An accountant with time on his side

JACK MOORE was appointed Partner at Page Kirk last month at the age of just 29. With big ambitions for the team at our award-winning firm, he discusses how found himself in a leadership role at such an early age and reveals the biggest risk of his career.

What does it mean to you, being a partner at Page Kirk?

Being invited to be a partner means a lot to me – it is a different type of recognition to that which I have experienced throughout the first 11 years of my career. Qualifying with the ICAEW as a Chartered Accountant in 2014 was recognition of my technical ability. Being invited to join the partnership is, I feel, recognition of my commercial astuteness. And to be offered that opportunity at a firm with such a distinguished reputation as Page Kirk is an incredibly proud moment for me.

Why is it important to choose a good employer?

I have never wanted to become a partner of just any firm. Page Kirk have proven to be a place where good ideas do not fall on deaf ears and where help and resources are made available for those who want to contribute positively to growth and development. Working at Page Kirk over the last three years has proved to me that this is a firm where I can make a significant impact.

What advice would you give to those trying to climb the career ladder?

You don't need to be a 'yes man' to make progress in your career. In fact, most people will have more respect for you for having your own ideas and for standing by your beliefs. Always hold your hands up and take ownership of any mistakes which you make.

What does being a leader mean to you?

A true leader leads by example. I firmly believe that to gain the respect of those around you that you should lead from the front, rather than by directing others from a backseat – a philosophy which I have lived by throughout both my career and my personal life far.

What is the most important attribute for leaders to be successful in business today?

Adaptability. The world is advancing faster than ever before, particularly from a technological point of view. Those who move survive. Those who stand still don't.

How do you plan to motivate the team?

I hope to instil my vision of the future of the accountancy industry into the team, and to promote a healthy work-life balance. People who feel that they are a respected and important part of a team will naturally feel more motivated to work for a firm, which truly offers them a great balance and they will be more productive as a result. People work to live, they don't live to work, and I am always respectful of that.

What advice would you give on anyone wanting to be a partner?

There are always people who you can learn from at any stage of your career. You should always be willing to listen and learn from those around you, and don't be afraid to humble yourself and ask for help or guidance if you need it. Becoming a partner isn't about how many hours you spend at your desk in the office - to be successful you need to have your own thoughts and have the courage and conviction to stand by them and forge your own path.

How do you plan to help clients now and in the future?

I have a very clear vision of how I see the accountancy industry developing over the years to come. The implementation and use of technology to achieve automation of data-entry at almost every stage of the bookkeeping process is something we will harness. It will help to reduce the amount of time which accountants spend doing manual bookkeeping work. Mastering this will, in turn, open up a huge opportunity for us to offer a far more valuable advisory service to our clients. If we spend less time bookkeeping, we will have more time available to have meaningful discussions with

our clients about their businesses.

Where do you see Page Kirk in five years' time?

I have my sights set on the AccountancyAge Top 50+50 for the firm. That may sound incredibly ambitious, but Page Kirk has made a serious statement of intent by doubling its number of partners over the last six months and, with the right mindset and appetite for growth, I believe that we can push the boundaries of what we can achieve as a firm.

What's the most important risk you took and why?

I spent almost eight years at the firm where I started my career and, at that time, my mindset was such that I would only ever have left there for an opportunity at one of the 'Big 4' firms or to move into a job in industry. Without actively looking for it, I was eventually offered an opportunity at Deloitte and – despite my genuine reluctance to want to leave the firm where I had spent so long – I decided to make the move. This was a big risk for me, because I was leaving a job in which I was comfortable and had built up the respect of my peers to move away, to something completely new. I only spent a short time at Deloitte before I quickly realised that I was better suited to working as part of a more modestly-sized firm where I could make a bigger impact. I learned an awful lot and developed far greater commercial skills in particular from my short time at Deloitte, which really set me firmly on my course to becoming a Partner.

Do you have any mentors? Who inspires you?

At the risk of sounding as though I am collecting an Oscar, there are one or two people in particular who I learned an awful lot from very early on in my career. Amanda Stefanetti and Craig Bond were two of my first managers and I learned a lot about accountancy from working for them. They really helped my technical development and guided me to be able to stand on my own two feet. Throughout my life though, my Mum and Dad are the two people who continue to inspire me the most – and they will be reading, so I'm sure they'll enjoy the shoutout!

Now you are partner, what is it you hope to achieve?

I hope to help Page Kirk recognise new business opportunities, while maintaining excellent relationships with clients and inspiring the team at Page Kirk to grow and improve our services.

Do you have any inspirational quotes you live by?

John Lennon once said: “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” That is perhaps more thought-provoking than inspirational, but it is often so easy to forget to enjoy the moment and to enjoy the now, rather than always looking ahead and wishing that what is to come would hurry up – happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Jack heads up our cloud accounting department. If you would like to work with Jack to improve your business, contact us by calling 0115 955 5500 or emailing enquiries@pagekirk.co.uk