Graduate Felix Firth’s Journey as a Finance Analyst
Felix Firth is a Graduate Finance Analyst in the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) team who joined the business from the University of Nottingham where he studied Economics and Politics. Originally Felix comes from near Manchester, however for the ten years before university he was living in Dubai with his family.
Below Felix tells us a bit more about himself and what attracted him to his current role at Morgan Sindall Property Services.
What office are you based in?
I’m based in one of our London offices, however as part of the finance team we tend to go around to all our contract locations on a regular basis. This flexibility and change of environment is something I enjoy.
What appealed to you about the graduate scheme?
The first thing that appealed to me regarding the graduate scheme was the company itself. Based on what I read online, as well as meeting my now boss Sara Bell and the Finance and Commercial Director in my interviews, I was confident I would be coming into a great work environment, and a company with great ethics and practices. The opportunity to continue my education through the company putting me through my CIMA qualifications (which combines accounting, finance and management with business skills and techniques), was another huge attraction.
What does your role involve?
One thing I love about my role is that it is quite varied. On a day-to-day basis I am usually working with Excel spreadsheets, whether that be with cashflows, budgets, or overheads. With these spreadsheets I am responsible for consolidating the figures within and also setting up formulas in order for hubs to input figures at a later date.
What have you found most interesting so far working in the FP&A team?
I would say one thing that I have found really interesting is simply the attention to detail that is rightly needed when going through and compiling key financial stats and reports. Tying into this, adapting to the way qualified accountants think and work has also been very interesting, and it is something I look forward to learning more about.
What have you enjoyed most so far?
I would say the thing I have enjoyed most so far is the fact my manager, Sara Bell, and the company have trusted me from the very beginning to get straight into the work, and more importantly, to be a part of work that is used by the company and important both in the short term and in the long term. The direction from senior colleagues combined with the license to learn for myself has made my short time here thoroughly enjoyable.
What are your plans for the future?
My shorter term goal is to acquire my CIMA qualification over the next three years, and as a result, get exposed to even more of the finance team’s responsibilities. In the longer term, I hope to progress with the company and then ultimately reach the top of my profession.
