Young Quartet Fly High in Finance at Teesside as Team Seeks New Addition

A promising finance squad at Teesside Airport is seeking a new addition as its team members work towards gaining a string of qualifications.

The quartet of James Bartram, Kathryn Bolton, Kieron Macdonald and Elizabeth Rowell have all chalked up valuable experience in their roles overseeing the coffers of Teesside Airport.

Now the Tees Valley Combined Authority is recruiting for another Finance Officer looking to progress in their qualifications.

Lizzie, 24, and James, 22, are training to become Chartered Accountants, while Kieron, 21, and Kathryn, 33, are working towards AAT Accounting Qualifications.

All four have taken different routes into their professions.

Lizzie, from Darlington, has been in her job for two-and-a-half years in her first role after leaving university.

Meanwhile, Kathryn, from Billingham, entered her job two years ago after working as a care assistant for six years before moving into Administration and Payroll jobs.

Lizzie said: “It was all very new to me but doing the course this has helped me an awful lot with my confidence – and my work has got a lot better.”

Kieron, from Ingleby Barwick, has worked with the team for just over a year after starting an Apprentice at the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

While James completed an Accountancy and Finance degree at Teesside University and is now looking to work towards his qualifications.

“There’s a lot of openness – everyone just says it as it is and is very honest,” said Kieron.

“It makes it a very easy environment to bring problems up and fix them.”

The tight knit team has learned from one another.

Away from work, James keeps his weekends busy following Darlington FC on Saturdays and running the Shuttle and Loom Sunday football team.

He enjoys the variety of experiences in his job.

“When we took on the additional role, we all took on things we wouldn’t necessarily do so early on our careers, and we’ve had plenty of backing.”

Kieron added: “It gives you exposure to very different work environments.”

Julie Gilhespie is now Chief Executive of the Tees Valley Combined Authority – but her background in finance saw her cut her teeth at Deloitte before rising through the ranks.

She said: “I couldn’t be more pleased to see young talent learning and growing on our watch.

“We’ve plenty of exciting and interesting work for our staff to get their teeth into, and it’s a real pleasure to see how James, Kathryn, Lizzie and Kieron have all taken different career paths to reach where they are now.

“All four of the team are Tees Valley-based and it’s great to see them forging promising careers close to home with us.

“All their experiences show we like to nurture and push our talent – and we hope to keep doing this well into the future.”