I joined Crowe in 2016 after completing my Mathematics degree at Lancaster University. With the help of a career advisor, I looked at a range of different audit and accountancy firms to understand the differences in types of firms, and I found that going to a firm outside the Big 4 could offer me greater exposure to a wider array of companies and industries, rather than being focused on one company for a prolonged period of time. I then joined Crowe in the Cheltenham office.
I would say that the people made my time at Crowe. I remember the social events, such as meeting at the pub on Fridays and in particular dressing up as Elvis for the Las Vegas themed Christmas party!
I really enjoyed the opportunity to take a secondment overseas at Crowe’s New York office, and as a whole having the opportunity to work at a range of different clients both locally and further afield. I’m currently going through our company’s statutory audit here in Hong Kong – it’s fun to be on the other side and feeling like I’ve answered the same question three times!
Since leaving Crowe, I have been in my current role as Finance Director for a small recruitment agency. I lead the financial management and operational administration of the company, while supporting the strategic vision alongside the Managing Director. This includes overseeing budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis to support day to day and long-term strategic decision-making. I have also been involved in the rebranding and redesign of the website.
While working with my company, I have also engaged with events hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, thanks to my affiliation with the ICAEW. This involvement has allowed me to broaden my network and gain valuable insights from industry leaders. As a result, I was invited to participate in a "UK Business Dialogue with Shenzhen Municipal Government" at the end of August through the China-Britain Business Council. This opportunity involved visiting Shenzhen to discuss policies and developments related to trade and the economy in the region.
I’ve been in touch with a few people from Crowe since being in Hong Kong, but I need to be in touch more. This year has been a huge transition for me and lot to take in, but I’m definitely looking forward to coming back and catching up with the old Crowe contingent when I do make a return visit.
Staying in touch with good people and catching up socially over a pint. Also, having the option to tap into the expertise of other professionals in assisting any queries I may have, especially in the role I am in, is a huge positive.
I see myself staying in Hong Kong for the foreseeable future. My overarching aim is to help grow this business into a successful and profitable recruitment firm, providing the financial foundation and forecasting to help meet the short-term working capital requirements of today while also seeking to achieve longer term strategic goals.
In the not-too-distant future, I’ll be heading out to Munich again for a business trip to meet our German clients at Oktoberfest, a great opportunity to meet our clients face to face and in a fantastic environment.
At the same time of working on the business, I’ve also taken part in the ICAEW Future Leaders event, which was conducted as four one-hour interactive virtual sessions and recently become a member of the ICAEW Hong Kong Leaders Under 40 committee. I’m looking forward to working on my company and representing the ICAEW across Hong Kong and APAC region through various platforms.
Definitely the people I met at Crowe - I made friends for life and I even met my now husband! One of the girls I started at the firm with was a bridesmaid at my wedding and I also had attendees from both the Reading and New York offices, where I did two secondments during my time at Crowe. I miss the fun I had with everyone I met there and of course the FNDs (Friday night drinks).
I have stayed connected with a lot of people since leaving and we regularly meet up as a group. I also attended the Alumni event at the Hyatt Regency in Blackfriars in September last year and it was great catching up with current partners and other alumni. Although I left in 2021, I hadn’t seen some people in person since October 2019 when I went on secondment before returning home to lockdown in March 2020.
Keeping in contact with people I’ve met at Crowe is important to me as you never know when your paths might cross again in a professional capacity in the future.
I was at Crowe for six and half years from 2015 to 2022. I really enjoyed my time there and felt that I developed both professionally and personally. I remember working in many different teams with lots of different personalities who were all supportive of each other.
I miss the people at Crowe who I built strong relationships with, some of which I have been successful at keeping in touch with others not so much, which I hope to rectify! I also miss the opportunity to travel – it was nice to travel to different locations in the UK, which was regular part of working in the audit team.
I left Crowe to join Veolia as a Financial Accountant predominantly focusing on financial accounting, group reporting and audit. Since then, I have recently been promoted to Finance Manager and my role now also involves looking after an element of management accounts, business partnering, budgeting and forecasting.
I really value keeping in touch with Crowe – it’s great to have a network of former colleagues and friends who I can reach out to. Also connecting to them and Crowe on LinkedIn gives me access to regular insights, updates and current changes across various industries, which I find really useful.
The Alumni events Crowe organises are a great way to keep in touch and network with former colleagues and also to meet people who are new to the firm. I am looking forward to the next one!
I studied Accounting and Finance at Exeter university and wanted to work with numbers, but had no real plan about how to get into the profession. I didn’t want to be just another body in the Big 4 (or Big 5 as it was then). I applied to Crowe through a job advertisement in the local newspaper, Mark Anderson recruited me even after I got lost and I was late for my interview.
By 2015, I wanted to move into industry and openly discussed this with Crowe. A new client, ID&C, needed to build out a finance function to support their growth plans, so it was mutually agreed that I join them. ID&C supply wristbands and accreditation products to festivals and live events. We opened an office in Florida in 2016, I joined the Board as FD in 2017 and at the end of 2019 we sold the business to a large North American corporate for an all-cash deal in excess of $30 million.
Post-completion, I was promoted into a group role with ID&C’s buyer. Life in a large corporate with its emphasis on people politics and interminable reporting deadlines is very different to the dynamism and flexibility more common to owner-managed businesses! The travel was excessive, especially as I have a young family, so it was an easy decision to step away and take some time to choose my next role.
Recently I joined Compass Business Finance. Like ID&C, they are a locally based, family-owned business that is experiencing rapid growth. Unlike ID&C, there are some nuances in accounting for Asset Finance so it’s good to get back to working with numbers and learning something new at this stage in my career.
I respect and trust Crowe people and believe they can add value to any business by providing advice that is practical and based in the real-world. There are always interesting businesses and individuals to meet through Crowe’s networking events, as well as the possibility of a free drink!
What I remember most about my time at Crowe is the support that I received from the partners that I worked with. Having a young family, and at the time relocating from Uganda to the UK was quite stressful. But I received so much support from the partners on the NFP team and from fellow team members. It was also really nice being part of team where many of the partners and senior managers are women and mothers. I felt very supported and understood.
Because of the connections that I kept with former colleagues at Crowe, I have made the decision to come back to Crowe. I will be rejoining the Social Purpose and Non Profit team in July 2023, and I look forward to it.
I joined Crowe in January 2012. I had recently qualified at a smaller firm in the West End called Simmons Gainsford and I was looking for my next challenge. I had applied to a handful of top 20 firms and despite having offers from some larger audit firms, I really got a good feeling after the Crowe interviews. I had been interviewed by two partners and two senior managers, before being taken to The Old Bell Tavern for some informal drinks with some of the team.
I liked the fact that Crowe seemed eager to hire me and that everyone I had met had been approachable, personable and welcoming. I was also told there would be opportunities to progress quickly in the team and this was also appealing.
I was at Crowe for seven years, from 2012 to 2019. I really enjoyed my time there and if an opportunity too good to turn down hadn’t come along, I am certain I would still be at Crowe.
What I miss most are my colleagues and the wonderful opportunities that I got to travel with work. My work took me all over the world including Geneva, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Idaho, Athens and even Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo. The work was fulfilling and the connections I built with colleagues and clients real and meaningful. I worked closely with some very intelligent and talented people, and I believe that I learnt a huge deal during my time at Crowe. Thankfully, I keep in touch with many of my former colleagues and long may that continue.
I left Crowe to become a Partner in a smaller accounting practice called ALG based in North London. We are a two-partner practice with nine members of staff, and despite everything being on a smaller scale the work is not dissimilar. I managed to coincide becoming a Partner with the beginning of the COVID pandemic, which meant it was a true baptism of fire.
Throw in getting married, getting a dog and having a baby girl since leaving Crowe, it has truly been a tumultuous yet enjoyable period of my life. Despite the challenges we have faced, we managed to grow the practice and I continue to have ambitious plans for more growth and further digitalisation of our processes. The principles I learnt at Crowe I try to apply at ALG and seeing the growth Crowe is experiencing is inspiring me to try and achieve the same here.
As well as being in regular contact with many of my former colleagues at Crowe, I am also signed up to many Crowe email groups and also follow Crowe across all social media platforms. I am very grateful to have had some work referred to me from Crowe, and I am also always looking to see where I can refer work back. Of course, with the various lockdowns over the last couple of years I have not been down to see people face to face as much as I would have liked, and I still need to have a tour of the new offices.
Join us
Thank you
Great to hear from you, we will be in touch soon.