Olivia joined George Hay’s Biggleswade office in July 2021, as a Trainee Accountant studying towards her ACA qualification.
In her role with the firm, Olivia will assist with accounts preparation for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, VAT assignments and audit work.
Q1. What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Hardworking, active and positive.
Q2. Having only joined us very recently, what has been your first impression of George Hay/the team?
My first impression of George Hay has been great! The whole team have been really lovely and helped me settle in quickly. Everyone has been super supportive; teaching me and helping me through my first few accounts preparation jobs. My colleagues don’t seem to mind me asking “what does this mean?” time and time again!
Q3. As a keen baker, what’s your favourite thing to make?
Lockdown was the perfect time for me to refine my baking skills, and my fiancé was very happy when I decided to try and bake a new recipe every week (when they went well!).
I love to bake a classic Victoria sponge or some quick chocolate chip cookies, but probably the best bake I do is a banoffee loaf!
Q4. What would we find at the top of your bucket list?
I would love to explore more of Canada, America and South America. To do the Inca Trail, one day, would be amazing!
Q5. After working in the fashion industry for a number of years, can you tell us about what prompted you to want to pursue a career in accountancy, and what appealed to you about applying to George Hay?
As for many people during the pandemic, being furloughed gave me a lot of time to reflect on my life and current situation. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed working in the retail industry, made some great friends and had some amazing experiences, I wanted to pursue the dream I had at university; to become an Accountant.
In my previous role, it became clear to me that finance is at the heart of every business. Accountancy to me, is a career that can make a difference and help a company to succeed by getting right to the core of the business. George Hay was the perfect company to apply to, as the opportunity to work with numerous business sectors, whilst being supported through my ACA, was a chance I couldn’t turn down.
Q6. With the Olympics having come to an end earlier this month, if you could compete in any of the Olympic events, which would it be?
I would love to be part of a team Olympic sport; something like the mixed triathlon team, or hockey.
Q7. With your studies underway, what do you hope to achieve in the coming 12 months and what elements of your training are you most looking forward to?
In the next 12 months I am aiming to have completed or almost fully complete the Certificate level of the ACA qualification ready to continue towards the Professional level exams. I am looking forward to continuing to work on Accounts alongside my studying, as I feel like this will help me to broaden my knowledge and put my training into practice.
Q8. Your specialist subject on Mastermind would be…
Harry Potter or Friends!
Q9. As a new member of the team and Trainee Accountant, can you tell us a bit about what a typical day in the office involves?
A typical day for me includes, working on my current clients set of accounts, booking in new jobs on our system, helping with VAT returns and trying to get my head round all of the different acronyms, terms, and definitions. I am also enjoying learning to use a range of cloud accounting software packages, including Sage, Iris and Xero.
Q10. Summer or Winter? (and why!?)
Winter! As much as I love the Summer months, the sunshine and going to the beach, I also love to go for a long wintery walk with Winnie (our dog) and come back to a warm fire and a big mug of hot chocolate!
