James Hallewell - One Year Anniversary
We would like to give a huge congratulations to James on his one-year anniversary with Platform Smart!
James joined the team as our Management Accountant last year and instantly made a positive impact on our back-office team, taking control of our management reporting, account reconciliation, and analysis, as well as overseeing the complex financial administration of some of our biggest accounts. Over the past few months, James has shown himself to be a vital member of our team through his role in our recent CMap implementation and assisting in all areas across the back-office function.
In the last year, James has helped create and refine robust processes and controls throughout Platform Smart. His drive for delivering the highest quality of work on a daily basis is unwavering no matter what task or problem he is presented with, from invoice generation to budget preparation or stakeholder reporting.
We have known James for a number of years, so it was no surprise that he fitted right into Platform Smart and embodies the culture and ethos we strive for. He has a contagious, positive outlook and I’m so glad to have him on the team.
A massive thanks to James for everything you have brought to Platform Smart over the last 12 months; we couldn’t be where we are without you.
To celebrate James’ last 12 months, we asked him a few questions:
You’ve worked in many finance roles now, what makes this one different?
What makes my current role at Platform Smart different is that it allows me to see and experience the full end-to-end process. Having worked for previous businesses with rather large finance functions, I became only really exposed to my specific area and, while in many ways this was great as you became a bit of a specialist in that area, I much prefer having that greater exposure and overall view.
This is the second time you’ve worked for Graham; what made you want to work for him again?
Well… apart from getting a little fed up with the relentless badgering to come work for him, there were many reasons I wanted to work for Graham again. I’ve known Graham for over 10 years now, working with him professionally for the first three but then also becoming good friends, which we remain to this day, so I felt I really knew who I’d be working for. It was also a great opportunity to work for a great company, and I really trusted that with Graham knowing me so well, the role was a good fit for both me and the company.
Is there anything in your personal life that you are looking forward to in the next couple of months?
I do have a small getaway planned with my wife and son in September that I’m very much looking forward to, but overall, the next couple of months are rather quiet for me, which is perfect!
I’m currently trying to recover both mentally and financially from a really busy few months that consisted of holidays, birthdays, stag do’s, friend’s weddings, and most recently, a cruise around Spain and Portugal to witness and celebrate my sister and her husband’s wedding onboard the Ventura, with 70 of their nearest and dearest. It’s been a fantastic few months, but I am just looking forward to getting back to some normality and just enjoying some quiet time with the family.
We’ve heard that you like to watch planes land… what’s the appeal of plane watching?
Oh, it’s so much more than just planes landing… although, on a day with strong crosswinds, watching planes trying to land is probably one of my favourites.
Personally, I love the bigger commercial airliners and fast jets, so the appeal for me is watching the sheer size of an A380 come over your head to land or the rumble from the engines of a Eurofighter Typhoon buzzing past you.
My favourite experience is Maho Beach in St. Maarten in the Caribbean, where you have 777’s flying as low as 50 ft over your head to land. It goes without saying that certainly made everyone a fan of plane-watching that day. I have proposed a work trip out there, but unfortunately, it’s yet to be signed off.
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