Company and Job title:
Senior Finance Manager for a multinational supermarket chain

Sector:
Retail

Background:

• I studied Business & German at University, including a one year industrial work placement in Germany.

• In previous finance roles I occasionally used conversational German, and always had a non-work interest in Germany.

• I have also travelled extensively and done volunteer work abroad in Kenya and Guatemala, and I am sure the early influence of learning languages helped my decision to do this.

Language skills:
Fluent in German at University, now working to attain that level again.

How would you describe your job?
As an accountant for a retail company it is my job to ensure a strong flow of accurate information to decision makers in the business, using business partnering and influencing to help reach those decisions.

How do your language skills help you do your job?
As our International headquarters are in Germany I read, speak or write German most days. All our International meetings are in German and many of the UK Board also use German regularly. My language skills are therefore an enabler without which I would not be able to do my job.

What do enjoy most about your job?
Creating an innovative piece of work that gives insight into a sales category, cost position or potential business decision, and communicating this to an appreciative audience.

What other skills and qualities do you need?
A readiness to generate and implement change to force constant improvement, attention to detail and good communication and people management skills.

What's a typical day for you?
Today so far I have produced the monthly presentation for the Board with analysis of our results, had some conversations about people management and succession planning, and prepared a variance comparison against the annual plan in preparation for next business year. Days vary a lot, but this is a good example.

What's the best thing about knowing another language?
Being able to understand important conversations at work. A wider benefit is learning to be more receptive to other cultures and points of view.

How do you use your languages socially?
I have friends in Germany and sometimes socially with work colleagues we speak German.