Devon counts for success

When Francis Clark got off the train at Newton Abbot in 1919 after his long journey from South Africa, and decided to settle and establish an accountancy practice, little could he have known that almost 90 years later his small business would grow to become the largest independent firm of chartered accountants in the Westcountry.

But grow it has.
 
Today, the firm operates from offices in Exeter, Newton Abbot, Plymouth, Salisbury, Taunton, Tavistock and Torquay, and employs more than 250 members of staff. It has proven specialisms in corporate finance, taxation, financial planning, computing technologies, forensic accounting, new and growing business advice and business recovery, and it works for a wide variety of private individuals and businesses across the region and beyond.
 
As one of the top 30 firms in the UK, recruitment of the best professionals is always an issue. But like the original Francis Clark who was attracted by Devon as a great place to live and do business, good people do decide to come to Devon and further their careers at Francis Clark because is it an excellent firm, and because it operates in one of the most beautiful regions of the country.
 
Julie Towers is a VAT Consultant at Francis Clark and is originally from Cornwall. Julie trained as a chartered accountant before specialising in VAT. Before joining Francis Clark she was director of VAT Services for Critchleys Chartered Accountants in Oxfordshire and UK VAT manager for Siemens plc. She has been with Francis Clark since Spring 2006.
 
She chose to return to the Westcountry because she had lived in Devon until 1998, and this is where here family and friends live. She said: "My expertise in VAT is very specialised, and I knew that if I was to return to the Westcountry I would need to find a firm that could provide me with the right kind and level of specialist VAT work. Francis Clark has been able to do this in a way that other firms in the region could not. It is great that Devon is home to a firm that can provide such professional opportunities."
 
Glenn Nicol, Senior Corporate Services Manager, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Francis Clark in 2000, left the firm to work for Deloitte in Bristol, but returned seven years later in May 2007. While at Deloitte he worked with large private companies, international listed groups and enjoyed a number of secondments in industry. He spent a year with Deloitte in New Zealand as part of a global development programme.
 
He said: "My wife Georgina and I are both from Devon and we always wanted to return at some point. We were lucky enough to both grow up in Devon, and now we're both older, we fully appreciate what Devon has to offer in terms of both lifestyle and environment. For me the only firm that I wanted to join was Francis Clark. The firm has an excellent reputation and provides a wide range of services to a wide range of clients. Re-joining Francis Clark enables me to use my skills and experiences and at the same time will provide new challenges to develop and progress my career".
 
Paul O'Connell is a partner at Francis Clark. Paul initially trained with the Inland Revenue and has over 30 years' experience in personal and business taxation. He joined Francis Clark in 2004 from an international firm in London where he assisted in the formation and growth of its professional partnership and private client focus.
 
His areas of expertise include: partnership taxation (especially professional partnerships); limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and conversion to LLP status; enterprise investment schemes (EIS); restricted securities; Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) arrangements; domicile issues; capital gains tax (CGT); tax planning solutions for individuals and businesses; and HM Revenue & Customs technical enquiries.
 
Paul has been friends with fellow Francis Clark partner Dave Williams for years, and it was Dave's stories about Francis Clark and the sort of work the firm carries out that persuaded Paul and his wife to leave London and move to Devon.
 
He said: "It was becoming impossible to maintain a decent lifestyle in London. Property prices were high and the infrastructure was in chaos. What Dave told me about Francis Clark and the Westcountry appealed to me greatly, and we love living in Devon. Career-wise it has been a great move – the work I am doing from Newton Abbot is the same if not better quality than the work I did in London."