7 minute read
Profile
From apprentice
to partner!
Danielle Walmsley loves to travel the world – but when it comes to work, rest and day-to-day play, she’s rooted in Coventry and proud of it.
Danielle is a partner in the Coventry and Warwickshire office of accountancy firm Azets, which is based at Middlemarch – close to Coventry Airport.
She joined the business (although in the guise of Fox Evans) as an apprentice after leaving school – Tile Hill Wood – at the age of 16, having just completed her GCSEs.
Danielle was rising through the ranks at Fox Evans when the company was bought out by Baldwins in 2016, and that’s when her career really started to take off.
Within three years, she was made an associate director and in January 2021, she became a partner.
“When I left school at 16, I applied for an apprenticeship at a local firm in Coventry called Fox Evans,” said Danielle. “I trained through there and qualified when I just turned 21.
“I always liked numbers and maths at school. When I got to 16, I was going to stay on at school and do A-Levels but I just wanted to work and earn money so I looked at the apprenticeship route.
“Accountancy seemed liked a good fit and I’ve never looked back. It’s the perfect fit for me.
“I was just focused on the apprenticeship to begin with, to get through the exams and then I’d have a qualification and an opportunity for a career. But I was 16 so, at the time, it was just a case of having more money in my pocket than my friends who had stayed at school!
“My apprenticeship was through Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training and it was great and helped me through to the next phase of my career.
“But, when I started, we had nine of us in our office and I had to make five rounds of tea a day – it doesn’t take an accountant to work out how much that is!
“I was the office junior so I did everything – as well as my main job – but I thought it was a brilliant grounding.”
The takeover by Baldwins, and subsequently Cogital – which later rebranded to Azets, saw colleague numbers rise dramatically.
From 22 staff when Danielle started with Fox Evans, she is now part of a company that employs 2,500 people across the country.
The Coventry office is home to 53 staff and Danielle is playing a key role in helping to raise the profile of the business in the region.
“It was when Fox Evans got bought out by Baldwins in 2016 that my career progression really started,”
said Danielle. “We became a bigger firm and I managed step into client portfolio management and started to progress quickly.
“It’s gone step by step really and I became associate director at the start of 2019 and then became a partner in January 2021 – it’s really taken off.
“Azets helped with that because of the size of the company, because of the ambitions and because of the growth, I’ve had the opportunity to develop too. That’s the case for people at all levels and all stages of their career.
“It’s taken 12 years from coming in as an apprentice through to becoming a partner, which hopefully shows to everyone in the business what’s possible.
“I am the lead partner when it comes to business development and it’s a key part of my role to be seen in Coventry and Warwickshire so it’s important that I get out to events and start talking to more and more people.
“I enjoy the networking. I am a people person and I just enjoy getting to know businesses. The last thing they want is me to walk in and ask them who their accountant is and start selling. You need to get to know people and what they do.”
So, if you meet Danielle at a Chamber networking event, what are you likely to find out?
“I like the gym and I am quite a social person out of work too. You’ll find me in Coventry bars and restaurants, enjoying what the city has to offer. I love food and I love holidays," said Danielle.
“I like city breaks and don’t like to go back to the same place every year.
“Everything is becoming automated through software. HMRC is moving this way. There are so many ways we can help clients to work better using digital technology and we are really driving this forward.”
But, ultimately, it’s people and their businesses that helps to keep each day fresh for Danielle.
“I like the difference that every day brings,” she said. “We work with different clients across different sectors, which keeps the job exciting.
“I love the client interaction and I like to be able to help people. There are lots of positive ways we can help a business and I really enjoy that element.
“It’s rewarding to watch businesses grow and know that we have been part of that.”
“But I’m Coventry born and bred and I’m very proud of my roots. As a Coventry girl that has been brought up in the city, it’s great to see how its transformed. There are bars and restaurants and a real hustle and bustle. I’d have previously gone for a night out in Birmingham but there’s so much here in Coventry that I stay here.
“The regeneration has been great and I think the city will continue to thrive for many years to come. It feels like the city is on the map and not just for the old Sent To Coventry!”
Azets, too, has modernised and its fresh new brand is being matched by a market-leading move into the world of digital accountancy.
That’s mostly down to client demand but also matches the company’s plan to drive forward.
“Our client base varies,” said Danielle. “We work with businesses including sole traders and SMEs right up to multi-national, multi-million pound companies.
“The SME market is Azets’ niche. We don’t compete with the big four accountancy firms who will have minimum size of clients, we work with smaller firms which are the lifeblood of any economy and you really see that here in Coventry and Warwickshire.
“We’re looking to grow in the market and looking at clients which are, themselves, in a growth phase and seeing how we can help them.
“We want to work with start-ups that are looking to grow and those entrepreneurs that want to push on.
“The beauty of being a national firm is that we have really strong specialist services that we can offer to clients where required. We’ve got a breadth of expertise on offer for all client needs. For example, Brexit has made import, export duty and VAT much more complex so we can really call upon different expertise for local clients where needed.
“We aim to be a client’s trusted adviser. So not just offering statutory requirements but we are there to help businesses through whatever phase of the business they are going through – whether its growth, succession planning or the sale of a business.
“We pride ourselves on being the Coventry and Warwickshire office and being local and getting to know clients personally is hugely important to us.
“Azets has, also, really taken on the change in the accountancy environment. We’ve got a young, dynamic team and we work flexibly so we have to find ways that we maintain the growth of the team.
“We’ve added social rooms, new artwork and spaces where we can collaborate. That really helps.
“We rebranded to Azets in September 2020 in the midst of the pandemic so now we feel it’s time to really let people know how the business has evolved and changed and what the future holds.
“We’ve continued to grow and invest in the team. We take on trainees every year – that could be graduates or school-leavers and people progress their career through this office. Our students have full study support to become fully qualified and continue their career progression with Azets.
“We’ve got a new team and we’re really focusing on digital accounting and we like to call ourselves the market leaders in that.
About Danielle Walmsley :
Born: Coventry Live: Coventry Married/Partner: Engaged – to be married July 2023 Children: None
Hobbies: Gym, walking & socialising Favourite Book: I don’t tend to have time to read, but if I do it’s usually an airport best seller purchase for the sun lounger! Favourite Film: Netflix boxsets have taken over, so I rarely get to see films, but I love a classic action movie!
Last Holiday: Cornwall for a surprise 60th birthday (we even had some sunshine) Gadget: I’m not the biggest tech person but I love a new gadget. I’ve recently moved house and finding lots of gadgets I didn’t know existed – lightbulb speakers!
