The ISTD welcomes some new faces

Jenny French
Financial Controller

Jenny has had a wide and varied career in accountancy, starting from a Chartered Accountancy Practice, where she did her training and gained enormous experience from a smaller practice to a large accountancy firm in the City. Her experiences dealt with all aspects of finance, audit and general taxation.

She has always been ambitious, tenacious and resourceful when it comes to her work. At this stage, she realised there were better opportunities in the commercial environment offering a variety of challenges. She moved away from general practice and began to work for different organisations in the profit making and non-profit making sectors. Her career ranged in different environments, such as corporate IT where she worked as a Finance Director controlling finance and personnel for the UK and all subsidiaries in Europe, reporting to Head Office in the USA. Other environments are in Retail and Call Centres where she assumed demanding roles at board level in the profit-making sector. In the non-profit making sector she worked as a Finance Manager for a Charity where she helped to computerise the Finance system and improve the management information, reporting to the Trustees. Lastly she embarked on a role as a Finance Manager in the Public Sector for the Competition Commission, to help shape the internal system control and training of finance staff to comply with the policies set by the establishment, before she joined ISTD

Sarah Combes
Head of Education and Training

Sarah joined the ISTD in February 2005 bringing with her over 12 years experience in training and management.

Sarah's previous roles include the BBC Club where she developed, trained and headed the Membership Department overseeing the needs of a society in excess of 22,000, and Domestic and General where she was involved in developing and delivering training packages for a Call Centre in excess of 250 as well as managing a large team of call handlers.

Most recently Sarah worked with Training for Change, a training company working in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council who specialise in training trainers and management development. She spent three years focusing on all operational issues including implementing quality systems, improving customer service, streamlining administrative functions and as a consultant for new companies offering specific Government subsidised training.

Sarah's spare time is mainly spent singing and performing in opera, oratorio and musicals and she is currently studying at Birbeck College.

Susanne Beaumont
Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive

Susanne commenced work at the Society last summer as a temporary employee, only to return permanently in February 2005.

Whilst you won’t hear a ‘g’day mate’ or a ‘fair dinkum’ down the ISTD corridors, it is obvious from the Australian accent where she is from. Susanne traveled from Sydney to London in 2004.

Susanne has completed a degree in business, majoring in marketing, and has worked for several well-known companies, including the prestigious British-owned Wedgwood, Waterford Crystal and Marriott hotels. She has alsocompleted other studies in advertising, graphic design, accounting and secretarial studies.

Although Susanne does not have a dance background, she was heavily involved in gymnastics during high school, and more recently has enjoyed hip-hop/funk dancing. Whilst in England, Susanne has been getting into the ‘English spirit’ by joining a local football team and also works casually at Fulham Football ground.

Susanne traveled extensively around continental Europe a few years ago, and is passionate about travel and travel photography. On an Eastern European trip in 2004, she particularly enjoyed visiting St Petersburg, Russia for the cultural and social differences. Other favourite places are Paris where she has been three times and Killarney, Ireland.

ISTD work has brought some welcome challenges to Susanne, including the organisation of the Annual Dinner Dance in March this year as well as the coordination of ISTD2.

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