Louise Patey worked in our audit team between 2002 and 2005 and has gone on to take senior finance roles in the film and entertainment industry – becoming friends with celebrities like Peppa Pig and Paddington in the process. In this interview, Louise shares some of her career highlights.
Tell us about your time with us
I decided not to go to university and instead gained my AAT qualification at a construction company. After a few years in the job, I wanted to get greater experience and so started applying for trainee roles at audit firms. At the time, it was unusual for audit trainees not to have gone to university and many potential employers were put off by my lack of a degree. Thankfully, CLB – which subsequently merged with Littlejohn Frazer – was more forward-thinking, saw my potential and gave me a chance. I spent three very happy years at the firm between 2002 and 2005.
What are some of your highlights from your time here?
I really enjoyed my three years in the Business Services audit team here. I worked on a wide variety of clients, which gave me broad experience and prevented me from getting pigeon-holed into a particular niche. I particularly enjoyed auditing Jersey trusts (which gave me the opportunity for regular visits to the Channel Islands) and a wine maker (for obvious reasons)! I was given responsibility early on and worked with some incredible people. I was also given a lot of support during my exams, which I appreciated. The firm has always prided itself on its family ethos and I can understand why; I’m still friends with many people that I worked with, almost two decades since I left.Â
What did you learn?
I was always encouraged to ask questions and be inquisitive. That mindset has stayed with me throughout my career. Many years later, I found out that the firm had adopted ‘curiosity’ as one of its Values, which I felt was appropriate.
What did you do next?
I’d always planned to go back to industry and had a long-term ambition of working in the media and entertainment sector. However, it’s a difficult industry to enter so I had to take a strategic approach. I started working as a Finance Manager in an IT business, then moved to a major magazine publisher and then finally got my chance at Entertainment One – a listed entertainment business. Although many of us will recognise the name from the credits at the end of episodes of Peppa Pig, Entertainment One also has a film production and distribution arm, and has been involved in high profile movies such as ‘12 Years a Slave’, ‘The BFG’ and the ‘Twilight’ series. It was an incredible experience as I had significant line management responsibility in a fast-paced and dynamic organisation.
From there, I moved to Britbox to support its international operations by helping to introduce new financial processes. And I’m currently at StudioCanal, a film production and distribution company that has recently released ‘Back to Black’ and ‘Paddington in Peru’, providing maternity cover for the UK CFO.
Has working in entertainment lived up to your expectations?
At both Entertainment One and StudioCanal, the finance teams are embedded into the wider organisations and play an active role in supporting creative ideas and decision-making – so I really feel like I’m part of the core process. And, yes, I do also get invited to red carpet events like the BAFTAs and film premieres. As it happens, I was in Leicester Square recently for the premiere of ‘Paddington in Peru’.
What do you miss most about your time with us?
I know that everyone says this, but it’s the people! And I do still value everything that I learnt working here for three years – it’s really helped me to understand the audit process from both sides and to appreciate some of the subjective judgements that need to be made.
And what’s next for you?
My maternity cover role ends soon, so we’ll have to see what the future holds. I’d love to continue to work in the entertainment industry in a role that enables me to manage people and support them in their career progression. So watch this space!