Whittingham Riddell strengthens senior management team

During April the firm announced that Helen Spencer has become the new managing partner following the retirement of Phil Lane, after 35 years of service.

Helen has already successfully driven the people agenda for the firm and will be defining a clear roadmap to success for the future.

With her many years of experience, Helen has guided a variety of businesses with the development of their strategy for both people and growth.

Helen said: “The business landscape has transformed a lot since I joined WR and more recently has thrown a number of changes towards the accounting industry, including the increasing popularity for new technologies like Cloud Accounting Software.

"In the past accountancy was much more about tax advice, returns, bookkeeping and annual business reviews and although those things are still incredibly important, the changes in accounting software mean we are able to help in much broader ways and really support our clients to drive their business success.

"We have been working to develop and recharge our service offering to ensure it is fit for our clients in the future.”

With the market place changing the firm has chosen to focus on maximising on the opportunities available; the digitalisation of the practice and external factors affecting its clients.

With their clients at the forefront of their mind, WR have made a number of additional changes ensuring that the firm is well positioned to help drive success going forward.

Tom Downes joined the established partnership after being promoted to partner and agricultural lead for Wales. In this new role, Tom will lead the firm’s already established Newtown team and newly focused Wrexham teams approach to agricultural work.

Tom is a highly experienced agricultural advisor, who has been with the firm for many years. He has extensive experience in farming and, having grown up on an arable and sheep farm, has farming in his blood.

Emma Dolphin, an experienced business advisor in the accounting and auditing profession has joined as a director, following a move back from Australia.

Emma is originally from Shropshire and has over 30 years’ experience working in practice in the UK and Australia. She is focused on the development of the Business Advisory function, working with the highly regarded professional teams to look into further ways to add value for their clients.

Business Advisory helps clients with everything from the day to day management of their how they get to where they want to be in the future.

Additionally, the firm has seen Phillippa Elms re-join as a Senior manager as part of its plans to strengthen its offering to additional agricultural businesses in the North Wales area.

Pip previously managed a portfolio of local and regional agricultural and equestrian clients at the firm, before spending a couple of years working as an in-house financial controller.

Helen added: “We have been quietly planning for a while, and although for some change may be unsettling, for us the future is incredibly exciting. We look forward to sharing the future with you.

"As a firm, we are proud of our heritage and our staff and we value the continuous support of our clients, that why it’s so important for us to continue to develop and align our business strategy to secure the most successful future for both us and our clients.”