How does your usual day look like?

I have two boys so my day starts early with getting them ready for school. I do the school run which is part of my daily “work out”. In between, I check for any work emails or messages. In our firm we all work remotely and I enjoy working from home and having autonomy and flexibility. I also benefit from living in central London which allows me to easily meet with clients. By 9:30am I am at my desk ready to officially start my working day, usually by responding to emails, having calls with clients or the team. Last month was quite busy with the 31 Jan deadline for UK tax returns, but now that’s all done, focus is back on tax advisory.

Usually, I try to run a very tight schedule and be as efficient as possible to progress my work before I need to head out for the school pick up. If I am not working on a project for a client then I am going through industry updates, looking for new opportunities and talking to prospects. We are also in the process of launching an academy with CPD certified training courses and I have been very active on creating content for this. As we are a relatively small business, in my role I have to wear a number of hats.

Once kids are in bed and the house is quiet, I check if there are any urgent work matters that need to be addressed and, if not, I dedicate a bit of time to myself before lights are off at 11pm.

What are the things you like the most about your job?

I like the people who I work with. It is a true partnership where we collaborate and support each other professionally and personally. I also love working and interacting with my clients; delivering the best service, building the rapport and becoming their trusted tax advisor is one of the highlights of my job.

What are some of the skills you utilise the most in your day-to-day at work?

Listening and asking the right questions when working on projects. Attention to detail as there is no materiality in tax. Business development and building relationships with clients and other service providers.

What was one of your happiest days in your career and why?

Last year we won Hedge Week European Emerging Manager Awards in the Best Tax Advisory category. The candidates are chosen based on the number of votes from the hedge fund industry and it has been an amazing achievement for us to be recognised as the best in our field. A very proud moment for me and the team.

What was the toughest career decision you ever made?

After having my second child, I was at cross roads deciding whether to go back to the role that I had before, in my comfort zone, or to start fresh in a boutique tax advisory practice and push myself yet again outside of my comfort zone. It was a tough decision to make but, the benefit of working for myself is that I have flexibility and can spend more time with my children.

What is something you had to learn to become better at your work?

The ability to set boundaries and switching-off from work. When running your own business it may be hard to stop thinking about the next opportunity and the next step; but actually enjoying the moment a bit and slowing down the race is important at times.

How did you get to become a Partner in a tax advisory business?

The opportunity came through my ex-colleague who founded the business and was looking to grow it further.

What's the career advice to your younger self?

I would say to network more and build your own brand by getting involved in relevant organisations/committees.

Professional networking for women matters because….

The financial services industry is still male- dominated and it is great to connect with like minded women to support, promote and celebrate each other.