Next up in our Meet the Team series, we are pleased to introduce you to the newest member of the Insight team – our Finance Manager, Charlotte.
Charlotte is highly experienced, having worked in a range of industries; “I like to think I have seen finance from a lot of different perspectives”, Charlotte tells us. Prior to joining Insight in July, she worked in local government, commercial care, a national coffee shop franchise, and most recently an international dessert brand (with plenty of free samples!).
How it started
Charlotte certainly has an impressive CV but, believe it or not, she was not initially sure which career path to take. She has a BA (Hons) in History and “toyed with a career in stand-up comedy while at university but decided it wouldn’t pay the bills for a good few years.”
Charlotte started working for a charity with the intention of becoming a fundraising manager. But she still wasn’t feeling completely satisfied. “After a discussion with my mum and uncle, (both accountants), my grandad (an accountant who worked until he was 102) and my dad (not an accountant, but very good with advice), I worked out that a career in finance would do me quite well.” The flare for numbers certainly runs in the family, then!
A proud moment
Charlotte self-funded her AAT Level 2, then qualified for her ACCA in early 2021. Looking back, she is proud of the hard work she put in; “I don’t think I realised it then, but I am proud of myself for studying and qualifying in my spare time. I had to be incredibly self-disciplined even when I didn’t have the energy to pick up the books.”
Charlotte is also proud of the impact she has had in her previous roles. “During the first COVID lockdown, the company I worked for was forced into a pre-pack administration and, as a small company, it was all hands on deck. Almost overnight I became part company secretary, part company legal advisor and administrator. It was incredibly busy and stressful but we managed it, and the new company is going from strength to strength because of the work we did.”
She’s now excited to be starting a new venture; “My role at Insight Associates came at the perfect time, when I was looking for a new challenge and environment.” We are really looking forward to seeing the impact that Charlotte will have.
The joys of the job
Charlotte tells us that one of her favourite parts of the job is problem-solving. “Being able to unravel something, find patterns and come up with solutions is something I really enjoy and it’s an everyday occurrence working with numbers.” But being so good with numbers does sometimes have its downside; “The worst thing is going out for dinner and friends leaving me to split the bill because I’m an accountant!”
Beyond the office
When she’s not at work, Charlotte loves to perform. “I have been a member of my local musical theatre company for 11 years now and we do at least one full scale, West End quality, show every year. My dad does them with me too!” She also took a stand-up comedy show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with a group of friends. Luckily for us, we get to benefit from Charlotte’s sense of humour in the office – “I like to think that I bring a little light and levity to situations with an awful joke or something silly to brighten up people’s days.”
If Charlotte was stranded on a desert island, home comforts would be her priority. “I would take my family dog, Merlin, and plenty of treats for him. I should probably also say my partner, Jack, because Merlin is not much of a conversationalist! Other than that, I’d be happy with a comfy bed, a television and all the true crime documentaries and podcasts in the world.”
