Careers
Why now is the time to join our Finance team
We’re chatting to Hannah in our lovely Finance team, who tells us about her experience since she joined us, and why now is a great time to join a growing team here at Severn Trent.
Can you tell us a little about you and your role at Severn Trent?
I’m currently the Finance Business Partner for Technology – this means I have primary responsibility for all things finance relating to our tech department! I have a team of analysts and our key responsibilities include reporting and analysing our actuals, building budgets and business plans, and ensuring our tech team can make well-informed decisions.
I originally joined Severn Trent in 2019 in the Group Finance team after completing my Chartered Accountancy qualification with EY. I’ve done a variety of roles in technical, business partnering teams and have since been promoted.
Congratulations on your promotion, Hannah! Could you tell us, what do you enjoy most about your role?
Every day is different! I am part of the Technology Leadership team and involved in the strategic and commercial decision making which is really interesting. I work with an amazing team and it’s great to be involved in shaping the future of the department and being able to make a real difference on not only the direction of Finance but also the direction of the company.
Why do you think now really is the best time to join Severn Trent?
We have just created one of our most ambitious plans (PR24) which we are working on hard to ensure we plan for 2025 to 2030 (AMP8) as part of the plan we are making some ‘big bets’. Tech plays a huge part in our plans and recently I have been involved in one of them, with our new customer operating system, Kraken – a system which uses artificial intelligence. This is a huge programme with involvement from all across the business, so it is really interesting to be in the centre of it, working closely with our commercial and technology teams.
We have also just raised £1 billion of investment to help finance our big plans for AMP8 so there is so much going on and to get involved with!
Wow, that’s a big number, it really does sound like we need some great people to join us to help us spend that money wisely. What’s the best thing about working at Severn Trent in Finance?
The culture and the people are great, promoting collaborative working and it really is the kind of place you can make friends.
There are also so many opportunities for progression and development. In just five years, I have been in three different teams so you can get really different experiences!
So, tell us a little more about the areas and roles we have in the Finance team?
We have such a variety of areas across finance and it’s great to have them all in one building. From business partnering to technical accounting, there really is something for everyone.
I started Severn Trent in the central Group Finance team which was focused on group consolidation and technical accounting. I was then promoted to Capital Accounting Manager, leading a team to deliver the capitalisation process for our high profile capital programme. After being in technical roles, I wanted a more commercial role to broaden my experiences, so I moved into the Business Partnering team, which has been completely different!
Sounds like you’ve really been able to develop a broad mix of skills when it comes to the world of finance. So tell us, why do you think it’s a great company to be part of?
Severn Trent has strong values, with a real focus on customers, the environment and employees enabling us to grow and lead the way for the industry. We have also recently had a new CFO, Helen Miles, being the first FTSE100 company to have women occupying the top three roles which is exciting!
And finally, what would you say to anyone thinking of applying to Severn Trent Finance department?
Why not? It really is an exciting time to work at Severn Trent – ambitious plans, and a real social purpose to make a difference for the future and you can be a part of it. Severn Trent believe in developing people so there are loads of opportunities for you and your career. Not only that we are doing so much to help our communities around us and you can play a part in that as well.
Well thanks so much for chatting with us Hannah, you’ve not only helped us understand more about the roles in Finance but also why over the next few years is a great time to join us. Fancy joining us? We've got lots of roles in our finance and across the business, so if you don't see a job right now, it's always best to keep on checking.