FINANCE ISLE OF MAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHARED VISION AND STRATEGY FOR THE ISLAND’S FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRIES AND THE ISLE OF MAN AS AN INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE.
Tim started out as a trainee accountant working for KPMG, where he was involved in the audit of a large number of international life insurance companies. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, he worked his way up the career ladder to become an audit manager and then moved into a more consultancy-focused role working on secondment for a life insurance company, a sector he now works in.
'I completed several summer work placements at the firm during my time at university, and I liked the environment of an accountancy practice and the variety of work,' says Tim. 'Accountancy and audit require a lot of thinking outside of the box, analytical skills, and the ability to communicate well.
'Despite not picking up a calculator since my GCSEs, it was actually quite a natural progression from my history degree to accountancy!'
Tim undertook the ICAEW ACA accountancy qualification during his formative working years, with the cost of training and exams funded in full by his employer.
As part of Tim’s role at IFGL, he gets to travel often, with trips to Dubai, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur already in this year’s diary: he also regularly travels to London.
'I never envisaged that I would be working as a risk specialist for IFGL, nor that there would be a natural evolution from accountancy into this more niche area, but it enables me to utilise the skills, knowledge and experience built up over my early career. Working in risk also allows me to engage and interact with the whole organisation, which is professionally very rewarding.'
'One important lesson that I learned is that having a qualification, such as the ACA, opens up a whole range of possibilities, both within and outside of financial services.'
Working in the sector has given me a wealth of personal and professional skills and, more generally, greater everyday confidence.'
