A young woman who started out working on reception at a top bakery is now helping to steer the company\u2019s finances after qualifying as an accountant.<\/p>\n
Lauren Ashman, 28, said support from bosses at the award-winning Jones Village Bakery in Wrexham and her own determination to succeed had spurred her on.<\/p>\n
She joined the firm as an admin assistant straight from Coleg Cambria 10 years ago when her duties included working as a receptionist.<\/p>\n
With backing from the company, she studied hard and has now qualified as a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).<\/p>\n
Lauren, who lives in Wrexham, said: \u201cI came in on a business admin NVQ and learned all the admin functions, including working on reception. learning a bit about HR, understanding what different departments did, helping the payroll department a bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a really useful learning exercise, it showed me so much, because you don\u2019t anticipate how much goes into a business.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou learn about each department, how people talk to clients, how they communicate with each other and as a business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat work was really good for me because I was quite shy when I was younger, and now I can see the difference in myself, speaking to people I don\u2019t know with confidence, something I wouldn\u2019t have dreamt of doing 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CGMA qualification from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants\u00a0 was fully funded by Village Bakery, so I studied in my own time but all the resources and exam fees were all paid for by the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did the qualification on self-study, following a really good online platform which gave you tuition videos and study materials and you could speak to a tutor if you wanted to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was effectively like being at university but not attending lectures, it was all in your own time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a lot of work so I am really proud of myself to be honest.<\/p>\n
Jones Village Bakery\u2019s Chief Financial Officer Abbey Richardson was delighted for Lauren and said she was a great example of how the company supports its staff.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cLauren\u2019s success and career development very much says Village Bakery invests in its people.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see people growing and developing through the business is a real success story for us. We try to train and develop people as much as we can.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen Lauren coming in as a young person and working really hard through her exams.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is very challenging and her qualification is testament to her hard work and resilience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a lot to be studying and working full-time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am really pleased this kind of career development happens here, and I am really pleased I have got to see Lauren develop and grow into a well-rounded, confident and qualified accountant.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe great thing about working in finance in a manufacturing environment is that you get to really understand how business works, you get a really good breadth of experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cLauren has worked really, really hard on this and she thoroughly deserves it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of her, we\u2019re all really proud of her.\u201d<\/p>\n
HR manager Jason Page said developing staff from within the firm was a key ethos and one of the reasons the company continues to grow.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe roots of the business is that of a family-run business, and that means we want to nurture and grow our own talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we could see such potential in Lauren, there was a real appetite to invest in her career development.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has worked fantastically hard through her qualifications and deserves this success.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is fantastic to see Lauren succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been really good stewardship and mentoring provided by the company, as high up as the financial directors, to help her navigate through her career path.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is something we like to do, we have some great examples across the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason said Lauren\u2019s success gave the message to others that joining Jones Village Bakery could result in a long-term and enjoyable career.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe message is always \u2018come and join us\u2019 if you have the right attitude and have an appetite to grow and you want a career.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a massively growing business, a large-scale operation and we have career opportunities in so many sectors – finance, IT, commercial, HR, to name just a few.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking for talented people to come and join us and help us carry on with our success.\u201d<\/p>\n