When they meet me, people will often say I am not a typical accountant, and although I take a great deal of pride in my profession, I do take this as a compliment.

I get excited (yes really) when I can get my teeth into a business project and the more conundrums you can throw at me the better.  I also talk a lot, as in my view I can’t get to know your business unless I get to know you, and it’s all about working together at the end of the day.

This drive motivated me to study and complete the ACCA accountancy qualification in 1997 and achieve an MBA with merit in 2002, fuelling my fascination with all things business and systems.

More mundanely (although very important), I have worked in the financial side of business since 1983 when I worked for the Family Practitioners Committee helping make payments to all the dentists, doctors, pharmacists and opticians in Lincolnshire.  I finally left the Health Service in 1988 following a transfer to the payroll department of the Bath Health Authority, based at the Royal United Hospital in Bath. During my time with the Health Service I had studied for and passed my accounting technicians qualification, AAT.

I moved into the private sector at this time and took up a junior post for a company in Frome, Somerset. This was a small, American owned, organisation and I was exposed to all aspects of a busy accounts office giving me a strong foundation on which to build my career.

In 1989 I moved to London and joined another American owned company as a temp, trying to improve their record keeping.

Nineteen years later I found myself managing and finance director of the same company which turned over £3m and employed 13 staff covering Europe, Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia.