I started my career with Bain Henry Reid in Aberdeen during my placement year from Robert Gordon University. I returned following the completion of my degree in Accountancy & Finance to complete my CA qualification.

Bain Henry Reid was a great place to work and develop as I was able to get involved in everything from preparing accounts for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies to carrying out audits, preparing personal tax, corporate tax and VAT returns. The grounding this gave me in the basics across all aspects has stuck with me throughout my career. The firm itself was a great place to work as there was a lot of Partner interaction along with being very sociable for a young accountant.

In 2003 I moved to Ritson Smith in the audit department but also looked after a lot of non audit clients where I progressed to Manager level. Again, being a smaller firm it was a great place to continue my development as I was able to get involved with diligence projects as well as the more normal compliance work.

After 7 years at Ritson Smith my head was turned to look at industry roles. I sought advice from various sources with the overriding opinion being it would be beneficial to have Big 4 experience on my CV. In 2010 I joined Deloitte as a Senior Manager in the Entrepreneurial Business Stream which was a great fit with my background. Whilst continuing to work predominately in audit I got involved with diligence projects, secondments and the finances of the Aberdeen office. Whilst it was a very different environment than I had experienced to date I learnt a lot and worked with some great people.

After 3 years I sought my first role in industry, where I joined Ramco Tubular Services following private equity investment. This was a great experience where I could continue to develop whilst adding value to the Group. A lot was achieved to improve the reporting for the Group and alongside Paul Mitchell (CFO) I gained invaluable experience of working in industry. In 2018 I was promoted to Finance Director and continued to gain experience with greater responsibility that the role brought.

After 4 years as the Finance Director, I sought out a new challenge and joined ICR as the Group Finance Director. This move allowed me to experience a larger and more complex business with a larger international reach. After 2 years at ICR a chance phone call with Lauren McIlroy at AAB led me to consider my future and ultimately has ended up with me returning to practice in July 2024.

I am delighted to have joined AAB in the Virtual Finance Function (VFF) as a Partner based in Aberdeen. The VFF team has grown significantly over the last 6 years and it is great to be involved with the team and our clients as well as the wider AAB team. We continue to service our clients with all aspects of a finance function from processing support to Board reporting along with any other ad hoc support as required. The strength and depth of the team means that we can be agile and add value to our clients. Whilst we can perform the full finance function it is not just about replacing the traditional model. We can provide support that is supplementary to those teams when there are particular pinch points or projects that need support. It is the flexibility and adaptability of VFF that adds value.

When I started my career it was the variety and constant learning and development. Over the years it is more about surrounding myself and working with great people.

I have been fortunate to work with some great teams during my career and helping them develop has always been really enjoyable. There are always going to be tough times but with a great team pulling in the same direction you can help get each other through those challenging times.

Having only been at AAB a short time it is clear that we have a great team with a wide variety of skills where we can all learn from each other, and I look forward to supporting the team on their own career journeys.

Now that I have returned to practice, it is great to meet clients and get to know their businesses along with the variety of work at AAB. It is this variety that was a big draw to return to practice and that is already proving to be true as no one day is the same.

As with many kids growing up in Aberdeen in the 80's and 90's, I was inspired by some great Aberdeen football teams and would have loved to have become a professional footballer. Unfortunately, it was clear early on that this was not going to be an achievable dream, but I still love sport and played hockey until my mid 20's until a combination of injuries and professional exams got in the way.

When I was at secondary school I did gravitate towards architecture, but I always enjoyed maths and numbers which led me towards accountancy without fully understanding the broad range of opportunities that an accountancy qualification could provide.

Absolutely, our profession is often seen as a necessary overhead rather than adding value.

A true finance function should be integral to all business decisions. Whilst the role will still be largely about overseeing the controls in place and managing the numbers, the use of data to support strategic business decisions is vital. The way we use this data and the impact of technology and automation will continue to have greater focus and hopefully see the value that accountants can provide.

Not really, although the ability to work from anywhere is great. I do tend to spend more time in the office and working with colleagues, as I think you get more out of a quick face to face discussion.

I have generally always had the mindset that as long as the job is done and deadlines are met I don’t mind where the work is done. Whilst I have always been dedicated, proving I was last in the office has never been one of my priorities especially as family responsibilities grow.

Seek advice and do your research. Make sure you find yourself some trusted mentors and be open. I appreciate that not everyone is receptive to an open approach, but I have often had a very open relationship in my career where I have openly spoken about wanting a new challenge and generally that was been a supportive position.

Equally, a number of my team over the years have also had that open approach. Whilst it is sometimes difficult to lose team members their development and life goals are more important and if I am able to help them with some advice on what is a good fit for them then I find that rewarding (apart from the need to replace them).

Also be open to opportunities. I had kept in touch with Lauren McIlroy over the years after our time at Deloitte. During a phone call with her which was more of a general catch up I raised the fact that I was considering my options and wanted her views about the Aberdeen market has ended up with me working alongside Lauren again at AAB.

I think most of all make sure you can surround yourself with great people and that the culture of a business aligns with your own. Job satisfaction and happiness is far more important than chasing the next big salary increase. You can’t always control these factors but advice and research can go a long way to making sure you make the right choice. Just be prepared to walk away from opportunities, if they don’t feel right then trust your instinct.

Trust your instincts and seek advice.

When I was younger I was certainly more guarded and less open about my career goals as well as personal life which I kept very separate from work. As I have got older that has certainly changed as you find everyone has their own problems and if you share them it can often be easier.

It also gives you the opportunity to make closer connections with people and that can help build stronger teams and make good friends. That is important as you spend so long with your colleagues it is vital that you can build that trust.

Also try and maximise all opportunities by giving it your all. I regularly tell my kids to put in maximum effort; the more you put in the more you will get out of it. I definitely didn’t appreciate that until later on in my career.

It depends how you define an achievement. For me the opportunity to continue to develop and learn is a priority as well as being able to have the time to enjoy the journey. It is inevitable as we all get older that we lose people and over the last 2 years I have unfortunately seen a lot of illness and attended too many funerals which certainly gets you to reflect on priorities.

As well as my own development I get great satisfaction from helping others develop and seeing them progress towards their goals so that is something I want to continue.

Family is extremely important to me and you will generally find me at the side of a football pitch cheering on my children or at the side of a swimming pool supporting them at swim meets as well as operating the inevitable dad taxi.

During COVID I got back into fitness which had declined in my 30's. I struggled to keep this up over the last 2 years but am determined to continue to keep up some level of fitness that I have recently got back, even if that is just a way to try and keep up with my kids.

Despite that there is nothing better than relaxing with my wife and kids over a good meal and a glass of gin!

I am quite an open book these days and enjoy the simple things and love spending time with my family and watching my children grow and develop.

As my wife and children tell me I have no new stories to share!