We are very proud to announce that Beth Whitmore, Ben Brookes, and Tom Walker (pictured) will become partners from 1st October 2021. Based in Oxfordshire, all 3 have progressed through the firm from trainee level. This is a testament to our career path and training structure, plus their commitment to the firm and their dedication to helping our clients.
Tom, Beth, and Ben are members of Generation Y (Gen Y), also known as millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996). Much has been written and debated about millennials over the years. A common question being, how to manage what is perceived to be a different, and therefore, challenging age group in the workplace?
If millennials are so apparently testing to manage, what can be learnt from the career development of Beth, Ben, and Tom? Are they just an anomaly? We can see the importance of millennials in the workplace because this generation now form over 50% of all global workers.
That said, perhaps perceptions about generations can be both assumptive and deceptive. Maybe millennial cliche's should be avoided. In this post, our new partners share their career paths to date, and we explore why more human leadership can help develop and grow people of all ages.
In my time at Wellers, I’ve been fortunate to work with so many unique and insightful people, from Anaesthetists to Zoologists.
I've also advised people and organisations that:
Over the years I’ve looked at more spreadsheets than I dare to dream of, counted ‘priceless’ works of art one week, and 75,000 office chair wheels the next.
There have been challenges along the way, in aspiring to become a partner I've also recently become a Father which has led to a few sleepless nights. However, I've learnt from the stories shared by my colleagues and clients, and the experience of working with each of them.
The sheer variety of what I do, and who I work with, is the reason I love what I do. I look forward to using the knowledge I've gained to continue helping clients and developing the next generation of partners at Wellers.
My story at Wellers began in 2008, a sprightly 17 year old with the world at my feet. After my school years came to an end, I fell into accounting so easily, it was as if I had decided on my career from an early age.
As a child I used to save my pocket money each week without fail, counting down the weeks until I had enough for my latest investment; the big one being the 12 foot trampoline I absolutely had to have.
My main role began and remains at our Thame office. I have lived in Thame my entire life surrounded by family and friends. It’s been a privilege to work alongside the local residents and businesses, helping our town to develop and thrive.
By the time I was ACCA qualified some years later, I had already had the privilege of learning and growing side by side with so many fantastic clients. These are in sectors including farming, construction, fulfilment, and automotive. Having spent the first few years of my life living in a pub, it was no surprise that I also took a shine to the hospitality industry.
The most rewarding part of my career is having people look to us for advice and building strong relationships. Knowing that our clients trust that we have the knowledge and experience needed to make sense of any situation, and have their best interests at heart.
Becoming a partner, and being a Mother to a young son, further drives that passion to look after both our clients and our staff, to create new connections that will lead to great things.
Almost half of my life has been supported by Wellers and I am thrilled to become a central part of the firm. I look forward to bestowing the same care and kindness to our people that was afforded to me over the years.
I joined Wellers as an ACCA trainee in December 2010 having completed an Accounting degree at Southampton University. I was thrown in at the deep end, being invited to the infamous Christmas Party in my first week. This certainly gave me a great insight into accountants and how much some like to party!
Since then I've developed a very varied portfolio of clients, from agriculture to scientific research, and just about everything in-between.
The most interesting part of my job is working alongside passionate entrepreneurs, helping their businesses grow, so that they can turn their visions and aspirations into a reality.
On a personal level, I too became a new Father. Moving forward, I'm looking to continue to grow close business relationships with current and future clients. Training our staff is very important so that we can continue to help our clients, and our people, to develop and grow.
Gen Y usually look for a combination of the following when choosing a place to work:
So much has been said about millennials and how to go about managing them. Most of it centres on what they want to keep them engaged and fulfilled.
Consider the above list carefully. These are likely to be things most people want in some form or manner from their employers. They're probably not just unique to one age group, this means in essence they're very human demands.
The list highlights the positive side to millennials, being very vocal about what they want. Consider also, that they could be very good traits for employees to have, to support long term growth, and development.
Most people are likely to want security and progression at work. Who doesn't want to work somewhere that does great things for others and thus positively impacts on the world?
When businesses think about managing people by being empathetic and human, employees are likely to potentially feel more valued, trusted and recognised. In our experience, such an environment means millennials, and people from all age ranges, are likely to thrive. Developing such a culture could mean the next generation will develop into the leadership roles of the future.
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