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Kate
Kate is entering some unchartered waters at the British Heart Foundation. She has been keeping herself busy over the last four months with the annual cycle of planning and budgeting, but she is also rapidly approaching her first year-end figures as head of finance.
And if handling the year-end on your own for the first time weren't enough, it's also going to be the first time the organisation has attempted a fully electronic audit.
'We've had the auditors in to discuss the best way to do it,' explains Kate. 'We hope to post everything on a website. It makes sense to do it this way as we get a variety of auditors coming in asking for the same documentation.'
Kate is determined to stamp her mark on this year's process and talks a great deal about improving communication with the department's internal customers.
'People often complain about not being told what they have to do during this process, so I'm aiming to change that. 'It will be done my style,' she adds.
People issues
Although still feeling her way through the potentially tricky minefield of people management, Kate is becoming more comfortable with handing out responsibility to others.
'It's a real shift - letting others take responsibility rather than working things out myself. Delegation is a skill I have learned.'
These delegation skills were fully tested during the formation of the department's plan for the coming three years, which Kate describes as 'a real team effort'.
One of the most significant challenges for the team will be addressing improvements to the BHF's accounting software.
'We will be rewriting our coding structure - the nuts and bolts of the accounting package,' she says. 'Essentially, it's housekeeping, but it is a huge undertaking.'
Veronika
Veronika has hardly had time to catch her breath since we last caught up with her. She had been finalising the year-end figures in her internal audit role at JP Morgan and planning for next year. At the time of speaking she was also looking forward to bonus season - always a good time at investment companies.
But it has been the more exotic experiences that have stood out for her, such as a recent trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. 'It was great, although it is a strange city. You can't move freely around - or at least they don't advise you to go walking around with a laptop. It was hotel, car, office, car, hotel and I didn't get to explore much.' The company tried to make up for this by organising a safari for the visitors, and even helping out with the expense.
Foreign affairs
Of the work itself, JP Morgan is the biggest equities player in Joburg and Veronika was involved in the audit process from start to finish. 'It's a different style of work there,' she says. 'People are more relaxed and keen to listen to us. They're also happy to make the improvements we recommend, which is not always the case elsewhere.'
She hopes the trip has helped establish good relations with the Joburg team as she will be in regular contact with them in future.
The coming year looks set to be more focused on Moscow. The establishment of equities trading in the Russian capital is an opportunity for Veronika to shine in her home country and show she can 'cope with challenges'.
Veronika is not planning on any big moves this year, but wants to make sure she is in pole position should opportunities arise.
'I need to become louder in delivering the message to management about my achievements. I have to start thinking about promotion. To achieve this I have to become more transparent to my managers. I also plan to develop stronger relationships with my stakeholders so they can provide positive feedback to management.'
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