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Debbie Bates - CTT Group

Debbie Bates: From temporary contract to firm finance fixture

11 Years of Service

Current Position: Company Accountant at CTT Group, Finance Director and Compliance Officer at CTT Law

Biography

Having spent over 10 years in an office without a window, Debbie was long overdue a room with a view. Unfortunately (or so it seemed at first), she was made redundant from the company where she’d worked for over a decade. It was a blow, especially for someone like Debbie, whose loyalty, dedication, and hard work is evident in everything she does. However, when one door closes, another one opens…

Debbie finished her previous job on the Monday and interviewed with CTT Group on Tuesday for a maternity cover role in the Accounts Department. By Wednesday, she’d joined CTT (we don’t hang around when there’s exceptional talent on our doorstep!) and was already enjoying the view from her new desk. ‘I can remember my first day, thinking, ‘Wow, what a beautiful building in such a lovely location!’ To sit and look out at the trees in my new job really did make me feel very lucky,” she recalls.

And CTT has been incredibly lucky to have Debbie on board, who has since become a permanent and invaluable employee. Debbie has a keen eye for detail and is impeccably thorough. Her commitment to best financial practices has impressed our directors, and over the years, Debbie has gained more and more experience and responsibility. In particular, her well-organised approach to work has seen her become integral to leading the accounts team, streamlining our processes, and helping to establish our regulated law firm, CTT Law.

Debbie’s been a hero at CTT Group for over 10 years now, and we plan to keep hold of her for many years yet, until it’s time for her to hang up her cape.

Training Completed

  • Institute of Legal Finance and Management Diploma
  • STEP Certificate in Anti Money Laundering
2012
Accounts Assistant, Accounts Department, CTT Group

When Debbie first joined us on temporary contract, her main responsibilities included processing payments from advisors and clients. Looking back, our processes then seem somewhat antiquated now! It was very much a manual process, taking payment details from clinets over the phone. Debbie approached this task in a professional yet friendly manner, skills that have seen her flourish in her current managerial roles. “Now, it’s so much more efficient and secure with our invoice QR codes and the payment portal via our Legacy software,” Debbie explains. She also had, “lots of filing! I’m pleased to say now that we are very much paper-free as a department and as company, so it’s nice to think about all those trees we are helping to save,” she smiles.

2013
Team Leader, Accounts Department, CTT Group

As CTT Group grew, so did the workload for the Accounts Department. We recruited more team members, and it was clear from Debbie’s integrity and dedication to her work that she was the right person to lead the expanding team. She embraced the responsibility and developed her exceptional problem-solving skills along the way. “I feel I’ve grown with the company,” she shares. “As the company grows, my knowledge and understanding of the business grows with it.”

2018
Director and HOFA, CTT Law

In 2018, CTT Group established a partner firm: CTT Law. Debbie was an invaluable part of this process and continues to be the firm’s Finance Director and the SRA Head of Finance and Administration. With Debbie at the helm, we’re proud to say that CTT Law has a squeaky-clean record with no non-compliance issues to date, thanks to her confident, meticulous approach.

2020
Company Accountant, Accounts Department, CTT Group

CTT’s continual expansion meant that we restructured the business in 2020, becoming a group of companies under the CTT umbrella. Along with this growth came another retsructure for the Accounts Department. Debbie’s proven loyalty and trustworthiness saw her appointed Company Accountant. Here, Debbie used her knowledge and systematic approach to devise concepts that have become crucial to the way the department runs: “I’m proud of the systems and processes that I’ve helped to develop within the business,” she beams, “particularly around our payments in and out of the business, and our trust accounts.”

What does Debbie love the most about her job?

The variety! It may be a cliché but no two days are the same at CTT and it’s one of the perks of the job as far as Debbie is concerned: “It’s so varied from day to day,” she enthuses. “One day I’ll be focusing on compliance in our regulated law firm, the next day I could be working with colleagues on a new project or idea. It really is a family business and there’s so much opportunity for training, developing, and growing.”

At CTT, we’re proud to offer careers in legal and finance services unlike any other. Take a look at the opportunities we currently have available.

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