An auditor has described his excitement after leaving one of the world’s biggest accountancy firms to join a leading Cumbrian practice.
David Jackson has spent most of his 12-year career with Crowe, the ninth-largest global accountancy network in the world. He has left to become Audit Manager at Saint & Co Chartered Accountants, which has offices across Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway.
David was based at Crowe UK’s Cheltenham office in his native Gloucestershire but recently relocated with his wife, who is originally from Cumbria.
“We always wanted to move to Cumbria,” said David. “Saint & Co has a really strong reputation and there’s a lot of expertise across the team, and it felt like the right fit. The company has a feel that it cares for each of its clients and it’s a larger business than people might initially realise.”
Another attraction for David was Saint & Co’s client base. “Their clients include a lot of charities and small and medium-sized companies, and I’m expecting these organisations to form a significant part of my work here, which was the case earlier in my career.
“In recent years at Crowe, I’d been dealing with much larger entities. That’s enjoyable in some ways, but it can be quite impersonal at times.
“It’s nice to get to know the clients properly and to understand what the owners and directors really want from their business, or what the trustees’ aims are for a charity.
“It’s rewarding to add some value where possible and, during an audit, you’re always trying to see how you can make their organisation function either more effective or more efficient. If we see something that can be done in a better way, we’ll bring it to their attention.”
David’s range of clients has included companies from a wide range of sectors, including distributors, manufacturers, retailers and software companies, as well as not for profit entities such as independent schools and International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs). At Crowe, he managed the audit of a company with a £300 million turnover.
One of his most satisfying tasks was with a UK-based INGO operating in Nepal and India.
David said: “I was their audit senior for three years and they were building schools and water sanitation projects.
“I went out there to see what they were doing, and that was fascinating. It’s very gratifying to be able to help organisations, which we can do in various ways.”
As well as performing and reviewing audits, David’s role at Saint & Co will include mentoring apprentices through their training.
Stuart Farrer, a Partner at Saint & Co’s Carlisle office, said: “We’re absolutely delighted about David’s appointment.
“It says a lot about our reputation that David has chosen to come here from one of the biggest accountancy firms in the world, and his experience and expertise will be an asset to our clients and our trainees.”
