East Anglian accountancy firm Ensors has recruited 13 new staff to study for accountancy exams.
The firm, which has offices in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Saxmundham and Huntingdon, says it is committed to training new accountants and has a very good success rate for staff passing the exams.
Six of the new students are at Ipswich and five Cambridge, with one each at Bury and Huntingdon. Two of the students are studying for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), six for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and five for the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).
Essex financial advice firm Birkett Long, has welcomed financial planning manager Mike Greely.
Mike, 36, a married father of one from Chelmsford, has spent 13 years in the financial services business and holds an Investment Management Certificate.
He will be an all-round general practitioner with the firm in Colchester and will offer clients advice on trustee investment, inheritance tax mitigation and pension in divorce matters. His appointment means the financial firm now has a dozen staff members.
“Many people who seek financial advice assume that they have just an isolated need, such as pensions, and often use an adviser for a specific part of their finances,” he said
“Whilst this is not a problem, I find clients are much more appreciative when you take time out to look at the bigger picture of their finances, as well as take an interest in what motivates them.
“I also find it helps add value that clients were not expecting. This approach helps provide a better understanding of their longer term goals and aspirations, as well as other financial planning areas that they may have overlooked or not considered previously.
“At Birkett Long, there is a fantastic opportunity to help clients concurrently with their legal and financial needs, which only adds value to their experience.”
Young insurance brokers in East Anglia are to get more support following the British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s (BIBA) recent appointment of a Young Ambassador.
Kerri-Ann Hockley, 31, of Ipswich-based online insurance broker PolicyBee, has been elected by BIBA to work with their younger members in East Anglia. She is one of 12 young ambassadors to represent regions across the UK.
Her mission is to feed back the views and concerns of young brokers to BIBA, and to promote insurance broking as a career.
She will also network with young brokers in our region to connect them with BIBA, listening to what they want and organising any events and services they need. “When I started my insurance career in 2005, the industry was perceived as very stuffy and formal – not at all appealing for young people,” she said.
“Although insurance has moved with the times, there’s more we can do to improve our image. When young people come to PolicyBee for interviews and meetings, they’re always pleasantly surprised how modern and lively our office is, and our sense of team spirit.”
Kerri-Ann added: “Clearly, old perceptions about insurance are still hanging around. By making under-30s feel more welcome in our sector, I hope we can make insurance broking more appealing.”
Insurance is a big employer across East Anglia. Kerri-Ann hopes that by looking out for the best interests of the under-30s, she can open up insurance broking as a desirable career choice for young people in our region.
Nicola Maguire, Head of BIBA’s Young Broker Strategy said: “The creation of these Regional Ambassador roles means young brokers in every area of the UK are able to have a voice on issues that affect them locally.
“Kerri-Ann will be instrumental in ensuring we maintain a healthy flow of opportunities in the Anglia region by gaining feedback from other young professionals on what matters to them, and what learning and events would be of most benefit in developing their careers.”
Kerri-Ann said she was keen to get more young people into insurance broking, and wants to encourage training and professional development within the industry.
“By creating a network in our region, I want young brokers to feel stronger and more confident. Even if they feel they don’t have a voice within their own company, I will be their voice at the BIBA committee,” she said.
Associate Solicitor, Lisa Dawson, has returned to Ipswich-based Ellisons Solicitors from her maternity leave.
Lisa joined Ellisons in 2002 and qualified in September 2004 taking up a position in the family department. Her work involves all areas of family law including, contact/residence disputes, financial relief between married and unmarried couples, divorce, cohabitation and pre-nuptial agreements, injunctions and child protection, including acting for grandparents in public law proceedings.
She is a resolution specialist accredited member in Children Law and Advanced Financial Provision I. Resolution is the national organisation of family lawyers committed to non-confrontational divorce, separation and other family problems.
Lisa is also a qualified mediator, giving impartial guidance on all family-related issues to couples.
Accountancy firm Lovewell Blake has taken on 18 new accountancy, tax and business administration trainees.
The group, 13 of whom will be studying as apprentices, will be based at the firm’s offices across the region including Bury St Edmunds and Halesworth.
Managing partner Douglas Young said: “Once again we are delighted to be offering a range of exciting opportunities to our new recruits. Accountancy is a popular choice for young people seeking a career in one of the professions and our training places are only given to the very best candidates. We are confident that our 2015 intake will thrive in the industry and be inspired by their roles within Lovewell Blake.”
A Taylor Wimpey Site Manager from Suffolk is celebrating after winning a prestigious national house-building award.
Shaun Taylor, site manager at the developer’s The Arboretum scheme in Haverhill, beat off stiff competition from around 15,000 entries to be honoured with an NHBC (National House-Building Council) Pride in the Job Quality Award.
Pride in the Job Quality Awards are presented following a stringent judging process by NHBC inspectors who perform spot checks and continuous assessment of developments throughout the year.
Managing director of Taylor Wimpey East Anglia Steve Rolt said: “I’d like to congratulate Shaun for winning a Quality Award – his success is thoroughly deserved.
“Here at Taylor Wimpey East Anglia, we are committed to maintaining the highest levels of quality and customer service and this has ensured that we continue to be an NHBC award-winning housebuilder year after year.”
Accountancy firm BDO has appointed Sarah Elms as a partner.
Sarah, who works across the Norwich and Ipswich offices at BDO, worked her way up from a trainee in 1998 and is now head of the business services and cccounting (BS&A) team in East Anglia. She also specialises in the medical sector.
“It’s not often you see people who stay with one firm for so many years, but I’ve experienced incredible times here and have been supported throughout my development from trainee to partner,” she said.
“The advice I provide to businesses, including the work I do within the medical sector, continues to interest and excite me. Many still believe accountants simply crunch numbers, but in reality we deliver so much more than that for our clients. It’s that, and the people I work with, that keeps me glued to the accountancy and business advisory profession.
“I am delighted to become a partner. I look forward to continuing to enjoy the work I do for BDO, our people and our clients.”
In her role as head of BS&A, Sarah and the team have also launched a new cloud accounting service in the region aimed at mid-sized and fast growth small and medium-sized enterprises.
The new service, BDO InTouch, provides businesses with access to current business performance information which can be viewed anytime and anywhere, ranging from management accounts and reporting to bookkeeping, and from finance department outsourcing to business planning and advisory.
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