It hasn’t been all work for Ana Fornieles, our HR Manager from Baker Tilly Spain, who is halfway through her three-month secondment here at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore. With us from Barcelona, Ana has been impressed by the charm and welcoming nature of the city of Belfast and beyond. Working predominantly for her home firm while with us here in Belfast, Ana has made sure to experience the best of our culture and lifestyle while developing her confidence in the English language.
Live music, sightseeing, nights on the town and the Belfast Marathon have been high on her to-do list. She has been impressed by the music scene of the city and has attended a number of live music performances, something which she says translates easily, no matter your background or what language you speak.
In October, Ana ran five miles of the Belfast City Marathon as part of one of five Baker Tilly Mooney Moore teams taking on the race for AWARE NI, the depression charity for Northern Ireland. Ana found the challenge a useful way to both get to know her colleagues, look after her body and mind and see more of the city on foot through her training. We were delighted to see Ana take on the challenge and are proud that she, along with her colleagues, raised over £1,000 for the charity.
Since arriving in Northern Ireland with hopes of visiting some of our famed coastlines and local attractions, Ana has walked the full city of Belfast, took in the views from Cave Hill and experienced some of our top attractions on the North Coast, including the Giant’s Causeway and the Dark Hedges.
The secondment originated through Baker Tilly International, our global network of independent accounting and business advisory firms across 148 territories. With expertise across multiple areas including Tax, Legal, Corporate Finance, Audit and Assurance and Advisory Services, this network presents a wealth of opportunities to explore different cultures and collaborate with international colleagues on emerging issues with relevance right across the world.
Ana Fornieles, HR Manager at Baker Tilly Spain said:
“My time in Northern Ireland so far has been incredible. Though it has been busy, I am delighted to have packed so much in, including charity walks, the Belfast City Marathon, sightseeing on the North Coast and a glimpse of the hospitality and nightlife. This is a small and welcoming place, where the people are friendly and sociable and where there is always something to explore and enjoy.”
“Though I chose Belfast as the location to work on improving my English, I did not expect the care shown to me by the rest of the team at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore. I am grateful to the team for supporting me here and I am glad Northern Ireland is still the beautiful and welcoming place it was when I first visited at eighteen years old.”
Donal Laverty, Consulting Partner at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore said:
“Ana is the perfect example of all that is possible through the Baker Tilly International network. She has grasped the opportunity with both hands and has had a busier social calendar in her time here so far than most of us would have in a year. With years of experience in Human Resources under her belt, Ana has brought a new perspective to Baker Tilly Mooney Moore. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with a global colleague and I hope that how we do things here, both professionally and as a society in general, has been an enjoyable and enhancing experience.”