Staff at HB&O celebrating combined 165 years of service

Long serving staff have been recognised and celebrated at Midlands accountancy firm HB&O, which has offices in Leamington and Coventry.

Sue Linnett, Andy Jones and Jo Hancock have marked 35 years with the firm this year, while John Walton and Alex Baulcombe reached 30 years. Together, it all adds up to 165 years of service.

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Staff partner Helen Coombes said: "The experience and knowledge they bring to the team are invaluable and will be essential as we continue to grow and drive the firm forward.

"We are proud to have excellent staff retention figures and seek to provide continual opportunities to support career development for all of our team."

The experienced staff members have seen significant growth at the firm, including a landmark merger 20 years ago which brought together DA Owen and Harrison Beale. The firm now employs more than 110 staff across its two offices.

Accounts senior Sue Linnett has marked 35 years since she came back to the business - having previously been with the company as a trainee straight from college.

"I had left DA Owen for another job as a cashier at a solicitors, which I then left to have a baby. DA Owen contacted me to see if I would like to come back to them to do a few days a week, which then turned into a full-time role and I’m still here!

"When I joined there was only five of us in the team, now there are over 100, but we have still kept that family business feel. I’ve always enjoyed working here," she said.

Andy Jones, tax and payroll senior, joined when he was 22 and diversified into tax and payroll after being presented with an opportunity.

"I joined as an accountant at first, but about 25 years ago there was a request for support in payroll and I’ve been in that area ever since," he said.

Jo Hancock, client manager, joined the firm as a trainee from college and now specialises in smaller owner-managed business accounts and management accounts.

Meanwhile, John Walton, associate director, looks after the small business side of the practice.

"The firm has seen significant growth over the last 10 years and it has been exciting to be part of that. I think that the one important thing is, when you work at a firm, you have to get on with the people you work with and everyone gets on well here," he said.

"There are always changes coming in technology. Artificial intelligence is going to change things dramatically and Making Tax Digital will have a major impact too."

Payroll manager Alex Baulcombe added: "I started here in accounts preparation, one day a colleague who managed personal tax and payroll at the same time needed some support.

"I put my hand up and volunteered to help on payroll and that was that. It has been a nice, niche specialism to have, especially with the developments we have seen in payroll, such as real-time information, auto-enrolment and on-going HMRC PAYE/NIC compliance."

This year, HB&O broke into the Top 50+50 Accountancy Firm rankings.

It has a track record of retaining staff and supporting progression with a range of training and development opportunities. It supports study with AAT, ICAEW or the ACCA and offers a full study package for trainees.