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Question: Can you describe your career story to Regional Director of Finance (RDOF)?
Answer: I’ve worked in the NHS for 22 years, I started as Management Accountant at Great Yarmouth Primary Care Trust and have progressed to CFO and then Regional Director of Finance. I have worked at local, regional and national levels and have undertaken a variety of roles along the way, all of them in the finance arena. It wasn’t a straightforward route and started with me nearly failing my A’ Levels, generally because I was distracted by my social life. It wasn’t until I went to university that I started to do better and realise some of my potential. I studies Business Studies which was a four-year degree with a year out in industry, I worked for Reuters in that year and it was there I realised I wanted to work in Finance. After university I got a job at The Institute of Cancer Research and embarked on my professional accountancy qualification. It took 6 years to become CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualified and they weren’t all first time passes, there were some other issues/barriers that slowed me down on the way, but I was never a straight A student who passed all my professional exams with flying colours. I just stuck at it, and I got there, and I learned a lot along the way.
I knew I wanted to be a Director of Finance but never planned how to get there and I’m not sure I ever really believed I could or would get there. I think I have made it because I have worked hard, I have listened to advice and weighed it up, I have stretched myself and I have taken opportunities when they have presented themselves to me. I have continued to learn and grow, every day. I have also been lucky to have informal sponsors and advocates who have pointed out opportunities to me and supported me in my career moves. Who have taken the time to support me to make the right decisions, both for me and my career.
Question: What do you enjoy most about being a RDOF?
Answer: I really enjoy working closely with people and building strong relationships across a wide range of individuals in different professions. I enjoy working with many people across the NHS finance community both within my region and across the country and I enjoy the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) agenda and supporting others to make a difference.
I also find it really motivating being involved in making decisions for the population I serve. The NHS is nothing without its people whether that be those that work for the NHS or those that use it’s services and I don’t fail to be amazed everyday by the passion and commitment of our people to deliver the best service we can.
Question: What do you find most challenging in being a RDOF?
Answer: The difficult conversations because of the pressure that people are under at the moment and the challenges they are facing. It’s more difficult to deliver in this environment and it’s hard to support people in this environment.
Question: How do you cope with the pressure of your role and some of the tough decisions that you have to influence others to take?
Answer: Sometimes it’s easier to deal with the pressure and more difficult parts of my role than other times. I have some trusted friends and colleagues who I know I can count on to be a sounding board and I use the networks I’ve built up to test things out with or get a view. I try to ensure that I have the right moral and technical support to underpin difficult discussions and decisions, and I’ve learnt from experience what works for me and what doesn’t. I also try to make sure that I have a degree of balance between work and outside of work life – exercise helps, and I love going to the gym and doing a HIIT (High intensity interval training) class or getting out into the fresh air or going to the cinema on a Sunday afternoon.
Question: Were there any role models who gave you a sense of what it is to be a leader or helped you on your journey?
Answer: I’ve been lucky enough to have had some great role models along the way including some brilliant line managers who have taught me the value of being supported, the value of being listened to and the value of being valued which I hope I have reflected in my own leadership style. I’ve been inspired by some great female leaders who have shown me that it’s not just possible to be female and a director of finance but that it’s possible to excel at it and bring a new dimension to financial leadership. I count both my peers and predecessors in that.
Question: When interviewing candidates for senior leadership roles, what are the top 3 attributes you look for?
Answer: The top thing I look for when I’m interviewing is self-awareness, I think it is so important that we all have awareness of our impact and of our attributes and areas for development, in my view it makes for great leaders. I also look for someone who is personable and can build good relationships and understands the value of good relationships and someone who understands the wider context whether that be political, economic or social.
Question: What one piece of advice would you give to those aspiring to senior finance leadership roles, knowing what you know about the barriers you faced?
Answer: Take away your internal barriers – don’t limit your own aspirations as there are enough people doing that for you. Having someone trusted you can talk to about your aspirations, particularly people that will tell you the truth e.g. you’re not good at x.
Question: The theme for International Women’s Day this year is #InspireInclusion – How are you inspiring inclusion?
Answer: I try to be a good role model and demonstrate that you can be different, tough and compassionate and that you can succeed with hard work, the right support and a good dose of tenacity. I make myself accessible to everyone regardless of whether someone is a band 2 student or an ESM3 – I have an open and personal approach. I want to be visible, so I Chair the regional inclusion and diversity ambassadors’ network and attend their away days to get to know each of them and to understand the barriers they face. When we recently reenergised our finance academy board in the region, and I asked each member to write a blog so that everyone in the East of England Finance Community knows who is representing them on that Board and can understand the driver for Board members being part of the Board and so they know how to contact their representative to engage with the Board. It is so important that everyone has a voice, and that people can step outside their job/system/organisation and know who will listen to them.
I also co-founded the Women in Leadership for Finance (WiLfF) network for gender equality, which raises awareness of the gender inequality at all levels in NHS Finance and is open to everyone, women and allies. We hear from some amazing role models in the network who inspire me, and I hope inspire others. Find out more about the network here.