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Excellence is quite simply about maximising people’s potential, whether they are clients or staff
Sue Staunton Joint Managing Partner
All about passion and potential at James Cowper Kreston
As James Cowper Kreston celebrates 100 years this September, The Business Magazine spoke with Joint Managing Partners Alex Peal and Sue Staunton about what makes them, and their firm, tick. The firm provides audit, accounting and tax work along with a range of business advisory services, from offices in Newbury, Oxford, Reading, Southampton and London.
Joint leadership strengthens decision making
In JCK’s 100-year history this is the first time that the leadership has been shared. Alex and Sue took over running the firm in May 2020 and agree that the joint role affords them a sounding board for ideas and is the ideal way to make the right decisions as the firm kicks off its second century.
Alex qualified with James Cowper Kreston after joining its Newbury office from university in 1998. Sue moved from a big-six accountancy firm around 15 years ago. Alex focuses on the accounting, audit and general advisory side; Sue mainly works with clients on financial strategy.
The pair share the firm’s self-proclaimed passion to maximise the potential of both staff and clients. This commitment appeals strongly to the firm’s predominantly owner-managed business clients across the south. James Cowper Kreston helps this bedrock client base to grow, frequently from start-ups, through growth where private equity funding is a popular route, and often to a satisfactory exit for family members.
What does excellence look like at James Cowper Kreston?
“Excellence is quite simply about maximising people’s potential, whether they are clients or staff. That means understanding their talents, what they want to achieve and helping them to make it happen,” said Sue.
“We aim to achieve excellence through our core values of respecting our people, understanding our clients and demonstrating professionalism.” said Alex, highlighting the firm’s values.
“One of the key things about our values is that we act as one team. We often refer to the firm being a ‘family’. That means recognising we are a collection of around 200 individuals who form a single team. None of us is more important than anyone else in the firm. We all have different skill sets.”
What core values do you look for in your people?
“Empathy with others, a desire to deliver a high-quality service and putting these above other considerations. We work closely with each client to understand what’s important so we can deliver for them,” said Sue.
What does your typical day look like?
“One of the things I like best about my role is that no day is the same. I usually combine client meetings with running the practice,” said Alex.
Sue prioritises visiting the firm’s offices regularly and face-to-face time with clients. “It’s always very enjoyable talking with clients about their projects. In any given week I might start in our Southampton office and finish it in my ‘home’ office in Oxford and I might spend the day talking to clients at different inflection points in the life cycle of their companies or talking to colleagues about thier career ambitions.”
What is unique about your firm’s approach to client relationships?
“We very much base them on what relationship each client is looking for. We’re not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ type of firm,” Alex emphasised. “If you look at our client base there isn’t a typical profile. We can support clients throughout their business lifecycle, being there whenever they need us.”
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