best value for money PFI Exits – the subject of a recent NAO report. He has been a CIPFA member under bylaw 5 since 2012 and is a member of the CIPFA Government Board and CIPFA South East Regional Council.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

I trained from 1992-1995 with Robson Rhodes, who are now part of Grant Thornton. As a medium-sized firm, I did all sorts of audit work and other finance work, including quite a lot of private sector work. I increasingly got involved in Audit Commission as well as housing association audits. From there, I joined Deloitte and carried out a lot of NHS Audit Commission audit plus NAO audit. Given the complexity of those sectors, CIPFA was very relevant to me. I joined the CIPFA Government Board in 2009 and the obvious next step was to become a CIPFA member.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

We've done some great work as well as learning and development around business cases, PPPs, PFIs and so forth, including piloting the World Bank public/private partnership training in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda in 2016. That was special in terms of visiting these countries, piloting a high-profile training programme, but also just seeing how important and rewarding it was for the 60 or so attendees of that training. We were there 10 days or so, and they were genuinely interested not just in partnerships but also the wider public finance management experience from the UK. Making Partner with Deloitte was also a great milestone for me.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

The ongoing siloed working and the lack of corporate memory. Because I’ve been working cross sector I am aware of the ongoing siloed working. I tend to try to help by flagging ‘You did this 10+ years ago? These were the lessons learnt.' or 'Did you realise that a different department or local authority are doing something similar?' It can be quite frustrating. Pace can also be an issue, because you have to pedal really hard to get projects across the line, and it never quite gets to the top of the agenda. It seems to be more difficult than perhaps it should be. 

What’s your typical working day like?

It tends to be a lot of plates spinning, because I tend to have a lot of projects running at any one time. Working for a consultancy, there is a lot of delivery which I very much enjoy. There's also quite a lot of internal management and bidding. I tended to spend time out of the office with clients, and many of those were in Whitehall which meant dashing from one government department to another. I also did quite a bit of work for MOD, so some days involved travelling to sites in the middle of nowhere for meetings and adapting to how different departments function. 

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

I've been very fortunate to be involved in lots of public sector audits, both the financial audit but also value for money auditing. There was a time in early 2000’s where I was audit director for quite a few of the London teaching hospitals and that was absolutely fascinating work in terms of the external financial audit and also the value for money audit. The range of issues you have to worry about is so much more involved. An emergency you might have in the private sector pales into insignificance compared to a real emergency you might have in a hospital. It’s just more rewarding.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

As I do a lot of public/private partnership work, it could be that I was working for one of the outsourcers or contractors, or one of the investors. I do a lot of learning and development, so it could be that I was more full time on training people in terms of business cases, PPPs or mentoring, as I have done for the last four years on Cabinet Office/IPA’s Project Leadership Programme. I draw the public finance definition very broadly, so I suspect I would be there in the mix somewhere! 

What the best piece of advice you’ve given, or been given?

Probably something about going on HM Treasury's Better Business Case training, because that is a fantastic insight into how decision making at officer civil service level should be made. Also, most things in public services have been done before, so you just need to look outwards, beyond your silo and organisation boundary, to see what's been done before and what you might learn from it. It’s interesting to do that horizon scanning. CIPFA has such a wealth of knowledge, which is why I’m excited to be involved with them at various levels. 

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I would spend it on upskilling and training people properly, as I believe the payback is disproportionate to the investment. The payback of getting the right people managing government's most difficult projects in the right way is significantly. 

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I would push on in carrying out property and infrastructure projects. I genuinely do think that's the way to move the dial on economic growth, both in rebalancing the North and South and dealing with net zero. I'd do it in a more transparent, less siloed approach. If some things are blatantly a good thing to do, I’d try to do them at pace - there are things which seem so obvious to do and yet still seem to take a huge amount of time to get through approvals. I would look more to local government because, given their local delivery focus and response to austerity measures, local government have had to be far more nimble in terms of making things happen. 

