Lisa Commane

I joined KPMG as an audit trainee in 1999, working in the public sector audit practice.

I became a qualified CPFA in 2003 and moved to Deloitte's public sector consultancy practice, based in Birmingham. I worked on a range of projects at Deloitte, but mainly on the provision of Private Finance Initiative and public-private partnership financial advice to local authorities.

Working for a firm did not present a barrier to becoming involved in the networking community that is provided by CIPFA, in fact I was encouraged to get involved in some of the regional activities.

At first I chose to take on a volunteering role, but not to be a member of the regional council itself. I helped to revise the communications strategy and worked to develop a new format for Centrepage, our quarterly newsletter. I really enjoyed this role and in 2005 I was formally elected to the regional council.

In March 2006 I moved to Coventry City Council to join their Special Projects Finance Team as Strategic Finance Manager, reporting directly to an Assistant Director. This team provides key financial advice and support on all major projects undertaken by the Council, including the Ricoh Arena, the Council's £300m Building Schools for the Future Programme and a range of regeneration initiatives.

I continue to volunteer for CIM Regional Council and lead the project team in the delivery of our prestigious Annual Seminar and Dinner event, which attracts 100 delegates and high quality speakers. I also feed into all aspects of Council decision making. This year has brought changes to the way we work including a formal commitment to seeking co-opted members. This means that we welcome the support of colleagues who do not wish to formally become members of CIM Council, but who feel they have skills that can help us to develop the work of CIM regionally.

We all need to keep up to date with our professional knowledge. National and regional events provide the opportunities to ensure that CPD requirements can be met. They also provide an essential platform for meeting other CIPFA members. However, it is only through the dedication of volunteers that these events are possible.

Volunteering is one way that I have started to discover other things that I am good at. These skills have been easily transferable to my day job. My involvement in CIPFA in the Midlands is an ideal way to attempt new challenges.

E-mail communication means that involvement as a volunteer can be 'virtual', which means maximising my contribution to CIM without necessarily always having to set aside specific times or travel in order to provide input.

It strikes me that we are an incredibly diverse community. We have members from the private and public sectors, at all stages in their careers, from students through to retired members.

This also means that we collectively have a huge wealth of skills to offer. Volunteering continues to prove to me that it has something to offer everyone.