Aafiya

I graduated in 2022 with a degree in Mathematics from the University of Leicester and my first job was with JP Morgan, where a spent around a year until I was made redundant.

After that I spent six months looking and applying for finance jobs, and I finally found some luck with Bellrock. I came across an ad for a management role but thought I’d take the punt and get my name in front of them anyway. Fortunately for me, the head of finance saw my application and created a graduate position for me, and the rest is history! 

I’ve always been a numbers person. I enjoy maths and had been good at it throughout school. That said, after graduating from university, I wasn’t entirely sure what career path I wanted to pursue. JP Morgan was more IT centric. I also tried my hand at teaching and found it wasn’t really for me.

I then saw how finance could become a good fit. There are clear progression paths, such as the four-year course I am on to become a chartered global management accountant (CGMA).

Absolutely, and I am not just saying that to please the bosses! I have only been here since the start of February, and I have loved it so far.

I don’t feel like a number on a spreadsheet. Within a few days of joining, John invited me to a conference of managers and senior leaders where I got to meet the CEO and other senior people at some of our client companies. Everyone has made me feel incredibly welcome.

I’m also benefitting from opportunities to do things out of my comfort zone already, which includes presenting at a finance forum tomorrow (ask me how it goes later!). Our team is well balanced between men and women, and I feel there are definitely opportunities for women to progress up the finance structure here.

I am one of few Muslim people at Bellrock, and when I first joined it was difficult to find a private space to pray. Bellrock acted as soon as I brought it to their attention. We now have an allocated room every day which, given we are a relatively small office, I think shows they are willing to go above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome and supported.

Working full time hit me a bit at first but I quickly got used to it. Working at JP Morgan involved quite a commute, so I’m grateful that Bellrock is more local to me.

I like to keep busy once work has finished and feel like I have achieved something other than work in a day, whether that’s exercise or something a bit more relaxing such as baking. It’s important to keep some separation.