What book/film/podcast would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

The mayor's energy programmes work with a Dutch "not for profit" organisation called Energiesprong and they have a video about what they do to retrofit homes to net zero. What they get across in a three minute video is so much more effective than what I can probably present in hours. It’s quite Monty Python-esque as well.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

In the current environment, it would be nice to have my extended family for dinner! 

What would you say somebody thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

It is a fantastic foundation, but don't just do the qualification and then reappear when you become CFO. You get out of CIPFA what you put into it, so remain involved throughout. We're now in a world where having just the one professional alignment is not enough, so it is useful to recognise that you're going to have to work collaboratively with all sorts of other professions, and it's useful to dip in and out of those other professions and have some sort of secondary alignment.

You also need soft skills; you can be the greatest technical accountant in the world, but it's no use if you can't actually communicate. I was mentoring for the Cabinet Office/IPA Project Leadership Programme, which includes modules on subjects such as mindfulness. I probably gained as much from mentoring as the people I mentored, in terms of speaking to a wide range of people from different backgrounds. There's a real skill around communicating complex finance and business cases to non-specialists, so it’s useful to speak to people who approach it from different backgrounds.

Mark works as a Business Development team leader for Dorset Council. He is a member of the Local Taxation editorial board as part of CIPFA's TISonline information service, and has been a member since 2016.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

I had worked in the Revenues and Benefits area for a number of years and felt that the qualification would broaden my knowledge and develop my role and the contribution I could make to the organization. I believe it has done that and given me some great skills and confidence in undertaking my role within Dorset Council.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

Last year we formed Dorset Council from six legacy councils. I was seconded into the position of programme accountant. We were given around a year to bring the six legacy councils together and become “safe and legal”.  We achieved this on 1 April 2019 which was a fantastic achievement.

Outside of work I, until very recently, volunteered for Dorset Police as an independent custody visitor. As part of a group of visitors, we managed to get the government to change the law around the issue of sanitary products for female detainees. Whilst quite a basic need, to be able to make a difference and get the law changed was very rewarding.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

Passing my CIPFA examinations was a huge challenge for me. I undertook the qualification via distance learning and wasn’t in a traditional accounting role when I started. I was particularly pleased that in my final exam I achieved my highest score.

What’s your typical working day like?

I was always a numbers person and got my highest GCSE results in Maths and Business Studies. When I did my BTEC in business and finance I undertook a project about the Community Charge.  It really interested me and my first role in the council was dealing with the community charge; so they were really impressed how well I had prepared for the interview with my knowledge.  After joining the local authority on a temporary contract I realised that I really believed in the public sector, work it does and in my own way could make a difference, so I stayed.  

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I would have joined the Army. I attended a military school from aged 11 to 18 so that is where many of my friends ended up.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by who? 

One of the combined cadet force officers at school told me “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. It was good advice during my studying and in my day to day role.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it? 

Carefully!

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make? 

I would invest more in the NHS and local government. 

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance? 

Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister. I watched it when I was studying to learn about the minister/mandarin relationships. Much of it is so relevant, even today! 

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests? 

Simon Reeve, Monty Don, Kate Aidie and Tom Hanks 

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member? 

Do it. CIPFA is a great qualification and has provided invaluable support in being able to undertake my role. It is more than just an accountancy qualification and will give you the confidence and skills to face many challenges that life presents.

Richard has previously worked as an NHS manager, local government accountant, lecturer, IT consultant and government regulator. He is now retired and is currently the chairman of a small software company in Manchester. He works with a number of charities and is a trustee of Safe and Free, who help victims of human trafficking. He has been a member of CIPFA for over 50 years. 

Why did you choose to become a CIPFA member?

I didn't want to be a chartered accountant and spend my life stopping rich people paying tax, and I didn't particularly want to work for companies that help raise more money for their directors. I wanted to do something which was worthwhile and interesting. Local government and health has a great variety of questions to tackle, issues to deal with and things to sort out. 

