Powering Purpose | NIE Networks | Workplus

What does telling the story behind the numbers have to do with building a meaningful career? Everything.

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk sits down with Claire Woolsey, Senior Manager of Financial Planning & Regulation at NIE Networks, whose career journey — from a village bakery and university summer jobs to leading a team at the heart of Northern Ireland's energy transition — proves that you don't need a maths A-level to thrive in finance. You just need curiosity, people skills, and the courage to take a leap of faith.

From a joint law and accountancy degree at Queen's, to a training contract at EY, to a 20-year career at NIE Networks that she genuinely loves, Claire's story shows how following your interests — even when you're not sure where they'll lead — can take you further than any fixed plan.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, young person exploring careers, or someone considering a move into finance or the energy sector, this episode is packed with honest insights about career progression, leadership, and what it really means to do work that matters.

In This Episode:

- Why geography, history and politics at A-level led to a career in accountancy
- The part-time jobs that built the skills Claire uses every day as a senior leader
- What a training contract at EY really involves — and why Saturday classes are part of the deal
- The temporary role at NIE Networks that became a 20-year career
- What financial planning looks like when you're forecasting a decade into the future
- How NIE Networks supported Claire through maternity leave, job shares and flexible working
- Why the most important skill in finance is telling the story behind the numbers
- What it means to lead a team with purpose — and make people feel genuinely valued
- NIE Networks' triple Investors in People accreditation — the only company in the UK to achieve it
- Claire's advice to her 16-year-old self: follow your passion, embrace the tough moments, grasp every opportunity

00:00 - Opening quote: Leading the team is the privilege of my role
00:28 - Welcome to Workplus
01:06 - Meet Claire Woolsey
01:20 - School days: geography, history, politics — and PE
02:50 - Part-time jobs: the bakery, the lifeguard pool and the electoral canvass
05:00 - The skills those jobs built — and why they still matter
07:05 - Choosing a degree: law, accountancy and a year in the States
08:12 - Why you don't need maths at A-level to work in finance
09:29 - The story behind the numbers
10:00 - From EY to NIE: a leap of faith on a temporary contract
12:57 - What's changed at NIE Networks in 20 years
14:29 - Flexible working, job shares and balancing a career with family
15:18 - Financial planning and the energy transition
16:08 - Regulatory finance and what a price control involves
16:35 - Leading a team of eight with purpose
19:25 - Advice to her 16-year-old self
20:03 - What's so good about work?
21:27 - Closing thoughts


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