We are very excited to share that our amazing Head of Finance Julie Bickerdyke has been re-elected to CIMA Members in Practice Committee for a second term. We are so proud of her and asked her to share a little bit about her story and what this means to her..
“I am a CIMA qualified accountant, which is something I am very proud of and like to shout about. I believe CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) is the best accounting qualification for working in businesses. The syllabus teaches you how to run a company not just how to look at the numbers.
I also like to get involved with organisations that I am passionate about. I’ve always been involved at a local level helping CIMA organise events for its members, becoming chair of the West Yorkshire branch of CIMA many years ago.
Five years ago I set up Not Just an FD and became a Member in Practice. It wasn’t long before I got involved with the events for members in practice and in 2018 was co-opted on to the committee. In 2019 I stood for official election and then served as secretary for 3 years. One of our rules is that you must stand for re-election after 3 years so this year I put myself forward again. After 6 years you must stand down from the panel. There were 5 places up for election as several members had reached their milestones. The competition was hot and there were 10 members standing for 5 places.
I was delighted that the Members in Practice community voted me onto the committee in June this year. The newly formed committee then voted the office holders into post and I was voted in as secretary.
I am very proud of both being a CIMA MiP and of the work the committee does to support the community. A lot of our effort goes into planning and running an annual conference where likeminded members can meet and learn new skills that help them in their businesses. We also have regular zoom get-togethers and technical clinics for support. I have presented on webinars and at training days for new members in practice. I regularly offer my support to others starting their self employed accountancy journey.
Better Connect became a client of mine in 2018 and I loved it so much I became a part time employee in 2020, alongside supporting clients in my business.”
Well done Julie from all of us at Better Connect, we are so lucky to have you!
Julie is Director of Finance at Better Connect. She works on strategy to ensure the business is sustainable, using forecasting and scenarios. She monitors the numbers, cash and variances. Her favourite part of her job is teaching new skills, tips and tricks to her team. Julie loves sharing knowledge and developing people.
Julie is secretary of CIMA Members in Practice Panel, providing UK-wide support and access to quality training and development resources. She helped CIMA feed into Treasury how to better help small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.
Learn more about Julie