"We are extremely proud of our growth from referrals and increased independent enquiries at LWA, and the entire team are looking forward to finishing the year on a high."
Les Leavitt
Independent Cheshire firm of accountants Leavitt Walmsley Associates Ltd (LWA) have completed the first half of 2018 with a promising outlook for the year ahead. Building on the success of 2017, LWA have experienced substantial growth including appointing 3 new members of staff, as well as investing in talent on the sports field which has helped raise their profile on a national scale.
Investing in local talent
Whilst the UK experiences a period of economic uncertainty with the Brexit negotiations taking place, LWA have continued to increase their client acquisition rate. As a result, they have been able to recruit three new members of staff to their South Manchester and Warrington offices including Client Services Manager Majid Abubakar, who having trained at White & Company (UK) Ltd, has already established himself as a key part of the audit team in his senior role at LWA. Angela Kitson has been appointed as Payroll Specialist, managing the weekly and monthly salary payments for a number of key clients. A supporting role that has been added to the team at LWA is to be filled by Teigan Risley in the coming weeks; a trainee tax accountant who will be studying her AAT. These 2018 appointment come soon after 3 roles were added in late 2017 – Accounts Assistant, Rochelle Antley, and Office Administrators Joanna Deas and Sharon Chaffe.
Supporting the local community
Through a partnership with Super League rugby team Warrington Wolves, LWA have also been able to raise their profile thanks to a range of sponsorship opportunities with the team. Featured in a prime position as lead shorts sponsors on the away kit, the LWA logo has become an increasingly recognisable feature of Wolves away games both here and overseas, with coverage on Sky Sports and most recently as part of the BBC’s coverage of the Challenge Cup semi-final against Leeds Rhinos which the Wolves won 48-12.
The LWA commitment to supporting the local rugby team also extends to sponsorship of players, including emerging talent Eribe Doro, a first-year academy player from Oldham, who was offered a scholarship after impressing the Head of Talent Identification Peter Farrell. LWA have also provided tables for charity initiatives hosted by the club, including the Kids2Legends scheme.
The LWA link to sporting teams in the North West extends further to player sponsorship of Shane Bakker of the Elite Ice Hockey team Manchester Storm, the set-up of which was introduced through their client Mike Morin who coaches the team.
Demonstrating accountancy expertise at the House of Commons
Whilst LWA focus on supporting local projects, they will also be shifting their attention to a national scale. Earlier this year, Audit Director, Steve Collings received an invitation from Sir Eric Pickles to represent the accountancy profession at the parliamentary review at the House of Commons this September, using his knowledge and experience to inform industry standards and outline best practice measures.
A prolific author with twenty-two accountancy texts under his belt, Steve Collings has recently completed another reference book this year published by Bloomsbury: A Practical Guide to UK Accounting & Auditing Standards and, has been commissioned to write a text book for Oxford University Press due for publication in 2020.
Celebrating client relationships
In addition to growing the team, LWA have also been adding to their portfolio of clients, welcoming Manchester based haulage firm TW Bowler and French-based entrepreneur Charles Dubost, Managing Director at Water Innovative Service & Equipment Ltd, to name just a few. LWA have increasingly been appointed by SMEs moving away from the larger firms, based on referrals and recommendations, and a recent client acquisition includes Ascendant Lifts Ltd. Operations Manager, Yvonne Brown, comments “We had been with our existing accountants since starting the business in 2003 and as an expanding small business in a very competitive market, we realised we required a service that provided a fresh, dynamic approach to Ascendant Lifts. We looked into various local accountancy firms and after meeting Les, we discovered we had found a company that ticked all our requirements. The advice we have been given by the team at LWA up to now has been invaluable to the success of Ascendant Lifts and our future business.”
Managing Partner, Les Leavitt concludes: “We are extremely proud of our achievements and growth, as a result of word of mouth referrals and increased independent enquiries. With 2018 proving successful so far for LWA, the entire team are looking forward to finishing the year on a high and we expect to see continued success well into 2019 and beyond.”
