Views from the Front Line

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Views from the Front Line

• Aidan Dunn
• Lessons learnt from my first 10 years as a CPFA

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Making the most of your Cipfa Qualification

• My Background
• This is me
• Ambitious but has a clearly defined comfort zone
• Competitive with my peer group
• Status conscious
• Keen to make a difference
• Work life balance is really important to me
• Ego

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Setting SailLocality Finance ManagerNorth Essex
HA

• Responsibility
• The novelty of having a proper job
• finishing things !
• Being professional
• On the Horizon
• New smaller organisations (PCG)
• What skills do I need
• Pushing hard for opportunities with PCGs

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Mid ChannelFinance and commissioning
managerSuffolk Health Authority

• Developing confidence
• first real line management responsibilities
• Developing communication skills with clinicians
• First time Im standing on my own two feet
• On the Horizon
• PCGs becoming PCTs
• Where is my future?
• What do I really want to do?

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On the High SeasPCT Director of Finance and
Performance

• Encouraged to apply.
• Scared but exhilarated
• 28 years old /  170M budget / underlying
  deficit 10M
• Finance department to be recruited
• Budgets to be set
• Finance recovery plan to be prepared
• Feeling very good about myself.

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Starting to sink

• Deficit building up
• Lack of experience beginning to show
• am I tough enough?
• Pressure to say everything is ok
• Hugely challenging boss
• Audit threat of report in public interest
• Less and less time to sort the problems out
  media handling and auditor handling
• After 3 years forecast deficit of 20M

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Liferaft !Moving to Local Government

• Clearly time to move on
• Used my networks
• But gave poor interview (confidence)
• Is it rehab?
• Loss of status and responsibility

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Land Ahoy !

• Assistant Director of
• Finance
• Initial lack of adrenalin
• Once I got my mindset right - exciting
• Can apply the skills I have learnt
• On the horizon
• Local Government Reorganisation
• CSR

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Lessons I have learnt

• Know yourself take time to reflect
• Interview your boss
• Recruit a good team and keep them motivated
• Learn to manage people who are technical experts
• Nurture your networks
• Seek inspiration
• Restructures are an opportunity
• Have a mentor
• Dont be a martyr - Prepare for interviews

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Whats the rush ?