Deborah McDowell - Finance

Deborah qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992 having joined the national company Coopers & Lybrand within their large company audit department in Cardiff, South Wales in 1989.

After several external secondments to other audit clients and promotion to audit manager, in 1995 Deborah decided on a career move to set up a software business providing a rostering and invoice program for care businesses in the domiciliary care sector. Developing the software was enabled through the link to her family’s business as they were actually providing both domiciliary and residential services, and after the software had been established within this business it was then sold on to other care companies nationwide.

In 1996 Deborah also began to have more involvement in the family business and took responsibility for overseeing the new care office in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and placed the software business under management. In order to concentrate further on then expanding both this Kent office and the main office in Bexhill, the software business was sold on in 1999, and Deborah took over full management of the care business shortly afterwards. Presently the business has 4 branches operating in both Kent and East Sussex and employs approximately 350 people.

Since 1997 Deborah has represented both the KCCA and East Sussex Domiciliary Association, also acting as Treasurer to both. Within the KCCA, Deborah has previously represented the association on steering groups relating to funding for training through European and Local initiatives.

As a representative of the East Sussex Domiciliary Care Association Deborah has been involved in a number of workgroups and initiatives specifically around improving mental health practices (in conjunction with East Sussex County Council) and the older people’s working party and falls prevention group (in conjunction with Hastings & Rother PCT).