About Justine McCosh | Accountant

Justine is from New Zealand and completed her secondary education and primary degree there. She moved to London and worked in the Banking sector for a while. She then studied to become a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA), and after moving to Dublin, took up a position in the ESB.

Interview

How did you go about getting your current job?

I joined a few different Recruitment Consultants which specialised in Finance, Accounting and Banking. I found the Recruitment Consultants very helpful as they offered to meet me before my interview to go through any questions I might have, and continued to give me support throughout the process.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities of your job?

The main tasks and responsibilities are:

• Efficient management of the cash, so the Group Treasury accounts are not overdrawn, and getting unnecessary interest charges, or sitting on excess funds that could have been earning interest.
• Providing Treasury advice to all ESB Business Units.
• The management of Interest Rate and FX risk
• Funding for the ESB Group, raising funds through short-term and long-term loans as required/appropriate.
• Timely and accurate reporting of Treasury positions to Group Accounting and the ESB Board, on a monthly basis.
• IAS39 reporting.
• Other reporting, such as Half Year and Year End.

Does your job allow you to have a career you are happy with?

Yes, working in Group Treasury at ESB allows me to have a very good lifestyle. I have a good work/life balance and ESB has a company culture which encourages this.

The ESB has a staff gym so many people attend lunch time classes, or 5-a-side football matches, or go to classes after work.

There are also really good chances for progression within the ESB, and opportunities to move between different departments.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I attended secondary school in New Zealand and I took a variety of subjects, but I only took one year of Accounting and Economics. Therefore doing these at Stage One at University was more difficult than it would have been if I had taken finance subjects the whole way through school.

I think, in hindsight, it would have been easier if I had done finance subjects throughout school, but on the other hand, taking a variety of subjects in school is a good way to see where your interests and strengths lie.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Any type of Banking Operations work would help provide an idea of the Cash Management and Funding aspects of the Treasury role. Especially if you are working to deadlines and involved in processing Cash transactions in a banking environment.

What advice would you give someone considering this job?

I think a degree or background in Finance is important. Work experience in the Finance Industry was useful for me to make the move between a banking role and moving to a Group Treasury role in a company, and most of my colleagues have also worked in Investment Banking prior to this.

Related links

• Visit careersportal.ie