What do you do?
I’m the founder of three businesses, author of three books and mother of two teens (because living with three teens would just be crazy) In my main business I coach accountants to run a better business. After building my own practice from scratch and selling it, I wrote a book about it and now I coach others to do the same. I also run a second, smaller, practice just to keep my hand in.
Why did you join ICAEW Council?
I decided to stand for Council after attending an event and felt that the makeup of Council could and should better reflect the diversity of our wider membership.
What would you say to people considering joining Council?
Being on Council takes up a lot of time, not just in preparing for and attending Council meetings but also joining committees and working groups. These are where you can make a real difference and I’m involved in some interesting things. A well planned induction programme helped me to hit the ground running (I didn’t realise just how much ICAEW does!).
Many meetings are held in the evening but almost all of them have an online option to save on travel time. It’s not unknown for somebody to join a meeting while organising dinner for their kids (and not just the mothers). You won’t be the only one juggling work-home priorities.
The benefits of being on Council
I’ve met so many good people. Even those I disagree with have thought through their arguments so we get a really interesting debate. You definitely get back what you put in.
What have you achieved, anything specific?
I’ve been on Council just over a year and I already feel that I have a real opportunity to drive ICAEW forward into something that serves its members even better while supporting the Public Interest by driving higher standards balanced with practicality.
