The main beats that I cover are:

The Local Government Pension Scheme.

So don’t waste time telling me about:

DC pension schemes – interesting though they are!

The biggest influence on my journalism career to date is:

I’ve learned something from everyone I’ve worked with, but it’s my first colleagues who had the biggest influence. When I started off at the Surrey Comet, my chief reporter David Lindsell and news editor Julia Kennard taught me about going the extra mile to really get to the heart of a story, and my editor David Rankin showed me the importance of still hanging onto your humanity.

From your work so far, if you had to pick the story you are most proud of, what would it be, and why?

The triennial valuation of council pension funds doesn’t usually get pulses racing, but my investigation into how the process can be manipulated, costing councils millions of pounds, became our most-read pension story of the year. I had a hunch the system was so opaque and unscrutinised that it was ripe for manipulation, so I was relieved when the time, data gathering and intellectual capacity I devoted to getting to grips with such a complex process gave me a story worth telling.

Congratulations on your success at the 2024 Headlinemoney Awards! How did you feel when you were announced as the winner of your categories?

Thanks! I was slightly shocked, but hugely grateful. After hearing the judges’ comments about some of the other shortlisted entries, I was very surprised to win.

The piece of advice I'd give to someone starting out in financial journalism is:

Lots of financial stories can seem very complicated, but there is usually something simple and easy to understand at their core. Always keep that in mind when you find yourself getting buried in the detail or complexity.

The best/worst times for PRs/press offices to contact me are:

Late morning is always busy as we are finalising the lunchtime newsletter.

How can PRs help you with your work?

It’s often about putting me in touch with an expert who can help me understand a complex issue myself and answer my naïve questions, and then help me explain it to my readers.

The financial interview I’d most like to arrange is:

At the moment, Rachel Reeves. There is a lot of speculation about the future of the Local Government Pension Scheme but very few clear answers, so it would be good to give people some clarity.

The piece of financial services research I’d most like to read is:

I’ve been looking at different methods of measuring a pension fund’s greenhouse gas emissions recently. It’s such an important and fast-evolving field, but what we currently have is complex, incomplete and flawed, so any research that helps promote practical improvements would be very welcome.

What was the last article you read that really shocked you?

Some of the stories about poor investment decisions at one or two councils have been pretty staggering.

My view on the humble press release and how it could be improved is that:

Give the facts and let journalists use it as a starting point rather than an end point of their story – especially when it comes to the specialist press. Don’t be surprised or frustrated if we come back with lots of questions.

What's something about you that people would be surprised to know?

I’m a judo black belt – although in my case that’s really not as impressive as it might sound!

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Automatic for the People by R.E.M.

Finally, if you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Miso ramen from Sato-san’s nighttime ramen shop in Akayu. It’s in north-east Japan, where I taught English for three years. It was always my final stop on a night out, and I have happy memories of random conversation with strangers and playing rock, paper scissors on a hot summer’s night to decide who would get the next ice cold beer from the vending machine.