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

I think the biggest success was being honorary treasurer of a Building Preservation Trust. We raised £12 million and we used it to rescue buildings in Manchester. The council wanted to pull it all down, but these were very historic and characterful buildings. We spent that money in rescuing two iconic buildings, as a result of which developers moved in and rescued some of the other buildings. To our amazement, last year one of the restaurants in there received a Michelin star! When we were working there, no-one was living there, no businesses were there and it was a bit dangerous, so it has totally transformed a suburb.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

Keeping up to date with IT! When I started it was all very primitive compared to today's standards. I spent some time working in IT, but I find it hard now to keep up to date with developments, partly because things are moving so quickly. It's a wonderful time to be alive - we have an IT revolution, with developments such as Artificial Intelligence changing the way IT works. It's exciting but you have to keep up to date. 

What’s your typical working day like?

Working for the regional health authority, I would be working with 20 trusts across the region who were having problems with IT systems, so it was a very much a coordinating activity travelling across the country. These days, I go to a couple of meetings a week for my company as chairman, and I'm a trustee of another charity. 

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

It must have been when i was at school. When I lectured in accountancy, one of my mantras was that the job of the accountant is to impose order on chaos, because left to their own devices people will not record things properly and lose documents. The accountant needs to be a dragon to get the data input correct, and they are in charge of marshalling that information. People think accountancy is all about numbers, when really it is about designing and enforcing procedures so that all the numbers are correct. Without that, the numbers don't mean anything.

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I would abolish universal credit and introduce a better system. As a regulator, I was working on pathway, which was a predecessor of universal credit. They would pay weekly rather than monthly, and would pay rent directly to the landlord rather than to the tenant to pay to the landlord. The government theory is that people learn to manage their money, whereas many people aren't very good at managing money, and this won't be improved by giving them a lump sum. I would tackle those issues, because there are millions of people who are struggling because universal credit is not working properly. 

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

I don't know! I'm not sure anything I've read or watched has any other meaning rather than pleasing me! I enjoy Last Tango in Halifax, because it makes my life feel nice and simple. 

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

I would invite the chancellor, so can have an interesting discussion about my ideas!

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

You can use it to do all sorts of things. Don't feel that you are restricted to health or government, or even accountancy. Having qualified as an accountant, I've spent my whole life avoiding being an accountant! The CIPFA qualification gives you the ability to do all sorts of things, and you should recognise that and not think that it places you into a channel where you can only be a local accountant. When you qualify you are joining a family, and there are students, members and regional groups that you can get involved with, so you are not on your own. You are part of a much wider network, and that's very helpful in advancing your career and providing contacts, helping you to progress. 

Naomi is the Commercial Finance Manager at Campus Living Villages. She is a member of the CIPFA North West Council and was previously President of the North West CIPFA Student Network. She has been volunteering with CIPFA since 2015 and has been a member since 2018.

Why did you choose to become a CIPFA member?

My first job in the public sector was in a Graduate Finance Manager Trainee role, and studying with CIPFA was a requirement of the post.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

During my time at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, I really enjoyed working on investment projects across Greater Manchester that have a positive economic impact for the region.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

There are plenty! Perhaps working across the Adult, Children, and Families directorate at Manchester City Council during austerity measures.

What’s your typical working day like?

It depends which day you catch me on. Most often I’m working on budget monitoring, budget setting, forecasting, reconciliations, portfolio developments, process improvement, trend analysis, compliance, loan agreements, and management reports; the list is endless!

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

I’m really interested in macroeconomics so whilst I was studying for my Masters I put forward two dissertation topics: “UK Taxation system and the Impact on Government Revenue and Economic Growth – does taxation follow the Extreme Value Theorem?” and “The Composition and Changes in Government Expenditure and Impact on the Bond Market: A study of the UK and other Comparable Countries across 50 years.” The rest is history.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

As a child, I wanted to be Carol Vorderman so that I could be in charge of the numbers on Countdown. Now, I think I’d re-train as a police officer.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by who?

