Michael Donnelly - Accounting and Finance Programme
I started on the Graduate Programme in July 2003, so you would I think I should feel like a veteran within the company. This is definitely not the case; every day is a learning experience as the Quinn Group is a rapidly growing varied organisation with interests in the Manufacturing, Hospitality, Property and Financial Services industries.
I gained my experience in the Financial Services and firstly the Manufacturing industry. My first task was in the sales and dispatch department of the Rooftiles factory. It was invaluable experience of how a business operates, the demands of customers and how to communicate effectively - especially with lorry drivers.
After a few months I moved to the accounts department where I spent the next two years. In this time I gained experience of cash management, debtors' ledger, purchase ledger, credit control and the general ledger. During the time I gradually progressed to preparing the management and statutory accounts for two of the Manufacturing companies. I also prepared the statutory accounts for the Group pension fund as well as transferring the deductions to the pension fund on a monthly basis. During my time in Manufacturing I successfully completed my professional exams with the institute.
In my third year I moved to Quinn Direct where I experienced how the insurance industry operates. I was involved with updating and accounting for the investment funds, something that I would recommend. I don't know of anywhere else you could get such close exposure to large volumes of transactions on the stock exchange.
I was offered the position of Finance Manager in Quinn Plastics earlier this year, which is my current role. I have a team of 4 people and we are responsible for the financial reporting in this Division. This shows the opportunities that are available to graduates to progress within the Quinn Group.
