Firm's first female director retires after 42 years of service

Sunday 02 July 2017

This week, Volaw Group waved goodbye to Denise Marrett after almost 42 years of continuous service.

Ms Marrett started her career at Voisin & Co. in 1975 as a book-keeper and accounts administrator.

In 1982, when the firm formed what is now Volaw Group, Ms Marrett was instrumental in the start-up; working her way up to be appointed the firm's first female director in 2003.

Throughout her career at Volaw, Ms Marrett says she has seen a lot of change at the firm: "When I started, everyone wore pinstriped suits to the office and it was considered completely normal to smoke and drink at your desk! Fax machines were the height of high-tech and we used typewriters and a lot of Tippex. 

In addition to being the firm's first female director, Ms Marrett is also considered to be a 'champion for women in the firm' as she was responsible for introducing the pension scheme for women. Commenting on the role of women in the industry, Ms Marrett said: "It has been fantastic to see the rise of women working in finance in Jersey and to have been part of that – it really is true that if you work hard and earn the trust of your colleagues you can achieve almost anything.

"It’s not all work though – I’m a great believer in the philosophy of ‘work hard, play hard’ and have made many lifelong friends along the way. Now I am looking forward to playing a lot of golf and spending as much time as possible in the sunshine of the Caribbean!”

Mark Hucker, MD of Volaw Group said: “Denise has been such an integral part of our firm for so long that it is hard to imagine the office without her. Her loyalty and tenacity over the years has proved a great example to young people coming in to the industry and she is going to be a tough act to follow. We all want to wish her well in the next chapter of her life – she certainly deserves a rest after 42 years.”