![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/ighi\/files\/2020\/06\/joanne-sarao-1-1024x576.jpg\")
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IGHI is home to a team of staff who are skilled and passionate about their roles. Our talented people are the reason we\u2019re able to tackle some of the most pressing global health challenges through cutting-edge innovation.<\/p>\n
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We\u2019re giving you the chance to get to know our staff a little better and learn about what motivates them in their roles, who inspires them and what they like to get up to outside of IGHI.<\/p>\n
Meet Joanne Sarao<\/strong>, our Centre for Health Policy\u2019s finance and contracts manager. Learn more about how Joanne handles managing budgets, grants and staff funding for the Centre.<\/p>\n My role is varied and collaborative with wide-ranging responsibilities in finance management, contracts, compliance, and HR related activities.<\/p>\n I manage the Centre for Health Policy\u2019s financial resources, such as departmental accounts and research grants, to ensure that all the Centre\u2019s financial activities are carried out in accordance with the College\u2019s policies and procedures.<\/p>\n I work alongside IGHI staff when bidding for research projects, helping with pre-and post-award activities, providing budget reports, financial analysis and projections. I\u2019m involved in staff funding allocations and making key recommendations to all budget holders to ensure that they spend funds appropriately and within budgets.<\/p>\n I also provide advice on commercial and research contracts with external suppliers and partner organisations.<\/p>\n IGHI has incredibly innovative projects across the globe. Being able to support the Institute\u2019s mission in the best way I can is important to me. I always get excited and motivated when staff win awards to fund various multi-disciplinary projects that have the potential to make a difference.<\/p>\n My role also gives me the opportunity to establish relationships with Imperial\u2019s diverse community to achieve our goals.<\/p>\n Patient, calm and willing to help.<\/p>\n My job requires interaction within and outside the Institute to implement policies and procedures, while acting as a middleman between department and central offices. This can be challenging so I guess I can count on the above attributes to get the job done!<\/p>\n Before joining IGHI, I had the opportunity to work at Weill Cornell Medicine, Qatar, a satellite campus of Weill Cornell Medicine New York. I was there for almost six years, leading the first research grants finance team. This allowed me to learn how to work effectively with teams located in different parts of the world.<\/p>\n We fostered an environment of collaboration, focusing on financial management, grants management, project management and administrative excellence. It was a huge undertaking at that time, having to run a central branch office with limited resources, time difference, location, differences in institutional policies and other obstacles.<\/p>\n Having contributed to enabling the research finance team to function successfully, my role then expanded to co-lead the Business Services team in Qatar. Here, I was involved in other projects and streamlining business processes in conjunction with the New York team.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t realise the magnitude of the job until I was in Qatar. I\u2019m glad I decided to face the challenge, as it definitely is one of my biggest achievements.<\/p>\n My parents. I wanted to follow in my father\u2019s footsteps career-wise, but ventured in another direction instead. I always admired his dedication and commitment to his job.<\/p>\n My mum is the kindest person for me, she easily connects with people and is always willing to help.<\/p>\n I would make COVID-19 disappear as if it did not happen at all. I would also like for all nations to have a reliable healthcare system available to all, regardless of status.<\/p>\n Watching the TV series Glee and singing along to it!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IGHI is home to a team of staff who are skilled and passionate about their roles. Our talented people are the reason we\u2019re able to tackle some of the most pressing global health challenges through cutting-edge innovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1013,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[273211],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ighi-people"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat does your role involve?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What attracted you to the role?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How would your colleagues describe you in three words or phrases?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What\u2019s your biggest achievement to date \u2013 personal or professional?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Who inspires you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
If you had a superpower, what would it be?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What\u2019s your guilty pleasure?<\/strong><\/h2>\n