Hi, I'm Fiona.
Manager in Ethics and Regulatory Compliance and basketball player, Glasgow
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My journey so far…
I grew up in Glasgow with my parents and my brother. We lived close to Loch Lomond, so on weekends we’d go hiking in the countryside. I loved sport and played basketball for Scotland when I was in my teens. I spent lots of time training which was really good fun, but also hard work. When all my friends started going out, I found it more difficult, but at the same time it taught me resilience and commitment. I also got the opportunity to travel to different places for competitions, like Gibraltar and Malta. At school I enjoyed maths, business and PE and always thought I’d end up becoming a maths teacher. But after graduating from my finance degree, I applied for the Deloitte graduate scheme instead. Lots of people at my university were applying, and I thought it seemed like an exciting, flexible place to work with lots of different clients.
Work that matters
When I joined the firm I took accounting qualifications, but I was mainly working on internal IT audit projects, where we would look at how resilient a company’s IT system was and find ways to improve it. I’ve now moved into ethics, risk and compliance. I focus on supporting clients with their compliance, looking at a wide range of different regulations, both existing and upcoming. For example, some companies might not have a compliance policy or procedures in place for a certain regulation, so we help them implement this.
We recently did a risk assessment for a platform around online digital safety, which was really interesting. They were based in the US but had a platform in the UK, which meant they needed to comply with the Online Safety Act. I enjoy the variety of work, and no two projects are ever the same. We work with clients who are very advanced in their compliance policies and some that are starting out. I really like our team too, everyone is helpful and I work with supportive people from offices across the UK. I also enjoy the flexible working culture at Deloitte. The mix of office and home working allows me to balance my career with life, and I’ve been able to continue playing sports.
Highlights from my week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I start the week by reviewing updates to regulatory requirements and the ways they might impact clients. This includes looking at new legislation and industry best practices. | Today I attend some client workshops to talk about their compliance programmes, so that we can help them to identify any gaps. In the evening I head to basketball practice. | We have a meeting in the London office today, so we can discuss upcoming projects and decide who will manage each area. | I present some of the findings from a recent compliance audit to our client. We discuss some key risks and recommendations, as well as addressing the concerns they have. | I attend a training session on the use of AI in monitoring compliance. We explore how new tools can help to automate compliance tasks, improve efficiency, and reduce risk. After work I head for dinner with friends. |
My weekend looks like
I practice basketball with my local team in Glasgow twice a week and we have a weekly game. At home I enjoy spending time with cat, and we also go to Millport quite often, which is a little island just off Glasgow. It’s 10 miles round, so you can hire bikes and cycle or just go hiking. I also enjoy running and did a half marathon last year.
3 things I've learned
Connectivity works
I’m based in Glasgow, but lots of my team are in London and Birmingham. We still work really collaboratively, splitting our time between online meetings and in-person meet-ups.
There’s more than one way
I’ve learned that there are many ways to solve big problems. By working across various areas of the firm, I’ve gained different perspectives and it’s expanded the way I think.
Take initiative
During my five years at Deloitte, I’ve been encouraged to work independently as well as with my team, which has taught me how to manage ambiguity and made me more self-reliant.
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Fiona's movie recommendation
Legally Blonde
My favourite movie is Legally Blonde, which follows the story of a young student lawyer. It’s a fun movie, but at the same time it challenges our biases, and encourages people to stay true to themselves, even if others are underestimating you.
