Having spent most of my career at a single employer, I wanted broaden my experience in learning a new business, and seeing how other businesses operate. I decided to take a short career break to spend time with my young family, before my second started school, whilst considering my options and looking for a fresh challenge.

In this role I was a member of the Society's Executive Committee and attended Board Meetings.I was responsible for the Society's budget, managing the Society's liquidity as well as the department's BAU activities and responsibilities. I was responsible for collating the Society's MI Pack, which I would present to the Board of Directors at the Board Meetings. I was responsible for managing the finance department, consisting of six people including me.My key achievements were:Overseeing the upgrade of the Society's accounting system.Overseeing the audit tender process.Management of the change of Investment Manager and the transition of the assets.

The team was restructured again and I took back the management responsibilities for three finance personnel. The Society re-opened to new business in 2017, and so we adapted the Finance Procedures and worked with the new Sales Department. The team Board and Leadership group changed in 2021, this led to a change in the Society's strategy and an increase in Sales Volumes. In 2022 the Finance Department took on the responsibilities for Premium Collection with no additional staff. I restructured the team's responsibilities to manage these additional responsibilities.My key achievements were:Preparing the business plan forecasts and leading the financial due diligence as part of the project team which managed a customer book acquisition, by the Society's subsidiary company in 2019. This subsidiary offers an Independent Financial Advice service.Overseeing the introduction of a new card payment system and helped to manage the changes to the premium process resulting from this.Leading the project identifying and implementing a change of third party administrator for the Society's unit-linked policy book.I was appointed a Trustee of the Society's Defined Benefit Pension Scheme in December 2022. This scheme closed to future accrual in May 2009. As with many Defined Benefit Pension Schemes, it had a funding deficit. My strategic objective along with the other Trustees was to manage the scheme to a buy-out by 2025.

In order to focus on the implementation of Solvency II in 2016-17, the team was restructured and I took on a new role to focus on this, with a new Finance Manager overseeing day to day operations.My Key Achievements in this time were:Designing and implementing the Pillar III reporting process under Solvency II Regulations for the 2016 year end.Managing the transition to the new UK GAAP for the 2015 year end.Introducing a new Investment Accounting System into the business in 2016, and management of the transition to this new system.

In addition to my previous responsibilities, I took on the management of 2 Finance Staff, and was responsible for reviewing 6 monthly payrolls.My Key Achievement in this time was that I led the project reviewing the Society's BACS software, and managed the implementation of the selected solution.

I joined the business with responsibilities for statutory and regulatory reporting. My main responsibilities were the preparation of the Financial Statements and the PRA Returns. I also had responsibility for corporate taxes, month end reconciliations and was Risk Champion for the Finance Department.My Key achievements:Liaising with Society's tax advisers and the business to ensure that the Society had a suitable Commercial Allocation method implements for the new Life Tax Regime in 2013.Implementing FRS26 (Financial Instruments) into the Society's accounts in 2012.

I prepared the statutory accounts under IFRS for Asset Finance subsidiary companies, liaising with auditors and investigating audit queries with the business.

Working in the Audit and Assurance Department, I performed audits for a range of businesses and sectors, from AIM listed businesses, Government bodies and Owner Managed businesses to Pension Schemes and Housing Associations.