Liz Nicholson Celebrates 10 Years at SGS Bridgehead



A colleague at our Bridgehead office recently celebrated a very special anniversary – ten fantastic years at SGS!

Liz Nicholson (pictured with her husband, Graham) started out as European Finance Manager back in 2009. This was a brand new role to manage the full finance team and report directly to the Finance Director. Although the role was based in Hull, Liz was part of the group finance structure and involved in the group finance work for the whole of SGS Packaging Europe. She later went on to join the European Leadership Team, and as her role developed and the team grew, the job title changed to European Financial Controller.

“After eight years of being EFC, I decided to have a slight change of pace and cut back to a part-time role,” says Liz. “My new role as Business Improvement Manager moved away from the day-to-day finance management duties and more into specific project work. Initially I helped out with our SGS Asia finance team, and more locally I have been involved in implementing the Concur Travel & Expense System and cost-saving projects, as well as managing the statutory accounts for six entities and the respective statutory audit work.”

With so many important responsibilities and a huge range of experience to her name, we asked Liz what her favourite thing is about her job: “I love that SGS is constantly testing my brain! This is a company that does not stand still and the fast-paced environment has certainly kept me on my toes over the years. That’s why I’ve remained so interested in the same company for a long time, as no two days are the same.”

“The team that I work with are brilliant! The finance staff and the wider SGS teams constantly collaborate and all solve problems together. There is no "blame culture" if things don't go to plan, the team takes full responsibility and always works toward improving processes. The company has been very fair and flexible over the years and supported me through some non-work related challenges.”

Speaking of challenges, we believe that they help our colleagues to expand their skill sets, improve their problem-solving capabilities and find new ways of working. We asked Liz for her opinion on the matter: “The major challenge at SGS which is also a great benefit is the continued growth of the company, both organically and by acquisition. Acquisitions can be very challenging, bringing together different companies, cultures, working environments and so on. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes for acquisitions and company restructuring, which ensures that every aspect of operations runs smoothly and efficiently.”

We also like to ask our colleagues where they imagine they’ll be in a year’s time. With ten years of success at the company already, Liz says that she sees herself continuing to support the SGS Packaging Europe group finance team and also perhaps getting involved with our Diadeis colleagues in Mauritius.

“SGS has provided me with a fantastic career in a global company. There have been many opportunities which have come my way, including a work visit to the Hong Kong office back in 2015, as well as continued growth within the SGS Europe management team. I would highly recommend SGS to anyone considering a role here, as there are multiple possibilities for progression, training and career development.”

When Liz isn’t busy in one SGS office or another, she has plenty of hobbies to keep her busy: “I’m a fully qualified Clinical Reflexologist and I also like to keep fit by running and participating in clubbercise and boot camp classes. I’ve been part of the SGS Corporate team for the Hull 10K for a long time, and this year I have been crazy enough to agree to do the Hull Half Marathon. Wish me luck!”

This time our colleagues from Bridgehead, The Maltings and Citadel Way are running the Hull Half Marathon and Hull 10K in aid of Macmillan Cancer Research, The British Heart Foundation and William’s Fund. If you’d like to donate to their fundraising pot, you can find out more information here.

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There’s all kinds of activity taking place across SGS Packaging Europe’s offices, so keep up to date by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.  


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