International Women’s Day

On International Women’s Day, our Finance Business Partner Gosia Warchol talked us through her career and how she got to where she is today…

Working with money has always been ‘my thing’ in many respects. Having graduated from university in my home country of Poland, I found a job in banking, where I  went on to become a Customer Advisor and Treasurer at Bank Zachodni WBK. While working there I started my own business, which involved buying ex-lease cars in Germany and selling them in Poland.

I have always been driven (excuse the pun) and up for a challenge, so I decided to move to Scotland 8 years ago. When I arrived, my English wasn’t the best, and I knew that I had to learn quickly. I took a lot of part-time jobs and signed up to a Tourism and Travel course at Aberdeen College.

In the same year, I was also able to complete a course in Bookkeeping which helped me take my first steps into the Oil and Gas Industry where I worked as a Junior Finance Officer.

Similar to many companies within the industry, it became a challenging place to work with the oil downturn. Despite being promoted to Assistant Financial Controller, I felt there was uncertainty in my role and decided to move on.

I decided to try for a job in the public sector and I was fortunate enough to get a job here, at Food Standards Scotland as a Finance Business Partner. I have recently had the opportunity to take my career to the next level when was promoted.

The decision to move into the public sector has been a good one for me. I have been given every opportunity to succeed, progress my career and I am fortunate to be part of a close-knit team.

I have seen a lot of different attitudes and cultures celebrating International Women’s Day. In Poland, you might be surprised to hear I received good wishes and flowers from all my male family and friends which was very welcome.

International Women’s Day is a great chance to celebrate women and the journey’s we make in our lives and careers. We should champion the opportunities that are available for women now, but there is still more work to be done.