Public interest audit matters because so many people rely on it, whether or not they ever see it. My job is to make sure our practice is outstanding, and that means getting two things right: the quality of the work and the people who do it.
I lead our national Public Interest Audit team, working with boards, audit committees and finance teams at main market, AIM and large private companies, particularly in retail, construction and technology. Long term contracts and complex judgements are where audit quality gets tested, and I enjoy that.
I'm also a member of the Audit Leadership Team, where I lead our people and culture agenda. I care about high performance, and I've learned it comes from clear expectations, honest feedback, real development and teams who feel able to challenge each other. Recently that has meant bringing around 670 colleagues together for our Audit Learning Conference, helping shape our new Ascent and Summit early careers pathways, and leading the implementation of our Employee Benefit Trust.
I decided at 18 that I wanted to be a chartered accountant and joined the profession as a school leaver in 1997. I moved to Grant Thornton in 2012 and was Head of Audit in Birmingham before taking on my national role. I'm still based in Birmingham, though many of my clients are in London.
Outside work, I have two daughters, I make time for the gym and I'm an Aston Villa season ticket holder who tries to get to most home games.
