Key to any successful business, is a skilled finance team with a passion for numbers and a keen understanding of the wider business world. One such skilled person is Louise Hall, who recently joined the ALPHR finance team in the role of Management Accountant. Find out more as Louise answers Seven ALPHR Questions…
What makes management accounting so important to ALPHR’s operations?
No company can operate without a successful Finance Department. Any finance team can only be enhanced by having members of the team with management accounts skills. These skills enable you to provide financial support and understanding to the whole company. This is not just a number crunching role – we are involved in other areas – for example, the change in rules surrounding imports and exports after Brexit. I was able to support Purchasing and Goods In Departments with understanding the changes; how these will impact us as a business; and what additional documentation we will need to produce and track.
What is a typical day at ALPHR like for you?
I don’t think there is a typical day at ALPHR! Most days I am checking what has happened with our bank accounts overnight, answering any queries on what payments will be made and when, checking with clients to find out when they will be making payments, and if there is any time left, looking to improve finance procedures.
Where does your love of numbers come from?
This started at the age of 4. Every Monday our primary school teacher used to ask the whole class to help count the week’s dinner money. I think this is where my love of counting money came from, which then led to the love of numbers. I was also lucky to have a very good maths teacher at secondary school, who made maths easy to understand and fun to learn. I owe it to both these amazing teachers for getting me understand and love numbers, which in turn allowed me to follow a career in finance.
What has been your greatest career achievement so far?
I think the biggest achievement so far was making the jump from a comfortable credit control specialist role, that I was very successful at, to a new role in a new area of finance, and starting to study all over again.
What was the best piece of career advice you were given?
To believe in myself and my ability.
What excites you most about the future for ALPHR?
I am looking forward to the future at ALPHR, being part of a company, which is set to grow and develop in its existing markets, exploring new markets and new countries. The company has some exciting times ahead and I want to be part of these changes.
Finally, if you could have one superpower, what would it be?
This is a hard one! I think it would have to be the ability to time travel. Not to make changes or corrections to things that have happened or that will happen, but to see first-hand what happened in the past, and what there may be to come.
With many thanks to Louise Hall.