The GAAPweb blog

New payment technology – a legacy of great change in finance

By Katy May

Katy May joined Marks Sattin as part of the Change Management team in July 2011 with a specific focus in Operations Change. Prior to this she has worked within the Financial Services industry for 4+ years building extensive relationships with Front, Middle and Back Offices across financial institutions within London, Spain and Portugal. Her background and experience lies primarily within the Fixed Income and Derivatives space, although she has built a good knowledge base across all asset classes, trade flows and operational processes. 

It’s not only British athletes who are looking to leave a lifelong legacy at London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games – games sponsors Visa and Samsung are striving to use their mobile payments technology for the sporting event to leave a lasting legacy in the market for banks, retailers, mobile operators and consumers. But what impact will their efforts for long-term change in the way we use mobile payments and the efforts of suppliers of other new payment methods alike, have on banking and payments?

Tips for newly qualified ACA’s

By Daniel Handley

Daniel Handley is a consultant within Handle Recruitment's finance division recruiting into the Music, Media, Entertainment and Lifestyle Brands sectors. He has 8 years Financial Recruitment experience, 5 spent managing a qualified & interim desk and now recruiting permanent positions to CFO level.

When it comes to making the daunting move out of practice into industry, your post-qualified accountancy career can take any number of paths. However getting the right first step is immensely important.  

The initial step into the industry can shape your post-qualified career, therefore I would always advise on keeping breadth in your role until you work out where your career is heading.  ACA’s are, on the whole technically competent but still require on-the-job experience in management accounting, budgeting, forecasting and planning. Obtaining this exposure whilst keeping the technical aspects until you know exactly where you are heading will ensure you don’t miss out on opportunities due to a lack of experience in a specific area.  

An accountant's role in a dynamic environment

By Martin Finch 

Martin is an experienced accountant with expertise in reporting in  UK GAAP and IFRS. Martin also has significant systems experience having implemented SAP at his current employer.   Prior to his current role he worked in public practice on a varied portfolio of clients ranging from PLCs to not for profit and charitable organisations.

In the current economic climate many companies and indeed the Government itself are more focussed than ever on operational costs. Accountants tend to be very comfortable recording, controlling and accounting for costs within the business but the value of the work completed by accountants and the potential for accountants to add value to a business often goes un-noticed. A focus removal of non value adding steps (and costs) from business processes will inevitably mean that unless accountants successfully adapt to be seen as value adding, at some point the accountant themselves will be the target for cost reductions.

Planning your accountancy job move in 2012

By Nik Pratap

Nik Pratap leads the professional services recruitment team and the National Lead Director for Hays Senior Finance. Nik has over twelve years’ experience of working in the qualified finance recruitment sector in Yorkshire and the North West.

Recent research from Hays found that two-thirds of the working population is likely to move on if they were offered a better job. If your resolution is to move jobs this year, then understanding the needs of employers will help you tailor your job search and stand out from the crowd.

Accountancy Market Update from Robert Half

By Russell Brown, Associate Director, Robert Half UK

Now may not seem like the ideal time to be job hunting but - despite the headlines - there are some bright spots for accounting and finance professionals. The economic uncertainty of the past few years has actually raised the profile of accountants, from back room bean counters to key players at the decision-making table.

Companies are focusing on central needs

The job market for accountants is outperforming other areas of the general job market, with companies hiring professionals to address growth initiatives and manage increasing workloads, often the result of understaffed departments. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who have not only solid technical accounting expertise but also the necessary commercial skills to improve efficiencies throughout the organisation, address budget concerns and drive new business opportunities. Companies need staff to manage and support these initiatives.