Ian started his career in the profession as a trainee with the Birmingham office of Thomson Mclintock in 1978 having left York University with a Maths degree earlier that year. He joined Clark Whitehill in 1983 working in their Birmingham, Coleshill and finally Kidderminster offices. At Kidderminster he was made a junior partner on 1st January 1990 just before the early 1990s recession and was asked to retire at the age of 33. Ian started off his life as a sole practitioner with the aid of a number of clients that he was allowed to keep as part of the “retirement package”. On his own admission he had a lot of free time and indulged that at New Road, Worcester watching the county cricket.
After a number of years Ian decided to commit more fully to the accounting profession and purchased his first block of fees in 2001 changing his work commitment from three days a week to six.
In 2004 the Wolverhampton practice and alongside a number of staff were acquired and the business was incorporated, work days extended to 5.30pm and one hour of travelling extra per day. He worked from home before. He tells us he could leave for work at 8.59am and still be there for nine.
Ian is the registered auditor within the firm and puts down his 1991 “retirement” to the fact that he was buying and selling companies, or at least doing the accountancy side of the transaction, something that he still does within the office when the opportunity arises.
When it comes to leisure activities there seems to be a lot of leg work in them, whether it be running (three Wolverhampton Marathons in the Eighties) or cycling (Land’s End – John O’Groats in 2009) there’s also a lot of repetitiveness about these things, “a bit like accountancy” he tells us!
Nick joined the firm in 2006 having completed a degree in Accountancy. With the support of the company he has since gone on to qualify as a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA).
Nick has experience in accounts preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, taxation and audit. He is often the first port of call for clients seeking advice and guidance on accounting software and he enjoys putting them on the right track.
Out of the office Nick enjoys spending time listening to music and attending live music and comedy although the time available to do these activities has been limited somewhat following the arrival of his two children, not that he’s complaining.
We welcomed Leanne into the company in August 2018 when she joined us as a bookkeeper and payroll clerk.
Leanne re-joined the world of work having taken a career break to raise her young daughters. In her downtime she took it upon herself to further her career by taking courses in bookkeeping and Sage accounts. She also started on the path to gaining her ACCA qualification which she is continuing to do with the support of the company.
Away from work Leanne loves spending time with her family including her two beloved Japanese Akitas.
Paul trained under articles in Wolverhampton, followed by a short stint enjoying post qualification experience at Cooper Brothers (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) before being enticed away with the offer of a partnership in a small firm of Chartered Accountants. That firm became, after two amalgamations, Clark Whitehill.
Like Ian, another recession meant that he took early retirement, and the package also included some clients; he commenced a sole practice from home in Stourbridge in 1991.
In August 2023 Paul transferred his client base to Ian’s practice and became the firm’s newest but oldest employee! With over half a century of public practice under his belt including forensic and investigative work, Trusteeship, mergers, sales and acquisition of businesses, he has substantial experience in all matters financial.
When not being an accountant Paul has skied, sailed and run the odd marathon or three, but now just enjoys a leisurely walk with friends and family.
