Alison has 25 years’ experience in the charity and not-for-profit sector. She trained with charity-specialist firm, Sayer Vincent, where she gained extensive experience of audit, accounts preparation, taxation and consultancy. She progressed to the position of Audit Manager, looking after a portfolio of charity clients. During her time at Sayer Vincent she spent four months on secondment at Oxfam, conducting internal audits and training staff on projects throughout Africa and Asia.
On moving to Gloucestershire, Alison worked as Head of Finance & Administration for The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), an international conservation charity. She managed a team of seven staff to run the finance function for the charity which had a turnover of £12m, nine branches and 400 staff.
At Godfrey Wilson, Alison manages a portfolio of charity audits and independent examinations. Alongside this, she enjoys a hands-on role advising clients on a range of issues from charity VAT to cloud-based accounting solutions.
Alison is currently Treasurer for St Peter’s Hospice in Bristol where she chairs both the Resources Committee and Audit Committee. She has previously held trustee roles at Deki, a micro-finance charity working in Africa and Asia, and Saidia Children’s Home, a Kenyan orphanage. She has also volunteered with numerous charities, including working with street children in Kathmandu and working at a high school in Nairobi.
Having gained experience of charities across the whole spectrum – as trustee, employee, volunteer and auditor – Alison is uniquely placed to provide advice on both operational and strategic matters.