“Just because they laugh at you, doesn’t mean you are wrong.” – A past teacher on having confidence in giving an answer that is different from the majority.

“You’re the next Naomi Jackson” – My Dad on never needing to be anyone else but myself.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

Investment and gambling – or are they the same thing? Either way, I’d try to maximize the return so that I could use it to fund charitable projects mainly.

If you were Chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I’m not sure! Given that I’m currently working for a student accommodation provider, I think I’d have to play around with Education budgets first.

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

The films I would recommend are I, Daniel Blake, The Big Short and Inside Job. For books, I would say 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and William Pitt the Younger by William Hague.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

I’m sure I give a different answer to this every time I’m asked! Right now it would be Kayla Itsines, Peter Kay, and Robin Williams.

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

The qualification is not just limited to those working in the public sector, so do your research, get in touch with some of the members or students in your region, and ask as many questions as you can to make sure it’s right for you.

Hari works as a partner for the audit firm BDO Malaysia. He is the local representative for CIPFA in Malaysia, and has been a member of CIPFA for over 11 years.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA/become a CIPFA member?

I moved from Australia as a qualified accountant and I got reciprocal membership with CIPFA. I wanted to join because it specialises in the niche area of public sector accounting and finance, and I didn’t see any other body specialising as much as CIPFA does.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

In my career, the success is not money/fame – I value travel, and I thoroughly enjoy meeting different people and experiencing different cultures, food etc (the good, bad and ugly!). In my role, I have travelled to well over 30 countries and its growing. 

When I was in London, I used to cover 18 countries in Europe - eight in the South Pacific region when I was in Australia, and in Malaysia I now cover seven countries, and that’s what my success is. The way I look at it, my success is my ability to travel and meet different people in varying cultures. A lot of the myths you read about places in the media and on the internet, you find the complete opposite is true when you go there. I spent 10 days in Yangon in Myanmar and the people are so lovely and nothing like what you see in the media. Unless you travel there yourself, you’re not going to experience it and appreciate the variety the world has. The scale of rich and poor across the world is so different.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

Because in my role I travel a lot and work in many different countries, trying to adapt to cultural differences and what is acceptable or not acceptable has been a challenge, particularly in a Muslim country where the gender barriers are stricter. The challenge is that in a short period you have to quickly learn and adapt.

What’s your typical working day like?

I’m a salesperson and therefore my job is not a 9-5 desk job. Sometimes my actual job starts after 5 – I go to a nice place and entertain people until midnight, because that’s when the business deal is done. In the office, I have 43 people working for me and there’ll be loads of approvals to be done which takes up a lot of time during the day. Then there’s general client and billing issues which come up, but my actual job is to go out and get new clients or jobs from existing clients, which is what I enjoy. I’m a real chatterbox, and I do a lot of public speaking at events and conferences which is what I enjoy doing.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

A long, long time ago! I first did some public sector work in Australia in 1988. That was when I first became interested in public finance, mainly because its so different. Even now, some other countries use cash based accounting, whereas private sector moved to accruals based accounting. Moving from cash based to accruals was a challenge for the public sector.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

Business development and sales!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by who?

In my very first job in Australia, my immediate senior Martin Lee advised me that it doesn’t matter how much you earn. If you earn 100 dollars but spend 105 dollars, you are always going backwards. Everyone is chasing the income, but very few people look at their expenses to see if you can reduce it. If you assume 20% of your income is not yours and you can live in the 80% then you can be a millionaire. 35 years later, I still remember that advice.

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I would retire and put it in some form of investment. I wouldn’t have to work and do what I enjoy doing, which is talking to people, doing conferences and talking to the younger generation to impart some wisdom!

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

I would abolish tuition fees, and I would make up to year 12 in school totally free to get the basic foundation of education. I’d make the schools, the commute and lunch free for every child. Without basic education, there would be no future for the next generation. After that, productivity and the economy would go up.

