At BridgePoint Group we make no secret of the fact that we place much importance on career development and continual training. Some companies say they do, but offer little in terms of a career pathway for their employees.
We put a few questions to three of our newest team members Louise Cottee, Ather Ahmed and Sabrina Khan to see what they had to say about their career development and training as well as the overall culture at BridgePoint Group.
Client Director, Louise Cottee has been with BridgePoint Group for 15 months. Ather Ahmed started at BridgePoint Group as a senior accountant 2.5 years ago. Sabrina Khan has worked with BridgePoint Group for 14 months as an accountant. Continual training has empowered Louise, Sabrina and Ather (as you will read below) and these three colleagues chat to us about the value they received from the in-house training and development.
We Value Continual Training
Training is always on the agenda at BridgePoint Group with ongoing technical sessions. Louise values the monthly tax training provided by industry experts. She also likes the monthly webinars on financial statements, IFRS, corporate reporting and ongoing software training and support and says “the training at BridgePoint Group is top quality. This includes the orientation program and initial training each new team member receives when they come onboard.”
Ather also enjoys the monthly tax training sessions which he says are “very interactive and gratifying.” He says “I feel on-the-job training is important. As well as being client specific it provides a valuable test of my theoretical knowledge. My role has evolved significantly over the last few months. Now it involves supervising a team of four and assisting the team manager in managerial duties. When required, I also get involved in complex client issues.”
What Sessions Do Our Team Members Love The most?
The training sessions most enjoyed by the three have been the soft skill training programs, including leadership and delegation. “These provide practical guidance and empower all of us to implement the training in our respective roles,” said Louise. Sabrina also enjoyed the leadership and delegation training sessions and feels she can implement these in her day-to-day work life.
Soft skills such as leadership and interpersonal skills are as important as technical skills at BridgePoint Group. Sabrina says she has “enjoyed building on client communication and relationship management” which has rounded out her accounting skills. Ather says he has been given a great deal of confidence to grow professionally. “My technical knowledge has improved significantly. I have also got various opportunities to hone my leadership skills, such as leading the team for client related projects. I also have autonomy to make decisions which is what I enjoy the most. Soft skills such as leadership and interpersonal skills are very important in our profession,” he says.
Interesting Projects to Immerse Yourself In
With training, professional skills have been developed and you can always leverage these skills with interesting projects in order to make the most of them. Louise says “at BridgePoint Group there are always interesting projects that you are a part of, whether it is due diligence for merger and acquisition activities, business sales or structuring advice. There is always something to get your teeth into! I have enjoyed the variety and every client is different so there are always new things to learn.”
Career pathways and goals
BridgePoint Group places clear career pathways for employees and puts in place goals and actions in order to achieve this. Sabrina says “through frequent catch ups and discussion of our personal and professional career goals and action” she now has a clear idea of how she wants her career to grow.
Ather started as a senior accountant and says “the environment provided at BridgePoint Group has broadened my view and instilled confidence in me to take charge of my career and grow to become a supervisor. I have mentors at every level to guide me. I am learning skills which will help me step up to this supervisor level. And I am taking full advantage of every avenue available.”
Louise says “from the very beginning Neil and Mitchell have been open about the career prospects at BridgePoint Group and there really is an opportunity for all staff to progress and achieve what they want from their career at BridgePoint Group.”
Talking About Culture at BridgePoint Group
The culture at BridgePoint group is often described as friendly, collegiate and professional and that’s how Sabrina finds it and tells us her team members are “approachable.” Louise says the culture is inclusive and based on trust. “BridgePoint Group values each team member and supports them on their own personal and career journey” she says. For Ather he sees it as a group of individuals who are the best at what they do yet choose to stay humble. He says “my experience of BridgePoint Group is of an informal working environment yet very professional in dealing with clients. You can really speak your mind, no one will hold anything against you!”
Louise closes by saying “BridgePoint Group is a great group of people, in a collaborative and supportive environment and I really enjoy working with everyone!”
Who could be happier than that?
If you are interested in working at BridgePoint Group and can add to the wonderful, inclusive culture, then reach out to us on our careers page here and follow our LinkedIn company page.