A financial controller who is so much more than numbers

When your office is at the airport and situated between the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest you just can’t complain about the corner office view. Martin Bryars (41) is a born and bred Queenslander and still in love with this region. Who can blame him if your after work activity, with your coworkers, consists of a walk on one of the bush tracks through the rainforest.

Only three years ago, Martin Bryars started his job as a financial controller at HMSHost International. Over the last year he has mastered more tasks and has become fully responsible for the financial side of the Cairns business.

People over numbers

“To make a long story short and simple, I count the money and check how we’re spending it.” Putting it like that is not giving enough credit to Martin’s work, because there’s so much more he does. “I also report monthly to the European management team and I need to keep up with the local laws and taxes since we are currently the only branch of HMSHost International currently with a presence in Australia.” Although he’s an expert in finance, Martin prefers to work with people over working with numbers. “That’s what I really love about this job, making sure that everybody is doing okay. This diversity makes my work so much more interesting.”

Keeping things simple

Martin’s personality fits right in with the core values of the company. “The thing I love about working at HMSHost International, is that I can be myself. I like to keep life as simple as possible.” From his father, he learned to look closely at people. It turned him into an excellent judge of character. “When I met Melody, our payroll officer, I immediately recognised her talent and dedication. So, I asked her how we could control our largest expense more effectively: the cost of employment. Thanks to her input, we implemented a more efficient web-based management-system, that provided better control of our associate staff scheduling and attendance.”

“That’s what I really love about this job, making sure that everybody is doing okay.”

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