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

I think everyone should watch Friends. Take life easier – people are always so stressed all the time, and it would make everyone laugh. That is what is lacking with this current generation I think.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

You!

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

If you’re interested in public finance, there isn’t any other body that offers the breadth and depth of what CIPFA offers. As someone who has sat on an exam panel reviewing the syllabus, I understand the comprehensive coverage that CIPFA offers for people interested in public finance, whether its in this country or globally. I would strongly recommend joining CIPFA and doing the course as a student. CIPFA is the only body representing public sector accountants.

Julia is Clerk to Wheathampstead Parish Council, and her job titles include Chief Executive and Responsible Financial Officer. She has been a member of CIPFA since 1987 and volunteers for the CIPFA South East Region. Julia was elected Fellow in 2016.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

I wanted to get into finance and the public sector. I’ve stayed in the public sector all my life - I started off in the National Audit Office and I went into local government after I had my children. In between I did temporary or unpaid work for charities. I believe in the public sector, and CIPFA (certainly in those days) was the only way you could do public sector finance. CIPFA provides a nice broad education in finance and the peripheral things around it. The syllabus is great, and in my days we did the CIPFA project, which was a way of getting involved with something at a pretty high level, dealing with senior people and doing something that was real and relevant to work. It was the making of me and many of my peers.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

I’m very proud to be CIPFA member and fellow. I’ve worked my way up and my job is now quite broad because I’m the chief financial officer so I sign off the accounts. I’m very pleased to have achieved the qualifications in my sector, to be able to be town clerk and to be very well thought of locally, and to an extent nationally, within the sector. It is quite small, but we do everything that is done at a greater level, just in smaller numbers.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

You get a lot of scrutiny, and not a lot of support in many ways. I don’t have the resources or the staff, so I do an awful lot myself which has pluses and minuses. It does mean that no day is ever the same, but there are days when you don’t get anything done as you’d planned. It can be hard to prioritise things properly and make sure things get done. You get local crises – we had a huge crisis a year ago which took over my whole job, even though I still had a day job to get on with. It is a good challenge though, and I do enjoy it.

Life in my world is very much about what people’s perceptions are, and you have to deal with the reality of that as well as what actually is there. To be able to think ahead and second guess how things will be perceived. We’re in a great community and have lots of volunteers who help out.

It’s very different day to day, and that’s actually the beauty of my job. I have a monthly cycle, and have formal meetings most weeks, council once a month, committee meetings once a week and other meetings. All of these need legal agendas and paperwork and a lot of process you have to follow. There are things that happen regularly, but an awful lots of things that happen in between.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

I went into it straight from university. I did a degree that included management, so although it was an unrelated finance degree, it was interesting enough that it got me on the CIPFA pathway.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

I’m really interested in the natural environment, so maybe something along those lines. My first degree was in botany and management studies, which was an ad hoc degree. Because I’d fought to get the degree I wanted after my first year at university, I think this was what made be a bit more interesting to get my interview at the National Audit Office. I’ve always hankered after that kind of thing.

Stephanie works as Group Chief Internal Auditor at the Government Internal Audit Agency. She is the CIPFA North West Regional President and an Internal Audit board member for both TISonline and the Special Interest group. She has been a member of CIPFA since 2012.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

 I joined Internal Audit in local Government from the retail sector in 2006 and my Head of Internal Audit offered me the opportunity to train with CIPFA.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

 After I had my children I realised I could no longer continue with my retail audit job, as I spent a lot of time away from home. I applied for a job in Internal Audit for a local council in the northwest and worked in local government for 12 years before becoming a senior civil servant.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make? 

As HM Treasury’s Head of Internal Audit, I think I’ll have to pass on this question!

Paul works at the European Court of Auditors (ECA) as Assistant to the Director of Chamber 5. He is the President of CIPFA Europe and has been a member since 2015.

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA/become a CIPFA member?

