At WSA, we love taking on new talent and fresh eyes, but we also enjoy celebrating members of the team who have dedicated a long time to WSA. One member of staff who has seen our agency grow over the years is our Finance Manager, Elaine Carter, who recently achieved 13 years at WSA! Below, she shares her story of getting into finance, her experience so far and her hopes for the future.
What interested you in getting into finance?
I started a 2-year business and finance course at Aylesbury College with the second year of the course being a placement within a company to gain vital experience in business and finance. My placement was at Sony Music in their Accounts Payable department. I was nervous but excited to have my work experience in such a massive company. After the first 6 months of me joining Sony as a work experience person they offered me a permanent position which I was extremely thrilled with, I had begun to enjoy the world of accounts, this was extremely strange as I hated maths in school!
I left Sony after a few years, was sad about it as I loved the job, but I had met Gary, my husband and we were looking to move out of our family homes and move in together and we had found a lovely house in Stoke Hammond near Milton Keynes, brand new just been built. Very quickly after leaving Sony, I found myself another accounts Job with a Vehicle Air Conditioning Company based in Milton Keynes, I was looking after not just accounts payable but all aspects of company accounts. I had realised that working with numbers was fun!
I married Gary and after a couple of years I fell pregnant with our first child, Ben, I had planned on returning to my job after my maternity leave but I was thrown a curveball and Ben was born 9 weeks early and was extremely poorly, he was a fighter and pulled through but it made Gary and I realise how precious life is and I decided to be a stay-at-home mum, 17 months later I had Sophie. I was ready to get back into work after having my children and when they were at a school-age I needed something more than The Tweenies and Teletubbies to work my brain! I applied for a part-time Accounts Assistant at Walters Snowdon Advertising Ltd and I was offered an interview.
I arrived at WSA for the interview climbed the stairs to knock on the door but missed the first step and stumbled headfirst towards the door, I managed to stop myself before head butting the door, I composed myself and adjusted my clothing and gave a gentle knock.
Once that door opened there was no turning back, the interview went well and thankfully the door remained open for me as I was given the Job! I was so excited as the team and Jane seemed so very nice and friendly and even on the interview, I felt like I could fit in here. I have not looked back since.
What was it like when you first started?
If I remember there was only around 10 people working in a small office above a private dental practice in Bletchley. WSA was in the process of looking for bigger premises as they were expanding and after 6 months of me joining, we moved to a lovely much larger office in Auckland Park, I watched the company grow and employ more people and soon we had once again outgrown our current premises we were a fierce agency growing and expanding our client base and staff it was a pleasure to be part of.
We moved to where we are now, South House, Mount Farm, just down the road from our old office, this office is spacious and accommodated the growing agency. Personally, I have progressed from being an Accounts Assistant to now Finance Manager and running the WSA accounts department solo. I started out in beginning working two days a week and now I am Finance Manager I am working five days a week alongside an amazing team!
What are your future plans for your career at WSA?
I plan on staying at WSA for as long as I can, I know a good thing when I see it and it’s not just my job I love it’s the people too, I have worked with and currently work with some amazing people and I class them as my WSA Family.
I have worked with some amazing people past and present, and I enjoy the social aspect of my job which is a big bonus, my job is great, and the people are great too. WSA is a fantastic communications agency to work for and Jane has been a wonderful boss right from the start she was so flexible with me and my small family, you know how it is when they are small, picking up all sorts of bugs and germs and passing them kindly on to me and then having to start late due to celebrating their successes at school with celebration assemblies!
I have grown with the company and the training and support I have received has got me to where I am now, and I thank Jane and all my colleagues for that. Here’s to the next 13 years and more!
