What has been your career path so far?

I graduated with a 2:1 in Sports and Exercise Science. Straight out of university, I worked as a bartender/waiter at a local pub, before getting a job as a salesman, selling the hire of large machinery (diggers etc) to big construction companies. I then discovered that sales wasn’t for me, and then I got a job at Alzheimer’s Research UK, within their fundraising team. This is where I found my appreciation for the charity sector, however I knew this wasn’t the career for me (within fundraising). Therefore, I was looking for a career that gave me everything I looked for in a career path. My dad worked for KPMG his entire life, so suggested I look into this profession. I then found Sayer Vincent advertising for a training contract, in which I was able to gain the accounting qualification, but remained within the charity sector!

I joined Sayer Vincent in February 2020, and have since qualified within the firm, and now progressed to Assistant Audit Manager.

What do you enjoy about the charity sector?

What I enjoy about the charity sector the most is the people within it. While working for Alzheimer’s Research UK, I discovered that the majority of people working there, had a specific reason for working there, and believed in the cause. Therefore, everyone was working their for a purpose, and truly cared about the work they were doing. Since working with Sayer Vincent, and the many clients I have worked with, my opinion has not changed. I get to meet and work with so many different people, for such varying organisations.

Best part of the job?

The best part about the job is feeling like I am making a real difference to the clients I work with. They really do appreciate the work we do, and going above and beyond for our clients gives me a great sense of satisfaction. I also really enjoy the variety of clients I work with, one week I will be working with a large grant maker, the next week I will be working with a hospice. Every client have their own specific challenges, and risks associated with them, and I really enjoy this variety.

What do you get up to outside of work?

Outside of work I like to spend time with friends and family. I will spend time going to the gym, playing cricket in the summer, football in the winter (although soon will be replaced soon with golf…). Last year most of my spare time went into renovating a bungalow with my partner. This year we will be spending most of our time planning our wedding!