I chose to apply to become a CIPFA member as I consider it an opportunity to continuously improve my expertise in public financial management and keep up to date with best practices in this field. This is of great value in my current position where I am part of a team which is in charge of examining the financial management of the European Union (EU) budget, the reliability of the consolidated annual accounts of the EU, as well as the governance structure of the EU institutions.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

Before joining the European Court of Auditors, I have worked for a Big 4 audit company where I managed to have a fast track career to the role of manager. I am currently part of the management team of one of the Audit Chambers of the ECA.

What’s been the greatest challenge? 

Shifting from a private sector job to a public sector one, while at the same time moving into an international multicultural environment. It was challenging but also proved to be an extraordinary experience.

What’s your typical working day like?

I am usually in the office at 8:00 am and I start with a planning process, prioritizing the tasks of the day. This is followed by a short daily meeting with my superior where we discuss the progress of the audit tasks and any issues that need to be addressed. I prefer to leave the rest of the morning to work on the audit tasks on which I am assigned and try to schedule any meetings in the afternoon. I am a fan of improving productivity and I constantly try to find means to improve my way of working. I have also days when we have to visit our auditee, who usually is the European Commission based in Brussels.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

 I would like to say that I had a revelatory moment or some sort of grand plan, but in fact, it is much simpler. When my home country, Romania, joined the European Union in 2007 I have seen the notice of competitions for auditors and decided to give it a try, as it sounded like quite a different experience from what I had done before. After a few years of working at the ECA I realised that I quite enjoyed what I was doing and decided to stay and build a career.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing? 

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make? 

 I would propose to allocate more funds to areas where decisive action is required such as tackling climate change.

Will works as a graduate finance trainee, and is currently rotating onto a placement in adult social care. He has been studying with CIPFA for three years, and is President of the South East CIPFA Student Network, as well as the Vice President of the National Student Network. 

Why did you choose to train with CIPFA?

If you go into the public sector, it really is the gold standard for public sector accounting, so that was the main focus of my decision. It is CCAB certified and was specific to the kind of work I would be doing.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

My biggest success so far is somehow managing to get my 2:1 in Mathematics from one of the top Mathematics universities in the world! That was a big highlight for me. In terms of my work with CIPFA, I’m very pleased to have secured these roles with the South East CSN and National CSN. It's a big challenge, but also extremely rewarding at the same time. 

What’s been the greatest challenge?

I undertook a short three month placement in management accounting just as we were beginning the budget setting cycle. That was a tricky one - I had to learn as I went and after three months I had completed setting a £30 million budget with next to no prior experience of that area. That was probably the biggest work challenge for me! 

What’s your typical working day like?

I have quite an untypical typical work day. I bought a flat very close to work, so I can move between work and home quite regularly. I wake up early and check emails at home, and plan out my day. I normally come into the office between 10 and 11, and then end the day playing table tennis with a colleague! Not having to commute means I can use that extra time to do lots of other things.

When did you first become interested in a career in public finance?

Both of my parents trained as social workers, so it was really instilled in me throughout childhood doing something more than just delivering a profit. Although I didn’t know it, I was probably always going to end up in the public sector. My mum worked for a charity helping disabled children and my sister is in a wheelchair, so I've always sensed the need to protect the most vulnerable in society. When the job came up, I thought it really fitted what I'd like to do.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

Because I work in local government and am passionate about it, it seems to me like we've been hit quite hard in austerity. I'd immediately increase levels of funding for services such as adults and children’s social care. The NHS got a pretty big cash injection of 20 billion recently, so I think I’d try and do the same for local government. 

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

A colleague lent me a book called Freakonomics – I read it recently and it really changed my perspective on serious questions, but all with a light-hearted approach. It helps you think about problems you face in your day to day work, by viewing it from a different angle. I thought it was really useful. 

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

I've always been fascinated with Alan Turing - I have a relative who passed the legendary crossword and went to Bletchley Park and worked with him. She would never tell us anything about what went on, so it would be interesting to hear his side of the story. I love Science, so I’d include Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, and a games designer called Dave Haywood - he's a personal favourite of mine.

