Who I help

Owner-managed businesses. Not for Profit organisations. Family businesses.

How I help

Audits. Review audit planning. Audit advice. Tax compliance. Pension Schemes.

Sectors/support

Not for Profit sector, particularly academies. Works closely with Tax, VAT, and Payroll teams.

“I am always reliable & consistent – a safe pair of hands.”

Lucy Jenkins is a Senior Manager within our Audit team. She works mostly with owner-managed businesses, groups, not-for-profit organisations, and pension schemes supporting them with organising audits, ensuring all compliance is done and submitted on time, and providing thorough audit advice and planning.

She also reviews the work of the audit teams to ensure everything is accurate and runs smoothly. She works closely with the Tax, VAT, and Payroll teams, reviewing the compliance work, speaking to clients about tax, and ensuring taxes are submitted and paid on time.

Specialising in the Not for Profit sector and, in particular, academies in the north of England, Lucy is part of our Not-for-Profit sector team. Lucy is the primary go-to for any questions or issues her clients might have.

RESPECTFUL, FRIENDLY & COMMUNICATIVE

“There are certain things that are necessary to make a great client relationship – namely mutual trust and respect. It’s also really nice when we’re able to have a good working relationship with each other when we’ve built up that relationship. Keeping the channel of communication open is really important for both sides, so hopefully all my clients know they can come to me with any questions, queries, or issues they may have. At the end of the day, as long as both sides are doing what they need to do, then it’s a positive experience!”

RIGHTFULLY HIGH EXPECTATIONS

“Clients expect a lot from us – as they should! They expect us to know everything we need to know around accounting, and other areas too. This is especially important with academies, as they sometimes come up against some issues and struggles that are unusual or non-existent in other sectors. Prompt responses and communication are also key, as is the expectation of no surprise bills. We always make sure fees are agreed in advance.”

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

“I really enjoy speaking to clients and finding out what’s going on at their business, charity, or school. It’s really important to find out what’s worrying them, what’s going well, and what is being planned. That is when we can really add value on top of the day-to-day audit compliance. It’s great when I see a positive piece in the press about one of my clients, or even just hear someone talking about them positively. This is probably especially true with the clients I’ve worked with for a long time – to see them growing and doing well is a big positive.

Getting to know our clients is such a central part of what makes this role satisfying, and it also aids us in supporting them more generally – the better we know them and their circumstances, the more we can suggest things that could help them, and signpost them to other teams within AAB that could help them too.”

EVERYONE IS WILLING TO HELP EACH OTHER

“When it comes to working with colleagues, it’s great seeing the ones who have joined us as graduates turn into such capable and confident team members! Watching them grow and develop into the wonderful professionals that they are is fantastic. Clients love to see the same faces for audits and for them to see this progression as well is a definite plus. Seeing something click with new graduates when they start to understand certain issues and areas is great, and it’s an especially nice feeling if you’ve helped them to get there. It’s even better when you see them help other graduates to understand things!

Training is a huge part of the role and one that we take very seriously. It’s thanks to this that we see so many people staying with us long-term, and moving up to assistant manager, manager, etc. And it’s why we have such a strong team! Everyone is always willing to help each other if anyone has any questions or is really up against it with a large workload – everybody puts their hands up to help. Knowing that that support from your colleagues is always there really helps.”

A BLEND OF COMMUNICATION

“We definitely have a blend of methods of communication. For audits, I much prefer the team to be on site if possible but obviously, it depends on what’s best for the client as well. There’s certainly a place for remote working with teams, emails, and phone calls. Often it is the most practical and efficient option, particularly with quick queries.

We know the area that we’re in very well, and that local knowledge and experience is what sets us apart. So, the more we can be doing for our clients in the area that couldn’t just be done by auditors from anywhere in the country, the better. And even if we don’t end up working on-site, a lot of clients like the option and the knowledge that we could go and make an in-person visit if they wanted us to.”

CONSISTENT & RELIABLE

“I think there’s a lot to be said at just doing what you said you were going to do, and talking to people – building those relationships. Being reliable and trustworthy is important to me and to my clients. I’m good at building long-standing, positive relationships with clients, and I have many to prove it! I’ve been working in audit since I was a trainee, so, nearly 20 years now. That’s a lot of experience I’ve built up, a lot of different situations I’ve seen, and a lot of issues I’ve helped resolve. So I know what I’m doing – I’m a safe pair of hands.”

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CLIENTS

“It’s always a great compliment when clients give us a testimonial or a reference, or have referred us to a new client. I just think that’s just a reflection on the whole team and the service that we provide because that’s them trusting us to ensure that they’ll be happy with their recommendation. Clients are at the heart of everything we do – so having confirmation of their trust in us, and how pleased they are with our service is always nice.”