Careers Angel Profile: Carolyn Quail
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| Name | Carolyn Quail |
|---|---|
| Email Address | cquail@dunelm.org.uk |
| Industries/Sectors | Financial Services |
| Employer | United Bible Societies |
| Position | Chief Accountant |
| Experience | 30-35 years (approx.) |
| Degree | English Language & Literature (graduated in 1989) |
| Other Qualifications | Chartered accountant: ICAEW Associate |
| Internships | |
| Information | I worked for KPMG in London, Oxford & Reading, 1989 to 1994. My clients included pension funds, charities, manufacturers, service companies. I audited them, prepared their tax returns and gave them advice on their business processes. I used the time with KPMG to try and understand why organisations were successful or otherwise in meeting their objectives. As chief accountant of the United Bible Societies, getting the numbers right takes about half of my time, each day. The rest of it is about using the numbers together with my knowledge of the business and of people, to help to steer the organisation in the right direction to achieve its objectives. |
| Things I Wish I'd Known | I knew nothing before I started! It was easy to get into accountancy firms in the late 1980s, and I just wanted to get a job to go to. It was rather hard work to qualify - Finals were nothing on doing 15 hours study a week after working 50 hours or more for KPMG, for 4 years (should have been 3 but I had a couple of slip-ups along the way). English Language and Literature is an excellent preparation for a career - it teaches you about people and it teaches you how to communicate. Never apologise for having done an interesting, "non-relevant" subject at college. Use it properly and it can give you the edge. |