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

There's something a little different about CIPFA which I don’t think the other accountancy bodies do quite as well. I think CIPFA really tries to look after its members and make them feel supported and welcomed into this community. If you're hesitating, I would say take the leap and join the CIPFA family!

Darrell is a Senior Trainer with the CIPFA Education and Training Centre for students working towards their Professional Qualification. He has worked with CIPFA for over 20 years and is based in the CIPFA London office.

Why did you choose to become a CIPFA member?

Whatever I’ve done in terms of social activities, I’ve always been the one to eventually teach people how to do it! Maybe I have a natural inclination for it, and I definitely do enjoy it. I’ve got a fairly inquisitive mind, and there’s nothing that teaches you about a subject more than having to teach it to somebody else! You have to know it all inside out. The students have no knowledge at first, so you have to be prepared for any question they might throw at you.

What have been the highlights/biggest successes of your career so far?

It’s a continuous thing, because every time the exam results come out you can see if the majority of your pupils have passed. The students who are borderline, but are really determined and try really hard to pass – when they pass the exam it’s a real highlight. The thank you's and feedback from the lessons is nice as well.

What’s been the greatest challenge?

The greatest challenge is normally trying to work through the stuff that shouldn’t get in the way, but it does! Usually IT problems and stuff like that. It’s the little stuff like that that’s challenging.

What’s your typical working day like?

It depends whether I’m training or not. Training days are usually for six hours and one subject with the same group, either face to face in the training rooms here, or the ones in Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, and Cardiff. We now have a global training strategy, and now we have more students outside the UK than inside the UK, and that’s all done via the online training platform. When it’s not a training day, I’m usually preparing materials and getting ready for the next session. We also have to update the materials to keep up with the rule changes. There’s four exams a year, so we train pretty constantly all year round.

I started university doing zoology, but I dropped out after failing my exams. I worked in a bookies for a while, and then I did a retraining TOPS course in accountancy. I got really interested in the law part, so went back to uni and did a law degree. I then joined the National Audit Office, because I was interested in financial accountancy. That’s where I started training and really enjoyed that.

If you didn’t work in public finance, what kind of job would you be doing?

The policy and technical side intrigues me, but I’ve been in this job for so long that I’m not sure what else I would do!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve given or been given? And by who?

My advice would be - Always read the question!

My dad was a teacher and asked a colleague for some advice on what makes a good teacher and she replied with ‘Hold them by the hand, and kick them in the arse!’ I’ve had classes where nobody’s been making an effort, so I tell them that if you don’t put the effort in, you will fail. The only you’re going to be able to do this is by actually doing it! You can’t stare at a page and expect the numbers to jump out at you – you have to get on with it!

If you were given one million pounds, how would you spend it?

I would buy my wife a VW campervan, and I would buy both my children a kayak for playing kayak poloing. They both recently got heavily into it.

If you were chancellor for the day, what would be the first change you would make?

The one thing that really irritates me is the child benefit taper, where the benefit allowance is measured by person instead of household. It’s really bad for stay at home mums and dads.

What book/film/TV programme would you recommend to anyone working in public finance?

There’s one film I found fascinating called the Billion Dollar Bubble, from the 1970s. It’s about one of the earliest examples of computer fraud by a mutual equity insurance company. They created a fictitious account to balance the numbers and added fake insurance policies to it.  A book which I would recommend to anyone who’s not interested in Maths is Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh. It’s a real page turner.

Who would be your ultimate dinner party guests?

Stephen Fry would have to be my ultimate dinner party guest. One of my bucket list ambitions was to get on QI!

What would you say to someone thinking of becoming a CIPFA member?

Bear in mind that CIPFA is vocational, and is something you are going to use in your chosen career. So if you are working in public services, it should be your first choice. Unlike other professional qualifications, CIPFA is about financial management in general, so there’s more scope to branch out into other things. Just see where it leads you!