At the University of York I tailored both an undergraduate and post-graduate degree towards accounting, finance and business management, focusing on building not only a solid foundation in accountancy but exploring issues such as risk management and ethics. The culmination of this work was a joint publication with lecturers and a visiting research fellow titled 'Risk Accounting: An Accounting Based Approach to Measuring Enterprise Risk and Risk Appetite', presenting an innovative approach to risk measurement and management within the financial sector. After leaving university in 2011 I started a training position with Duncan & Toplis, one of the East Midlands leading accountancy firms which allowed me to further my career as an accountant, achieving chartered status with the ICAEW in March 2015. The knowledge and experiences gained in practice led to the decision to join a newly-formed multi-academy trust in Nottingham. As CFO I gained valuable management experience and over the next two and a half years I was able to guide Equals Trust through their initial growth and development strategy. With a move closer to home, in 2019 I started working at Fen-Bay Services, a national provider of loading bay and industrial doors. In September 2020 Fen-Bay Group acquired Transdek UK, an innovator and market leader in modular loading solutions and I was seconded to their team to manage the integration. In November 2021 I was part of the team who delivered a sale to the Hörmann group - one of the worlds leading suppliers of garage door and loading bay solutions.In March 2024 I was appointed as Finance Director of the YMCA Robin Hood Group but with aspirations for a more strategic role in June 2024 I was presented with an opportunity to join the team at Aspire Schools Trust as CFO. Back in the education sector, I'm passionate about improving outcomes through effective financial management of school budgets, developing people and supporting the implementation of new technology. I am a Fellow of the ISBL and accredited as a Strategic Practitioner.