Having been on the receiving end of being made redundant from an IT role due to the insolvency of my employer at the time I had my eyes opened to a world of restructuring and insolvency that I knew nothing about. Subsequently I did a lot of research, homework and door knocking before realising that I wanted to work in this field and get a foot in the door. I also wanted to understand the numbers that drove financial and business decisions and so started out with the ACCA course as one of my prerequisites – one of the best decisions I made. Fast forward 20 years from my first day as a trainee to now a director of a strong employee owned business I haven’t looked back.

I deal with companies in financial distress, listening to the problems the directors face and applying my knowledge and experience to identify and present the options available to them to move forward be that informal advice, a restructure, or an asset sale or closure. 

"One of the biggest challenges affecting finance professionals in the sector is being able to work as efficiently as we need to with the ever increasing red tape. We recognise why it exists and we invest heavily in compliance and systems to assist our team but the list never gets shorter."

The clients I speak with talk of uncertainty, ever increasing taxes on businesses and individuals which in turn puts more pressure on to companies to sell their products or services whilst trying to make a profit.

Outside of work, I find that cycling and walking are essential for the body and mind to help ease the pressures of the working day.

Once piece of advice I'd share with finance professionals would be continue to read and learn to stay at the top of your game – always be open to change.