I left school at 17 and, after working for a legal firm making the tea and doing the photocopying, I moved to an accountancy practice where I completed the AAT qualification. I then moved into a top-30 practice and completed my ACCA studies. 

It was always my plan to go into industry as soon as I'd qualified, so I quickly moved to a listed bio-tech company, and then on to a start-up software technology company that was looking for someone to head up and build out their finance function. As is the case with a lot of start-ups, you have to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in – and I loved it. (During this time, I also founded my own company, an e-commerce business, which I went on to sell a couple of months ago (read the AB interview which took place while I was at the startup.) 

After five years in the role, I wanted a new challenge, and I made the leap into financial services. I wasn't used to being in such a heavily regulated environment. I am still adjusting from my entrepreneurial, agile world. But coming into the sector, bringing a fresh perspective, can mean you can make some really great changes that others may not have seen.  

The workplace is more rigid in financial services than in tech. For example, the firm I work for serves business customers in the UK, which means we do most of our work during UK office hours. I was used to working with organisations across the world, so business would happen at all times. You had to be flexible, but in turn it meant the business was flexible with you too. 

Another difference I have noticed, coming from the technology sector and being passionate about tech, is how so many companies are still not utilising it to its full potential. I'll be championing the use of tech and implementing a lot of it myself. It’s important to the sector and I want to be part of the revolution!

But whatever sector you are moving into, the ACCA qualification is always a solid grounding that you can rely on. It’s great to be part of the ACCA community – there is always someone to offer support and connections if you need them.  

A final piece of advice? If you’re thinking of making the leap to financial services, I’d say do it! What's the worst that could happen? At the very least you learn a new sector and gain new skills.