Promotion and progression of key staff are being celebrated at a leading accountancy firm.
Based in St Asaph, Menai Bridge, Ruthin and Beaumaris, Salisbury’s Chartered Accountants has seen apprentices and long-standing team members move on to new roles in past weeks.
And directors are planning to expand further in 2023 after a surge in clients across multiple sectors.
Among those to have started their career as trainees and moved up to qualified accountant status are Eiry Owen, from Llanrwst, and Sophie Jones, from Penmaenmawr.
Meanwhile, Hannah Addison, from Dyserth, is now an executive manager and Rhyl’s Sian Sparkes, who joined the firm seven years ago, has risen to become payroll manager while garnering a CIPP (Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals) Payroll Management foundation degree.
Originally, from Llysfaen, Sian praised Salisbury’s for nurturing employees from the moment they join the company.
“The directors are incredibly supportive and encourage you to drive forward to achieve a high standard of learning and development within your chosen career path,” she added.
“For me going back to studying after so many years as a mum of two young children, and during the pandemic, was a challenge, but with their backing I did it and am immensely proud to have achieved the degree.”
Those words were echoed by Sophie, a former Ysgol Aberconwy pupil who was nominated for the Apprentice of the Year Award while completing the AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) course at Grwp Llandrillo Menai, Rhos-on-Sea.
“I chose accountancy as it’s a respected career and since joining Salisbury’s as a trainee I’ve had the opportunity to grow and gain experience while learning, which has given me the best of both worlds,” said Sophie.
“As my knowledge grows so does my confidence and responsibilities, so I now have the chance to train others coming through and pass on what I’ve learned to them. I would recommend this path to anyone wanting to access this sector, I’ve been so lucky and am very thankful to the team here for their support.”
Eiry believes being exposed to a wide range of different clients and caseloads has “greatly benefited” her progression, while Hannah – who graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Maths – says work experience was key to her success.
“I volunteered in different banking and investment roles before coming to Salisbury’s, which was the best move I could have made,” she added.
“After university I was a little wary of having to continue studying but it has all been worth it, especially at a firm like this where the experience you gain is invaluable.”
Luke Owen, Tyler Lloyd-Hughes, Abbi Neville and Jack Roberts joined the business in the last 12 months and are already pursuing accountancy qualifications.
And in payroll, Leah Williams and Julie Jones have gained CIPP certificates.
Directors Aled Roberts, Jeremy Salisbury and Jason Matischok all joined the practice as trainees and congratulated their “hard-working” and “inspirational” team for the commitment shown throughout the pandemic and beyond.
“A large part of their study time has been online and during the pandemic, but it didn’t stop them, they’ve all gone on to achieve what they set out for,” said Aled.
“We invest in our trainees from day one, they are the future of not only this company, but this sector and we could not be prouder of them.”
Jeremy said their links with colleges and universities in North Wales will help bring through the next generation of workers to the sector, coupled with a new health and wellbeing strategy which includes mindfulness days, birthdays off and a shorter working week.
Jason added: “We are always looking to attract young, talented apprentices to Salisbury’s, and as we continue to expand and our client base grows that is going to be more important than ever.”
