Catherine: Contractor to Governor

I chose contracting with the Agile Talent Community as I like the flexibility.  

I've worked on the Value for Money elements of the annual audit of two local authorities and completed two governance 'deep dives' which are major reviews of a local authority's governance, 

Although I've retired from my previous career, as an academic, I'm not ready to retire completely. The GT role has enabled me to continue using my skills and knowledge. I've been made very welcome by colleagues and feel valued for my knowledge and experience. Colleagues have been very generous with their time and offered me lots of support as I refreshed my knowledge of local government audit. 

Because my pattern of work is quite variable, I'm able to fit my family and other commitments around my work. 

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys working as part of a team, is able to work flexibly and likes variety in their work. During my very long career, I've worked in over a dozen organisations, as an employee or a non-executive director - including in the private, public and voluntary sectors - and GT has the most supportive working environment that I've ever experienced. 

I have worked with ATC since Feb 2021 and have had roles in both the outsourcing and co-sourcing areas. Having only had long term permanent roles in Financial Services, I was a little nervous about moving to a contracting model and about the quality of roles I would be assigned to. However, the roles have been very well matched to my skill level and experience. I have worked as a Senior Audit Manager for a Wealth Management Platform Client leading the audit team and managing the delivery of audits. More recently I’ve been working in FS Business Risk Services on specific AML and Financial Crime related reviews.  

The outsourcing model has provided the potential to work with a range of clients across different industries, geographic locations, and organisational structures. 

ATC has also provided an excellent platform to develop more specialist knowledge in Financial Crime whilst being able to apply my knowledge of Internal Auditing. Prior to joining ATC I’ve been involved in delivering and managing a broad range of risk focused internal audits in Financial Services, but this role has provided a platform to develop more specialist knowledge.  

Being a member of the ATC has provided greater autonomy and independence over my work. It has given me the opportunity to have greater choice over my work schedule so that I can manage my workload to fit in with my other commitments such as managing the long school holidays with my two daughters (aged 10 & 12) and other parental caring responsibilities I have. Additionally, the flexibility has allowed me the capacity to further enhance my personal and professional growth through the school governor and trustee positions I hold outside of work.  The additional roles are incredibly rewarding, allowing me the opportunity to make a difference to both the local community and other areas that I care deeply about. The flexibility of the ATC model has allowed me to pursue these additional ventures.  

Grant Thornton has provided the opportunity to further expand my business network as I’ve been able to work with a variety of interesting clients as well as meeting likeminded colleagues and other subject matter experts at GT. The Agile Talent relationship managers are also incredibly supportive and proactive in ensuring that the projects I am assigned to meet the relevant expectations and time commitments that I have in mind. They are also very supportive in ensuring I can obtain the relevant guidance or resources on any queries or technical knowledge required on a project-by-project basis.