Sarah Abrahams, 30, leads Grant Thornton’s national growth finance business, providing advisory services for businesses seeking up to £10m in external finance. She also sits on the advisory committee of the EIS Association and lectures at Cranfield University on entrepreneurial finance as part of its MBA programme.

What made you choose accountancy as a career?

In my role I work with smaller clients which typically have a turnover below £10m. Therefore I often work with the founders themselves and what excites me is that these people are the innovators and the people that are disrupting markets, from coming up with new technologies and solutions to different market problems.

These clients are very open to advice and respectful of our experience and knowledge through working with other companies. It is really rewarding when the clients take the advice on board and you can then see the direct impact on the business. This is what drew me to the industry because owner managers and founders are very passionate people and their enthusiasm rubs off on you and it is so rewarding that you can support them.

Do you have any regrets?

My only regret is that I wish I had done an ACA qualification as well as my corporate finance qualification because in my team I have members that have the more technical skill set. My skill set is focused on the fundraising process and piecing the project together whereas others can review financial models and it is not that I cannot do it, but I appreciate that people have better skills in that area.

How do you keep up to date with your technical information/training?

I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments so I get updates on technical knowledge through them. I am also a member of various institute bodies which are relevant to my industry. I spend a lot of my evenings and mornings networking and going to conferences as I like to hear as many views and opinions as possible and know what other people in the market are thinking to help me shape my own views.

What is the most important skill to have in accountancy?

Curiosity. You need to be open to how the market is evolving. As an adviser I think companies really look to you to be up to date with different legislation and changes in regulations. Also to know about deals that have been completed and to have knowledge of the various trends in each sector. I think you have to be curious to maintain that level of knowledge.

What is the favourite part of your role?

My favourite part is when I see the companies that I am working with secure the funding but also to see how they evolve along the process. We have a client that we are working with at the moment who we have just completed a deal for. They originally came to us just looking for half a million and we just closed the deal for £5m. It is those little stories that I love.

…and the least favourite?

As we are working with much earlier staged companies, the founders themselves are less experienced. Sometimes you have to deliver difficult news and explain to businesses early on that they are unable to secure the funding that they need.

What advice would you give to graduates?

To surround themselves by as many people as they can. I was really fortunate to have someone that took me under their wing, mentored me and gave me opportunities to go in her place to networking events. Although this was outside my comfort zone, looking back that was how I built my network and certainly how I grew more confident in my views and opinions on the market.

Surround yourself by people that have a lot of knowledge that you can learn from. The thing that made me progress was always putting my hand up to help and get involved in projects. When I could see senior colleagues that were stretched working on interesting projects I would always volunteer to help or to get involved. They are always thankful for help even though they would not necessarily think to ask for support however, when you put yourself forward it is always well received and you get a great opportunity.

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