Alison Ford
Senior principal product manager at Oracle Corporation UK Ltd
What first attracted you to membership of the CIPP?
I’ve been a member since 2000. What first attracted me was when I was looking to get my professional qualification and having looked around the CIPP it appeared to offer a good option for the Diploma in Payroll Management and I could see it was an organisation that would support me through this qualification.
Which benefits of CIPP membership appeal to you the most?
I think there are a number of benefits and one of the main things I use is the Advisory Service which I find invaluable in terms of either getting input on something I am looking at, or getting a second opinion; it’s so easy to get hold of them and get that advice.
Also, for me personally, I think it’s important to have the designation after your name just to make a statement that you are a payroll professional. As people become more aware of the CIPP and just how big an organisation it is and exactly how much it does, then I like to show my membership of that.
How has the CIPP helped you in your career?
It’s given me the ability to develop my payroll knowledge by working through the payroll Diploma, giving me the support to carry on increasing my confidence and the professional recognition that I can prove to my customers that I have the knowledge.
Tell me about a time where you have really benefited from your CIPP membership
There have been times where I have been working on a new legislation development for example, and sometimes it’s not that easy to work out exactly what’s needed. The fact that the CIPP do all of their policy think tanks and give input to government consultations, I find that really helpful in giving me the knowledge to get to the point I need to be at.
For someone who is thinking about joining as a member, what would your advice be to them and what they would gain?
Well I would say don’t hesitate. It’s definitely really useful to be part of an organisation that gives you the support of many members. You have access to the services and huge amounts of important training. I would strongly recommend it.
Why is it important to you that you are a member of the CIPP?
From my own personal view – I just like the feeling of belonging to an organisation and having the backup of people I can turn to if I ever need input on a problem. And again, I can demonstrate to others that I have that payroll knowledge, that is backed up with the qualification and the membership.
