At FiFab, we are committed to making the difference and our people behind the scenes is what allows us to live that value. We want to introduce you to key people in the team who have worked with FiFab to deliver the reputation for quality, flexibility, and customer service.

In this edition we speak with Finance Supervisor, Susan Allsopp.

What is your role and what does it involve?

I’m the Finance Supervisor for Fife Fabrications and I have recently taken on the role of company secretary, so the scope of my responsibilities has increased. I am responsible for various tasks within the finance department such as payroll and ensuring both outgoing and incoming payments are managed appropriately.

How did you learn about FiFab and why did you want to work for the company?

This is actually my second time with the business. I am from Fife, and I worked as a Finance Assistant with Fife Fabrications from 1999-2011, I then took a career break to raise my children.

I originally discovered that there was a great opportunity for me at FiFab back in 1999 whilst I was working at a plumber’s merchant in my first role out of education. This role gave me a good foundation to learn the basics of the financial process and allowed me to gain experience in the tasks that take place at the beginning of that process, but the role progression was quite limited as my previous employer had a centralised team that managed most of the finances.

I wanted to broaden out the scope of my role to manage the full process and an SME like FiFab was the ideal place to do that. I worked with the business for many years in the finance assistant role prior to my career break and have now come back into the business as a finance supervisor now my children are older and have taken on further responsibilities.

What is the best thing about working for FiFab?

For me, I would have to say the team. Since returning to the business, everyone was keen to welcome me back and make me feel like part of the FiFab family again. There are a lot of long-term employees with the business, so I believe that is testament to how well we are treated and how much everyone gets on and supports each other.

What is next for Fifab?

The one thing that strikes me is the significant change in the types of customers we serve since I returned to the business. Technology is always improving and evolving, resulting in our customers and their requirements changing too. We now deal in more sectors and some of the products we made for companies back in 1999 and the early 2000s are no longer relevant, so we adapted and evolved to serve our customers’ requirements. This flexible and agile approach has allowed us to be successful.

What is next for your career with Fifab?

 All of us that work in the business are very fortunate to have a management team and managing director that is so passionate about developing people and pursuing our personal goals. Currently, I am studying for the ATT professional diploma which is being fully funded by the business.

This attitude to development can also be seen via our apprentices, we love having young people come into our team and help drive the company forward.