A lot can change in two decades. But, for Lewis Smith, one thing has remained constant throughout the last 20 years: his employment at BAE Systems. What an incredible achievement, and one that rightly deserves to be celebrated.
Lewis first joined the company as a Business Apprentice in September 2003, quickly gaining experience in several functions before applying for the Finance role in the Air-Hawk team at the time. BAE Systems sponsored his studies towards AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) and CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualifications, setting him on his journey towards his current role as Senior Finance Business Partner in the C4 Programmes business unit at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence.
Now in his 21st year, I caught up with Lewis to learn more about his career at BAE Systems so far, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and what the future could hold.
How did you first discover BAE Systems?
“BAE Systems has a strong presence in the North-West of England and actively promotes early-careers in the local area. Through this channel, I was aware of apprenticeship opportunities and had heard that it was a great place to work through family members who were working for the company at the time.
“I had already decided that I wanted to do a business apprenticeship and start earning – I had even applied and been offered roles elsewhere – but BAE Systems was the most attractive offer.”
What did these roles involve?
“At BAE Systems, I held accounting roles in several Air sector project teams including Typhoon Aircraft Integration & Consolidation, UK Tornado, RSAF Tornado, and RSAF Typhoon. For the latter project, I also became the Finance Manager of the UK support business.
“These roles typically involved financial forecasting, cross-functional collaboration, understanding and challenging CSRs, and producing investment cases. I was also responsible for driving the local financials for my projects, producing and reviewing balance sheets, and ensuring that the underlying project accounts were correct.
“Then, in August 2022, I took up my current role in BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. I saw this as an exciting opportunity that would give me greater awareness of the wider company outside of Air, with the chance to work with different people and visit new sites. It felt like by career to date was building me towards this role and I’m confident in my value-add through my previous experience. It’s a challenge I’m relishing and I’ve found it hugely rewarding so far.”
What would you say are your career highlights?
“Certainly securing my current role and establishing myself as a member of the extended leadership team is a highlight. I’m really enjoying getting involved in areas such as budgeting and forecasting analysis and more strategic decision making, as well as acting as the Business Winning Lead and Investment Case Lead for the team.
“Other highlights include: being headhunted into a programme to use my accounting experience to drive financial improvement; playing a key role in the preparation phase of a recent successful multi-billion-pound bid, and providing financial integration, reporting, consolidation and guidance to the Typhoon Aircraft Operations team.”
What does a typical day look like for you?
“As a Finance business partner, the role is very broad and no two days are the same.
“My remit is to have a wide understanding of the business, using strong business acumen to ‘go’ where the value is. This can range from working on strategic linked activities such as creating and understanding major business cases or helping drive a bid submission (with associated senior engagement), through to tactical/narrow items including monitoring current financial performance and influencing short term outcomes.
“In an average day, I can spend hours on calls learning about, discussing and influencing various aspects of the business (i.e. going where the value is). I also spend a lot of time producing analysis and outputs that allow me to articulate a position or persuade key stakeholders.”
What key skills have you learned throughout your time at BAE Systems?
“BAE Systems really nurtured my confidence, especially in the early part of my career, and this is something that has impacted my life inside and outside of work.
“Working in a large organisation has given me the opportunity to collaborate with people from different backgrounds and build relationships, requiring me to build soft skills such as communication and teamwork. Because of this, there are colleagues I’ve worked with throughout my career that I’m proud to call friends outside of work.
“As mentioned, BAE Systems also sponsored my professional studies toward the AAT and CIMA qualification, so I’ve been able to learn plenty of technical accounting skills.”
What advice would you give for new starters at BAE Systems?
“Ask lots of questions and soak up as many of the responses as you can. Being new to the business puts you in a great position from which to ask more questions. In doing so, you will not only personally develop, but may also help the business by generating improvements to existing processes or ways of thinking. In time, consider the ‘five whys’ technique (although perhaps establish yourself first).
“I’d also advise every new starter to secure a mentor, even if informal. In such a big business, this can make a world of difference in helping you to settle and learn.”
What’s next for you at BAE Systems?
“Firstly, I’m only just over 12 months into my current role, so still have lots more to develop and deliver. I’ve enjoyed my time in Digital Intelligence so far, so instinctively I’ll be looking to progress within this part of the business over the coming years as a primary goal. Beyond this, we’ve recently introduced Finance Modernisation which we’ll be looking to build upon and I hope to progress in my capacity as a Finance Business Partner.”
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