My early career and progression
At the start of my career, I wanted to work somewhere large enough to offer variety, opportunities, and excellent training and development provisions yet small enough to feel actively involved from an early stage. This led me to select the medium-sized firm, Shipleys LLP.
My experience at Shipleys LLP has definitely backed up this decision. I have worked with a very wide variety of clients, ranging from a Formula 1 race team to City stockbrokers and fund managers.
Why I chose Shipleys and progression
I joined Shipleys LLP in 2000 as a Cambridge maths graduate and qualified in 2003 – picking up an ICAEW Prize along the way.
The firm appealed to me as it had great opportunities for career advancement. My role over the years has changed enormously: audit junior, audit senior, manager, and now principal. This all adds to the variety even when working on the same client.
During my early career at Shipleys, I was also fortunate to spend five months on secondment to Melbourne-based firm William Buck. This enabled me to gain international experience while enjoying the Australian lifestyle!
In 2008, I was delighted to become a Principal of the firm. A long-standing member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, I also chair Shipleys’ Audit Technical Committee.
My current work and specialist areas
I greatly enjoy the variety in my work, meeting people and helping them with their businesses. It’s very rewarding to help them bring realism into their business plans and formulate activities that bring achievable results. My clients often tell me they value my ability to make sense of, and bring clarity to, the heavily technical and complex.
My work involves anything from projections and business plans to pure audits. In situations such as listings, fundraising, restructuring, sales and acquisitions, I help clients formulate their plans by showing the effect on financial performance.
The clients I support are mainly larger private companies and complicated groups, typically with non-working shareholders/investors or AIM-listed companies.
One dream assignment I had was auditing a motorsport race team, which meant I got to meet some of the drivers and visit the factory. I’ve also worked on projects for a luxury yacht builder and found visiting the yard and seeing the boats under construction fascinating. The passion for high-quality materials and exemplary finishes has to be seen to be believed.
Over the years, I’ve developed sector specialisms in financial services, clean energy, publishing, property and the technology industries. As Shipleys’ Audit Technical Principal, I enjoy resolving technical audit issues.
My advice
Yes, accountancy is hard work. Yes, you’ll need to be committed to get through the study. But it’s an excellent career, the rewards are good, and I’ve even had some fun and made great friends along the way!
