Profile - Warwick Hoddy, Cega Air Ambulance

High-flyer Warwick Hoddy, ACMA, has joined Goodwood-based Cega Air Ambulance as financial controller. Certainly no stranger to dynamic work environments, Hoddy moves from a senior accounting post with GWR Group plc – owners of 22 UK radio stations, including Classic FM.

Excited by the challenge of learning about a new industry, Hoddy will be developing the accounting function at Cega to accommodate growth in its medical emergency service, medical screening and travel insurance policy-issuing divisions.

‘The company operates in a worldwide marketplace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and this is reflected in the staffing of the accounts department, as we are manned at nights and weekends,’ he says.

Flexibility and speed are essential in responding to calls. The accounts system integrates with a sophisticated database, written in-house, for the emergency service, giving users immediate access to all medical cases. Hoddy explains: ‘I need to ensure the system is operated at maximum efficiency, identifying areas for change to meet the increasing demand. It is vital the information is delivered as news rather than history.’

Hoddy aims to grow with family-owned Cega and the accounts team he inherited.

‘I am motivated by people who are enthusiastic, positive and encouraging but who also have the ability to step back to allow creativity to develop,’ he explains. ‘My recent career move was the result of much soul-searching and I wouldn’t have made this move without being convinced of a long-term future with Cega.’