A new episode of Career Goals has arrived and it features the 2023 Finance Director of the Year, Becky Glover.
Becky’s achievements are more than impressive. She left school at 17 to begin an apprenticeship studying AAT and then ACCA. She’s since been listed as one of ACCA’s inspirational females, shortlisted for ‘Rising Hero in Finance,’ and part of the winning team for ‘Learning Event of the Year’ at the Digital Finance Function Awards 2022. In 2023 she won Top 50 Women in Accounting Globally, Social Media of the Year, and Finance Director of the Year.
As well as all of this, Becky is on several boards such as AAT and GENCFO, and founded her first e-commerce start-up in 2019, Elizabeth Rose Wines. While her background is in finance, she is deeply passionate about business and is also enthusiastic about AI and technology to enhance business operations.
Key topics discussed
Introductions
The episode opens with Becky talking about her career history so far, and the decisions that led to where she is today.
Becoming a Finance Director
Becky talks about how she left full-time education at 17 years old and opted not to go to university as she wanted to look into ways she could advance her career immediately.
With little experience or advanced qualifications, Becky had to work hard to open doors for herself and ask for the opportunities she wanted. She shares how she wrote letters to employers and accountancy firms in her area. Although she received few responses, the hard work paid off as she found a suitable role for her.
With this continued hard work and determination, Becky studied AAT and ACCA and worked in practice accounting before moving over to industry accounting. She became a Finance Director at just 29 years old, and talks about how she also made the shift into the technology side of finance.
Word association
Becky and Kelsey play a game of ‘word association,’ where Kelsey reads out several words and Becky shares the first thing that comes to mind. This leads to discussions about education, where Becky states that “education is key,” despite leaving full-time education.
They talk more about education, what this means to Becky, and how it’s important to have an open and curious mindset that will naturally help you keep learning. Becky shares that without continuous development, other professionals may overtake you in your career.
Dream commute
The game of ‘dream commute’ reveals more about Becky’s priorities and values. We discover that her inner circle of friends also work within the finance industry, and how supportive this circle is to her.
Becoming an ACCA member
Kelsey also asks Becky why she chose to study ACCA over other qualifications. In this conversation, Becky reveals some of the lesser-known benefits, support, and opportunities ACCA members receive.
Creativity and accounting
Kelsey asks Becky whether being an accountant requires you to be creative. Becky shares plenty of examples of how finance professionals can utilise their creativity, particularly when it comes to telling stories and creating visualisations via numbers for people who may not understand finance.
Becky’s tips
When the topic of challenging exams, failing, or generic struggles when studying comes up, Becky shares her tips on how to overcome burnout and get through the other side successfully. She uses her own experience and personal life to share how she maintains a positive mental well-being.
Rank these
Becky and Kelsey play a game of ‘rank these,’ where Becky is provided with three options and must share her preferences from most valuable or important, to least. Examples include ‘apprenticeships, online study, or university,’ and ‘time, knowledge, or money,’ where Becky shares some valuable insight.
“A lot of people chase the money, but if you chase knowledge, experience and learning, then the money chases you.”
How to progress in your career
Becky provides more tips on how to progress your career. Examples include setting goals, being aware of where you want to go and what you want to achieve, and being honest with yourself and other professionals about your goals. She advises that other people can help you if you’re open from the start regarding your aspirations.
Achievements
It goes without saying that Becky has an impressive list of achievements, so it must be difficult to choose the greatest. However, Becky shares that noticing how far she’s come and how well she’s done in her career has been a highlight, particularly after winning Finance Director of the Year 2023.
In this conversation, Becky shares the story behind the Finance Director of the Year nomination and her winning the award, while she urges others to be sure to attend events as you never know what the outcome will be.
Final thoughts
Becky answers the closing question: what does ‘career goals’ mean to you?
Feeling inspired?
To become an award-winning finance director, she had to start from somewhere. Becky studied for her full AAT qualification before becoming chartered with the full ACCA qualification.
If you’re interested in kick-starting your career in finance, browse our courses. If you’re unsure where to start, you can also contact our Student Services team at studentservices@kaplan.co.uk and they’ll be able to help.