Maria Johnson, Head of Finance for Capital Investments at Iarnród Éireann, talks to Liz Riley about her journey to becoming a Chartered Accountant, the value of balance, and the lessons learned from a diverse and rewarding career
Starting out, my journey to accounting was somewhat convoluted.
First, a late change to my CAO form brought me to the University of Limerick where I did a degree in Business Studies and French at the University of Limerick, ultimately choosing to major in Economics and Finance and minor in French.
I undertook the Professional Diploma in Accounting at Dublin City University (DCU) and I am now a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and Head of Finance for Capital Investments at Iarnród Éireann.
I am also lucky enough to be a mother, a stepmother, a daughter, a wife, a sister and a friend.
Capable business advisor
I participated in the “milk round” while studying at DCU and decided that training in audit with BDO should be my next step.
The firm proved the ideal choice to commence my career as a Chartered Accountant.
As the audit department was not split into sector-specific teams, I was exposed to numerous sectors, including pharmaceuticals, financial services, professional services and manufacturing, during my training contract.
I also completed two client-based secondments, which gave me valuable real-world experience early in my career.
The BDO philosophy was to ensure the firm’s graduates would become capable business advisors as well as confident accountants through consistent exposure to partners and senior managers, genuine dealings with clients, attendance at relevant meetings and opportunities to present findings and solutions.
This philosophy has benefited me throughout my career, enabling me to work across sectors undaunted and ensuring that I can have valuable conversations with clients and colleagues as required without reservation.
I learned not to be pigeonholed either through education or early career choices. Up-and-coming accountants should aim for a degree and graduate programme that is established and will give them maximum exposure to sectors and professions in their chosen field.
Trading in facts
I completed my graduate programme in October 2008, just as the Celtic Tiger was waning and the recession approached.
I was asked to join the Corporate Advisory and Recovery Team at BDO. I worked on this team until June 2014, moving from manager to senior manager during this tenure.
It was an unimaginably busy but rewarding time. All insolvency processes involve an investigation and an evaluation of how the company ultimately failed. These investigations involve forensic reviews of the books and records of the company and meetings and interviews with the officers of the company.
I learned to always remain resolutely professional, treating everyone I meet respectfully and equally – never make assumptions, trade only in facts and always back up all conclusions with evidence.
Managing “the juggle”
In July 2014, I moved to London with Mazars to work on an engagement for the Financial Conduct Authority.
From there, I came back to the Dublin office to work in the financial consulting and decision-making support team. Our team specialised in financial modelling, data analysis and capital business cases. I became a Director on this team in September 2019.
During my time at Mazars, I became a proud dog owner, got married and became both a stepmother and a mother. We also moved from the highly convenient Harold’s Cross to a more family-friendly Portmarnock.
So, I became very well acquainted with “the juggle”.
When I returned from maternity leave, I received some timely advice suggesting I should become very aware that my time was no longer ‘elastic’, meaning I needed to set strict boundaries and stick to them.
This advice has always stuck with me and helps me to set my priorities for the day or week and allocate focus time to achieve those priorities. While it is always good to be flexible, this can no longer be a constant when crèche closing times are set in stone.
Making a different to Ireland’s future
In March 2020, I joined Iarnród Éireann as Head of Finance for the newly formed Capital Investment Division. Capital Investments is tasked with building the “railway of the future”.
The Capital Investments team is currently delivering the DART+ Programme, the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, the reopening of the Foynes Line in County Limerick and many more projects across the island of Ireland.
I always loved practice. My move was not planned. It was simply that a role I was truly interested in pursuing crossed my path and I couldn’t resist exploring it further.
I have seen many colleagues and friends take roles specifically based on monetary rewards. While this is, of course, important, it rarely results in long-term career success.
I am enjoying working on a multidisciplinary team that is making a real and enduring difference to the Ireland of the future. This role allows me to leverage all the lessons learned in my career to make a real contribution to a busy senior management team.
Don’t rush and take time to learn from and enjoy the many opportunities that come your way. I have held many different roles within the accountancy profession.
The work I have undertaken and the professionals I have had the privilege to work with along the way have shaped how I interact with colleagues, approach the work I do and represent my team at an organisational level today.
I’ve learned several things over my career that has influenced my work at Iarnród Éireann:
- Where possible, always work for companies that have a culture and strategy you are comfortable with.
- Real flexibility and respect for work-life balance are lived experiences rather than buzzwords in graduate brochures and company websites.
- Organisation is key. I have a great team who are highly committed to their work. I am grateful to them for all that they do, but I also respect that they all have competing priorities. Everyone has competing priorities in life irrespective of their gender, age or stage of life. We try to identify additional priorities and ad hoc tasks well in advance and plan for them around business-as-usual responsibilities to ensure everything is done in a timely and professional manner
- Balance in teams is essential. I have been a manager in one guise or another since I was 25. I have always happily gotten to know each of my teams. Impromptu coffees and lunches and, most of all, genuine interest are much more valuable than expensive annual outings, etc. Respect, organisation, a shared goal and camaraderie must be a constant in any successful team.
Striving for balance
Life is a balancing act. I have always worked for organisations that respect diversity and inclusion. I have had colleagues from all backgrounds and across many nationalities. I don’t believe being female has strongly influenced my career and I have been awarded opportunities on merit where deserved.
Where the juxtaposition of gender roles does come into play is in the mid-career juggle between career and family. Society’s expectations are enormous and growing, and the pressure to be the best at everything is real.
I am lucky to have a husband and life partner who also holds a demanding role and who is committed to working with me to do our “best” with life’s challenges and professional obligations in a given week – not “be the best”, but do our best.
I once heard at an International Women’s Day event in London that in any relationship there is an ebb and flow as to whose “time” it is. This is how we run our household every week. It is not always any one person’s “time”, but rather everyone gets their “time” when they need it.
In reflecting on my journey, I recognise that every step – whether carefully planned or serendipitous – has contributed to the professional and personal life I lead today.
To those beginning their own journeys, I would say this: remain open to change, stay true to your values and strive to balance ambition with the things that truly matter in life. The path may be winding, but it’s the experiences and people along the way that make it rewarding.
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