Sophie Wright
Group Reporting Analyst
London, United Kingdom
I joined RELX in 2017 on the UK Finance Graduate Trainee Programme. Over the course of the three-year programme, I completed placements at LexisNexis Risk Solutions and RX, where I currently work in the Group Finance team as a Group Reporting Analyst.
While studying Modern Languages at Newcastle University in the UK, I never imagined myself having a career in Finance. However, after university I got a job as an Accounts Receivable Controller using my French to contact customers. After a year, I had learnt the fundamentals of accounting and I was ready for a new challenge.
I joined RELX in 2017 on the UK Finance Graduate Trainee Programme. Over the course of the three-year programme, I completed placements at LexisNexis Risk Solutions and RX, where I currently work in the Group Finance team as a Group Reporting Analyst.
My team is responsible for consolidating the RX financial results and reporting them to RELX. This in turn forms part of the RELX Annual Report, which informs shareholders and the wider markets about the group’s business performance for the year. I also provide analysis and insights on financial business performance to key decision-makers and stakeholders across RX and RELX.
I am lucky enough to work with colleagues from many different countries and cultures. I particularly enjoy being part of a diverse team and helping others, so the best thing about my job is working in partnership with the businesses to solve problems and improve collaboration.
One of the benefits of working for RX is having the chance to visit the wide range of events that we organise. In the past, I have volunteered to help at Imbibe and visited World Travel Market. This was instrumental to developing my understanding of how the business operates. The scale of organisation and effort that goes into each event in order to maximise customer experience is incredible, and it provided some valuable context to the numbers that I look at on a daily basis.
The UK Finance Graduate Trainee Programme was an extremely beneficial first step in my career. I think the best thing about the programme was having the opportunity not only to gain experience working in different Finance roles, but also to move between the different RELX business areas. It gave me a good understanding of cultures, systems and processes, and I really enjoyed meeting lots of friendly and supportive people across RELX.
Another advantage of joining the programme was having a network of fellow graduates across the business. We all keep in touch and meet up socially, sharing our experiences and offering advice. I have also benefitted from many invaluable learning and development opportunities, including systems training, presentation skills and relationship building workshops.
During the scheme, RELX supported me in completing the CIMA Professional Qualification. Although, it was a challenge to balance exams and working full time, it was extremely rewarding when I became fully qualified.