Thomas Smith

Thomas Smith graduated from Kent Business School in 2023 with a BSc in Accounting and Finance. He is currently finding success in as a Group Accountant at Johnson Matthey, having secured a place on their graduate programme. This exciting role provides him with the opportunity to explore the many areas of finance as he rotates between departments whilst completing his ACCA qualification.

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

Since graduation and starting my new job, I have become aware of the different areas of finance I will be able to enter as I am in a rotational role.

Currently my position is tailored to focusing on financial statements and in-depth analysis of the numbers which make up these statements. For my next rotations, I am looking to gain more commercial awareness in areas such as procurement.

I have also started progressing further towards my ACCA qualification (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). I knew long before finishing university that I wanted to go down this career path, especially with the number of exam exemptions you are given for studying accounting and finance at Kent. For reference, there are 13 ACCA exams in which I am now exempt from 8 of these due to the modules I chose. 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Due to the complexities of my company and the different functional areas I interact with, every day at work is different for me.

So far, I have been fortunate enough to work with areas such as investor relations, financial planning and analysis, R&D, sustainability and many more. The beauty of my job is that every day can be different and the jobs that you will be asked to do will always be changing.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

My professional highlight so far would be putting together a presentation for our Audit Committee which received positive feedback from our group financial controller and the committee board members. Being praised for something which you have worked on for a long time really motivates you to want to produce more great work.

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

My time at Kent helped me develop a lot of skills which I didn’t have before coming to university, whether these be academic or not. Kent helped me get to the position I am now by always pushing me to have a further understanding of my subject. The lecturers not only care about your studies but who you are as a person, and this really helps.

You are offered lots of support on getting a job in terms of career fairs, where companies will come to the university and talk about different positions, they have available for graduates. 

Student support also really helped me to tailor my CV to the finance industry by highlighting the skills employers will look for.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work? 

If you are looking to get into any career in finance, I would really suggest that you not only understand your subject inside out but also be able to apply your knowledge to real life situations.

Employers look for people who stand out and go above and beyond in interviews so be sure to research the company, their values, and different projects they are involved with. Make sure you are confident with different competency questions as lots of employers ask these.

Most importantly be confident in yourself!

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

My favourite memory at Kent would be the summer ball in my graduation year. The weather was unreal, and everyone was so happy after just finishing their exams and getting ready for summer. It made everyone reflect on university as a whole and made you feel grateful for the time we had there.

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

I wouldn’t change anything about my time at Kent; I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be for three years! You’re always pushed to be the best version of yourself and this gives you the ability to go on and do great things.

All my lecturers were fantastic and really helped me pursue my career as they made me love my subject. If anything had happened differently, I may not be in the position I am now.

Are you still in touch with other Kent alumni or academics?

I’m regularly in contact with other alumni as I made lots of friends at university – these are people who will be lifelong friends and it is great that I can visit them all over the country as we live in different places. Some of my best friends came from university and I am very grateful that them!

I also have a lot of my previous academics on LinkedIn, so we get to see what each other are up to.

What are your future ambitions?

I have a lot of ambitions for the future!  

My current job opens a lot of doors for me and, as it’s rotational, I get to experience 3 different areas of finance which will help me to choose what specific path I want to go down. I think once I finish my graduate scheme, I will have a better understanding of where I want to be in the future.

Looking forward to the future and planning where you want to be is great, but it is just as important to focus on the present and how you can make an impact day in day out.