WORK HORSE balance
Project manager/finance director at Freshwater Estates
How I make it work: The staff at the livery yard and my husband, Matt, all assist
The former accountant moved to work for her family’s construction firm three years ago, and she now juggles this demanding role with keeping a warmblood gelding called Rupert
My job…
I work alongside my stepdad, Jeremy, and mum, Sally, helping to run our family’s Newmarket-based property development business, Freshwater Estates. We specialise in small developments of around six to nine properties in the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk area. I’m currently ‘learning on the job’ and I spend a lot of time on site, but I also oversee the company’s finance function when I’m in the office. I don’t have a construction background, and so it has all been a baptism by fire as I’ve not only had to learn about a new industry but also how to run a company.
After school I became an apprentice in a Cambridge accounting firm, which led to nearly 10 years in practice. I qualified as a chartered accountant after intense study while also doing a high pressured, full-time job. Three years in at Freshwater Estates, I’m getting the hang of my varied role and I’m feeling more confident.
How I got here…
My first summer job, while I was still at boarding school, was at McDonald’s. At 17, once I could drive, I found a job at my local tack shop, which I loved. I stayed for about a year. I then moved to the meat and fish counter at Waitrose, and, following A Levels, to an estate agency in Newmarket, where I was part of the admin/finance team. At this point, I was offered the accounting apprenticeship with the firm in Cambridge, which is what kick-started my career in accountancy. I finished my Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Levels 3 and 4 and completed the Chartered exams, which gave me a good grounding in company finance, tax, and statutory financial statements, all transferable skills to the job I have now.
My horse…
I own Nepal Quality Z (Rupert), an 18hh, eight-year-old, dapple grey warmblood gelding. He’s a typical BFG, being easy going and lovely to have on the yard (I hope my livery owner agrees). I got Rupert in October 2021, at the height of the Covid horse price hike. However, the timing felt right, and we haven’t looked back.
We enjoy a bit of everything, from dressage and hacking to showjumping, doing some low level, local competitions, as well as having regular lessons. Rupert loves bananas, Trebor Extra Strong Mints and spending time in the field with his best friend, Elmo.
My horsey roots
