I feel like I can still have a career and be a mum

The road to Grant Thornton 

While at university, I had a summer placement at a large professional services firm in Global Mobility Tax. By the time I was ready to start my career, this experience led me to a small firm specialising in UK private client tax. I was so lucky to work with supportive partners who shaped my working style to this day. At the time, though – like a lot of ambitious twentysomethings – the lack of progression opportunities at a small firm left me hungry for more. 

I rejoined the larger professional services firm, starting in the compliance team to grasp the basics before moving into a relationship-focused role. The experience of working with big, well-known clients was invaluable and exciting, but, after eight years, I started to miss the technical challenges and joy of hands-on problem-solving for our clients. I transitioned to a private client team internally but after a year, I still felt like something was missing. 

That's when I explored new opportunities and was drawn to Grant Thornton. Initially hesitant about joining another large firm, the genuine and reassuring conversations during the interview convinced me to take the plunge.

When I joined, I quickly noticed the difference. The size of the Global Mobility Tax team allowed me to manage every aspect of my clients' needs, from bidding to payroll. This felt incredibly fulfilling and brought me back to what I valued most about my career. 

Becoming an Associate Director 

By the time I started at Grant Thornton, I’d missed a few promotion rounds at my previous firm due to moving between teams. The firm was incredibly supportive, valuing my growth and experience from other companies to put me on the path to becoming a manager.

Within six months, I proved my technical skills and was promoted. Two years later, I became an Associate Director (AD).  

Although my career progression at Grant Thornton has been quick, my overall journey to manager and AD was longer than for some other people – but I wouldn’t change it. It was only by having a breadth of different experiences that I had the skills and knowledge needed to progress quickly once I had the right chance. 

Creating a new path after maternity leave 

After a few years at the firm, I welcomed my daughter into the world. Reflecting on it now, I can see that coming back to work was quite a journey!  

Before leave, I was confident and career-driven, determined to maintain all my client relationships. But balancing work and life took time. I arranged to work full-time over four days to spend one day with my daughter, which was key. 

Despite my determination, I felt behind after 14 months away, leading to a loss of confidence and sense of imposter syndrome. The team had changed, and I felt like a newcomer. The flexible working arrangement was brilliant, but I found myself working extra hours to prove I could do everything I did before – plus more.  

This wasn’t sustainable and something needed to change. To find my footing, I started receiving the return-to-work coaching and soon learned that I couldn't simply slot back into my old path; I needed to create a new one. I started to embrace how my experiences during my leave had changed me. I’d learned a new set soft skills that I could channel into my career, so it was rewarding to start using those to focus more on the business development side of my role while building my technical knowledge again. 

My mindset since having my daughter has completely shifted. I value my time with her and don't want work to encroach on it, but that doesn’t mean I care less about my work.  I needed to find a flow that works for me, my team and clients. My teams and clients respect my schedule, knowing I won’t be available on Fridays.  

Without this flexibility, I couldn’t be productive and be present both at home and at work. The firm understands that we all have lives outside of work, which means I can continue my career while being a dedicated mother – something that didn’t always feel possible.  

Championing career support for mothers 

Since I became a parent, I’ve become a big advocate for supporting women and their careers when they return from maternity leave. 

As part of the firm’s Inclusion and Diversity initiatives, I’ve started to share my own experience with other mothers – new, expectant, and experienced ones. Being open has encouraged others to be honest about their similar experience as well as resonate with what we are all feeling when returning to work, and that it is OK to feel like this. This has shown me just how important it is for employers to prepare expectant mothers for maternity leave and make sure they feel valued and included when they return. 

I feel really lucky to work for a firm that encourages me and other parents to share our experiences and also listens to our suggestions for improvement. Not all employers are open to change, but the culture here is about genuinely embracing opportunities to improve things – not just accepting them as they are. 

It proves that with the right supportive environment, it's possible to balance a fulfilling career and family life. 

What does the future look like? 

I want 2025 to be about making impactful changes. 

I’ve been really enjoying the business development side of my role since I came back from maternity leave and want to continue building those new skills to make long-term changes for the team. 

Advocacy for women in the workplace is obviously very important to me, and I want to give more focus to this – especially for women returning from maternity leave and women of colour. I don't see many women of colour at the top, and I want to understand and address the barriers they face to make sure their voices are heard as well as breaking down those barriers that they feel are stopping them from progressing. 

Before I had my daughter, if someone had told me that success wasn’t about chasing promotions, bonuses and pay rises, I wouldn’t have believed them. With the experiences I’ve had in the last few years, I’ve learned that what really drives me is doing work I enjoy. I’m grateful to work in a place where I trust that rewards will come naturally if I stay enthusiastic and push for excellence.