I wanted to become a professional golfer; I was the Middlesex County champion at the age of 18. I decided to get an accountancy qualification first, as it’s such good grounding, but then my professional career took off and I’ve never looked back.
As an ACCA student I joined the John Lewis Partnership’s apprenticeship scheme and was a manager by the time I was 21. But I was having trouble passing the audit exam so I went to work for a small local firm. Once qualified, I joined a very entrepreneurial practice where we created practice management software. We eventually sold this to Iris and became part of its practice management suite. We were very advanced digitally for the 1990s – already paperless and using document-signing software.
I also set up an outsourcing company for the practice. We employed homemakers, who we retrained to become remote-working bookkeepers. I realised I’d created something that could become a franchise. Cloud Bookkeeping Franchise ended up having 28 franchisees, who I mentored for some years before selling the client base to the franchisees.
We need to accept that AI is here and embrace it as a positive
I’ve always been involved with digital change. When Making Tax Digital for VAT came in, I was headhunted to help firms set up that division within their practice, ready for automation. As cloud accounting developed within larger practices, I joined a top-100 firm in 2021 to head up its cloud-accounting department.
Now at Mercer & Hole, I have different types of clients, including owner-managed businesses, charities and service companies. Each of our four offices has its own type of portfolio and the work is very varied – from traditional bookkeeping and VAT to management accounts, payroll and advisory.
The whole market has changed; there’s a lot of innovation happening in business. The biggest change we’re seeing is digital transformation and systems development. Some people are afraid of artificial intelligence (AI), but it will become part of the day-to-day work. We need to accept that AI is here and embrace it as a positive.
I was recently announced as one of Ignition’s Top 50 Women in Accounting globally for 2024
It’s no longer the software that is the priority. It is now about the apps that clients can use with their core bookkeeping software; we identify those that are the best fit for the client and then help them implement it.
We run a strong apprenticeship programme. As we work across four offices, it’s important everyone feels part of the team, so I invest time in them and ensure they have regular meet-ups. This might be when software companies host webinars for us, or taking them to the Digital Accountancy Show.
The biggest challenge for practitioners is to keep up to date; CPD that is relevant to the job you’re in is very important. Our work has a software bias, so we need to keep up with the changes in technology, digital transformation and especially AI.
I’ve never been afraid of change, and I’ve never stood still
I was recently announced as one of Ignition’s Top 50 Women in Accounting globally for 2024. The theme was about catalysts of change, and how you adapt. I’ve never been afraid of change, and I’ve never stood still; I’ve always got on with it, be it with technology or changes in my life.
I am still a golfer but I don’t play as much now – mostly at client days and corporate days. My main hobby now is salsa dancing, and I’ve just come back from a salsa holiday to celebrate the Big 60.
