Employee Spotlight: Liz Ward

Liz Ward, our Finance Technician, has recently transitioned into this new role from the Admin Team. We’ve sat down with her to discuss what drove her to make the change and how Blu Wireless supported her along the way.

Describe a typical day in your role: What are your core responsibilities?

There isn’t really a typical day, it usually depends on where we are in the month. The end of the month is particularly busy with invoicing for current projects and cross-checking timesheets. The management accounts need putting together around this time too, which consists of reviewing the past month’s activity and preparing financial figures for the monthly board meeting.

At the moment, we are looking at ways to improve our processes, cost analysis, and introducing new systems to ensure we are working as efficiently as possible. With so much going on, every day is different which makes my job much more enjoyable.

What is it about your role that you enjoy the most?

It’s a lot more challenging than my previous role and I feel I’ve really been able to build on my existing skills as well as gaining new ones.

It is still a very new way of working for me, coming from an English Literature degree – tackling numbers and spreadsheets is quite different! However, I am pleased to be learning new skills within the Finance Team – it has definitely been a steep learning curve so far, but I’m loving it.

How has your career progressed at Blu Wireless?

I started out my Blu Wireless journey in the Admin Team as an Office Administrator for my first two years in the company. By the end of my second year, I was ready to move to the Finance Team, having already started my accountancy training during that year.

My progression to Finance Technician was very different to what I was used to, but it was exactly what I was looking for. My time in Admin was varied and dynamic in its day-to-day tasks, so getting used to that way of working really helped me coming into Finance where I would be juggling different projects and activities throughout the month. I feel I now have more responsibility in my new role, helping with important tasks such as payroll, cash flow, and cost analysis projects, which I am really enjoying so far.

One of the first major projects I took on was the R&D tax claim, which involved collating a lot of information and figures over the course of the year. Ultimately the project was successful, which was great to see as one of my first within my new role.

The idea of having more responsibility as I progress in my career is something I’m excited about, even though it can be a little daunting at times! Blu Wireless have been great in facilitating my progression, supporting me with my studies and enabling me to switch departments.

How did you start out your career? What made you decide to join Blu Wireless?

Before Blu Wireless I was working in the hospitality sector, however as I had some previous experience within admin roles, which also included some smaller finance tasks, I knew I would prefer working in a more corporate setting. I didn’t join Blu Wireless with the intention of moving into Finance, but it was always a possibility. I wanted to start in an Admin Role first to build my skillset in a more corporate environment, which worked out well when I joined Blu Wireless.

If you had to describe Blu Wireless in three words, what would these be?

Diverse – In the way we work, we have many major projects going on in the company. Inclusive in our team and workforce, as well.

Fun – We have a fun team to work with and good socials before the pandemic.

Supportive – Blu Wireless have been excellent in providing support for my studies and training.

What do you like about working with the rest of the Blu Wireless team?

A lot of friendly people to work with – I think we make a great team. Particularly coming from Admin, where I got to interact with almost everyone in the company. It was an insightful way of entering the company and allowed me to see how different people work.

What would you say to anyone who was considering applying to Blu Wireless?

The main thing would be that it is a nice place to work, with a welcoming team. When I first started, I was nervous about working in an office environment. However, I was pleasantly surprised coming into Blu and was quickly made to feel comfortable in my role. Of course, it’s a bit different at the moment, in this Covid world, but I hope we will get back to that nice office environment soon.