Lindsay Wilbraham talks about her career and the overarching International Women’s Day theme, Investing in Women: Accelerate Progress. Lindsay received investment from Integral through career change support, an apprenticeship, and career progression which has led her to be remarkably dedicated and one whose passion for her role in finance is hard to beat, driving her to accomplish great things.
International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. When we support, empower, and invest in women, we are forging a more inclusive environment and shaping a better world.
Lindsay, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I joined Integral about 5 or 6 years ago. I was part of a TUPE transfer from an Integral client account, the Crown Estate. The incumbent service provider was replaced by Integral and so the team inherited me, but since then, I haven’t looked back.
Since coming on board in the way I did, I’ve never been treated differently. Everyone I have had interactions with has treated me the same as any other employee. I’ve not had that feeling whilst working for a company before so I’m very happy here. I think it was a great opportunity for me when the contract got taken over by Integral, it was a step change in the right direction.
Where did your career begin?
I started in contract support, as a contract administrator on the operations side, booking subcontractors, arranging visits, managing paperwork and emails, and logging jobs. In that career path, I felt I had hit the ceiling and there wasn’t a way to break through and was left thinking – where do I go from here?
So, I took it upon myself to get involved with the financial side of the contract. I asked my Integral manager at the time if I could get involved with the invoicing, to have a look at profit and loss, and to attend some of the finance calls with the wider business and our finance business partners so I could begin to understand and get my feet under the table in that area.
I quickly realised I loved it, I found it interesting and thought this was the career path I wanted. My manager at the time, supported my choice and helped me get onto the apprenticeship scheme for the AAT studies with Kaplan.
When Integral didn’t retain the contract in 2022 I was faced with a choice, do I TUPE transfer to the next provider or do I try to stay with Integral? My first choice was to stay with Integral and see if what other opportunities I could sink my teeth into, and through communication Seamus Brennan, Divisional Finance Director, reached out to me and said from my apprenticeship scheme, the learning and detail of study, and from what he’d seen me do in my current role, he suggested joining the finance team could be a next step for me.
How has your first step into finance been?
I’ve been a part of the team for just over a year now, and every day is a learning curve. People have perceptions of finance roles, and even my eyes were opened to the amount of work this team undertakes. There is so much information that needs to be reviewed and analysed, and I have loved getting involved in each step. I also now understand the volume, detail, and effort from multiple team members that goes into say, five slides or two spreadsheets in a board report.
The team itself is wonderful, they are a great mix of people. They are all very supportive and are happy to share knowledge and collaborate, so I’m very happy.
What are you most proud of since your transition to a financial analyst?
I’m most proud of bridging the gap I found between finance and operations. It’s a gap that some would likely not notice, but because I have come from the operations side, I understand how both work and when is the best time to communicate specific details, as a result we have been able to work more cohesively throughout the whole process.
Now it is about working together to make sure that not only am I providing the OPS teams with the information that is useful at the times that benefit them and their work but I make sure both sides receive communication on the project, so we all remain aligned.
What makes you jump out of bed and start work in the morning?
Firstly, my team as they are brilliant. Our team currently is an equal split of people I think, and each person brings their talent to the team and is happy to share and collaborate. We work well together.
Secondly, I love what I do. I love a challenge and finance is quite black and white, well black and red, and if it isn’t working out then I enjoy finding solutions and mapping plans with the team.
How do you think you are helping to shape the future of real estate and facilities management for a better world?
I think with efficiency. We try and make the client experience as smooth as possible and save time and energy where we can. I find with engineering there are options, and different ways to find a solution but with finance, you don’t have that. It’s very crystal clear. It either works or it doesn’t. You’re in the black or you’re in the red. It’s factual and I find that if we make that process easier, understandable, and well communicated then we save time for our clients and our admins, making for a more efficient process.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Well, the theme is investing in women, and I have been directly impacted by investment from Integral for my apprenticeship and career change. By investing in me, Integral has empowered me to train in something new, find a career that I love, and make a difference that positively impacts not only my team but the teams I work with.
It is so important, especially in our industry, that we empower women to get involved and shape a career path that suits their skills and can create a substantial difference. I genuinely feel in Integral you would be supported no matter what you choose to do. For me it was finance and I’ve had some fantastic managers who supported me throughout.
Is there any advice or tips you would give to someone who might be thinking of a career change within the business?
I can’t just say do it, but do it 100% do it, always. Read company communications that are coming out and ask questions. We have advocates within Integral for training and learning and development, like Jill Fowler, so reach out and ask questions.
Never be afraid to ask, even if you’re asking the wrong person but show a genuine interest in a particular area, then someone will point you in the right direction. There is no harm in finding out what’s out there and I know first-hand that Integral will support you.
