好色先生TV

Was becoming a chartered accountant hard work?

The first three years after I graduated, I was working at KPMG during the day and studying at night. It was difficult and I did have moments of self-doubt when I first joined. I thought: 鈥淲hy am I doing this? It鈥檚 dominating my life.鈥� Back then, you really did start from the bottom. Graduates aren鈥檛 prepared to make tea and do the photocopying these days, but we had to do all of that.

How did you cope with the pressure?

I got through by looking forward only three months, keeping my head down and getting on with it. When I was about 26, there were times I鈥檇 be thrown in the deep end and I was terrified I鈥檇 get it wrong. I鈥檝e always been diligent and I鈥檇 stay until the work was done, through fear of failure more than anything else.

What鈥檚 the most difficult decision you鈥檝e ever made?

Deciding I didn鈥檛 want to be a partner at KPMG. I鈥檇 already gone through the rigorous interviews and tests when Colin Busby, who was the chairman of Kier, called and offered me the position of finance director at Kier National 鈥� the group鈥檚 building and civil engineering wing. They鈥檇 been one of my clients for years so I knew them well and they knew me.

If I hadn鈥檛 received that phone call, I鈥檇 probably have left anyway. I鈥檇 been at KPMG for 12 years and was supposed to advise people on their businesses, but I鈥檇 never done business myself and I felt there was something lacking. I handed my notice in to KPMG three days before my final interview. My boss sat me down and told me it was the worst career decision of my life, but for me it wasn鈥檛 a difficult move and I鈥檓 glad I did it. Being a junior partner in a big firm like KPMG is tough. In my job at Kier, I鈥檝e always got something different to do.

What does a finance director actually do?

It鈥檚 quite difficult to say, as it varies from company to company. It includes establishing financial and reporting systems in the group and making sure the information is accurate and not misleading.

Part of my job is dealing with investors, shareholders, analysts, but that might not be part of a finance director鈥檚 role in another business.

In partnership with the chief executive or the managing director, you help run the business with a financial head on to make sure things are happening as they should.

What do you consider your greatest achievement at Kier?

The business has performed well and we鈥檙e very cautious in how we report our profits 鈥� I think that鈥檚 recognised. We鈥檝e got a good track record and we under-promise and over-deliver. I鈥檓 proud of that. Also, making sure that we鈥檙e investing in the right places and that we鈥檝e got the right systems and procedures so people don鈥檛 do things we wouldn鈥檛 want them to do.

What do you bring to the board?

I have a lot of experience in corporate transactions, and I can present complex financial issues in a straightforward way. I think people can talk to me if they鈥檝e got issues. As a board, we seem to gel, there are no confrontations or arguments 鈥� that does go on, we all have to challenge each other.

As the only woman, sometimes I bring a different dimension.

How long should you stay in a job?

A lot of people get through their accountancy exams and then leave their firms as they know not everyone can make partner. I stayed and progressed to a senior position, which meant I could join Kier at a senior level. I think it would have taken me longer to climb the ladder if I鈥檇 left KPMG earlier.

The days when people stay for years at an organisation have gone, but when I look at the CVs of people who haven鈥檛 stayed in any job for more than three years, I do ask 鈥渨hy?鈥�.

It takes a year to establish yourself in a job and you need a couple of years on top of that. I suppose five years is about the right amount of time to stay, as long as you鈥檙e gaining experience and have promotion prospects.

When I took the job at Kier, I knew the group finance director was due to retire and I had that promotion in mind.

You鈥檙e one of only a handful of senior women in construction. How does that affect you?

I think it helps. I can get people to explain what鈥檚 going on because they鈥檙e not threatened by me. Being female has never been an issue at Kier. I noticed more of a reaction when I was younger at KPMG.

Sometimes I could sense that clients didn鈥檛 want to deal with a woman. I handled it by just getting on with my work. I鈥檝e always preferred to work for men because they are more straightforward, whereas women are so emotional all the time. I had one female boss at KPMG who absolutely lost it, screaming at a junior. I had to shout: 鈥淧ull yourself together, woman鈥� at her.

The only other person I鈥檝e ever shouted at was my secretary at KPMG. The computer crashed and we lost an important document. I鈥檓 not proud of it and she forgave me and we鈥檙e still friends. I don鈥檛 tend to be angry with people and I think it is a weakness if you show you are cross.

Was the possibility of you going on maternity leave ever an issue?

Colin Busby thought about it when he first appointed me. He asked me whether I was planning to have children, and I said: 鈥淚f I do, I do.鈥� As it happens, I haven鈥檛 and the longest break I鈥檝e had in 20 years is three weeks.

Any regrets?

My only regret is not taking a break between university and KPMG. I think it would have done me good. I could have sat back and tried to understand myself a bit. I鈥檝e done thatnow 鈥� I know where I鈥檓 coming from 鈥� but back then I was intense. I just wanted to go on and earn money.

How do you maintain a work/life balance?

You have to be disciplined. I could stay at work until 11 every night, but I usually start at 8am and get home by 7.30 or 8pm. I went through a stage at KPMG when I worked practically every weekend. These days, I don鈥檛 work at the weekends, but I always have some reading to do and my phone is constantly on. It doesn鈥檛 bother me. I enjoy what I do; work is a huge part of my life.

Give us some advice

Be clear about what you want and where you鈥檙e going, work hard and do the job you鈥檙e doing properly. If your bosses aren鈥檛 silly, you will be recognised for it.

Portray yourself clearly. I鈥檓 quite a shy person and it did involve putting on an act, at least at first. In meetings, if you鈥檝e got firm views on something, you have to raise your voice and say something, otherwise you鈥檒l be overlooked.

Always look the part. I鈥檝e always tried to look smart 鈥� I was the first woman at KPMG to wear trousers, in the early nineties. In interviews, I鈥檝e always tried to be open and not over-embellish things.

Women tend to underestimate themselves, whereas blokes will rabbit on about their achievements. My advice to female readers is to push themselves forward.