WHO I HELP

Owner-managed businesses. Not for profit organisations. Pension schemes.

HOW I HELP 

Statutory audits. Accountancy and taxation advice for business owners and their families.

SECTORS/SUPPORT

Farming sector. Landed estate clients.

“I’M A TEAM PLAYER; I’M ALWAYS HAPPY TO GET STUCK IN & SUPPORT THE TEAM.”

Susan Seaman is a Partner at AAB, with a mixed portfolio of clients, both audit and non-audit. Susan’s client base is a mix of owner-managed businesses, not for profit organisations, and pension schemes. Providing statutory audits, accountancy, and taxation advice for business owners and their families, Susan specialises in farming and landed estate clients and enjoys providing advice to multi-generational family companies to help them achieve their goals. 

Susan is also the Lead Partner for the audit of occupational pension schemes in AAB, leads the Graduate Training Scheme in Leeds, and is part of the Above and Beyond initiative.

OPEN & HONEST

“I would define an ideal relationship with a client as an open honest relationship where we are each happy to ring for advice or support. I enjoy building long-term relationships so that I can understand the complexities of the business and their families. It’s always great to meet clients at their premises. I like working with growing businesses that value the support of professional advice. I also enjoy properly speaking with and meeting clients, and find that really getting to know them and their businesses is key to best supporting their finance team.”

A PHONECALL AWAY

“Clients can always rely on me to be professional, reliable, technically accurate, on time, ahead of deliverables, and to give them pragmatic advice. They know that they can always phone me for advice and get a rational and realistic answer.”

SEEING OUR CLIENTS GROW 

“For me, one of the most satisfying aspects of working with clients is seeing their businesses grow and evolve. I’ve always found it interesting to understand our clients’ unique businesses and their individual challenges, and it’s always satisfying when we can support them with up-to-date financial information and help them make the best decisions possible.”

DEVELOPING OUR TEAM

“As the partner in charge of our student training, it is fantastic to watch students develop from new graduates to qualified accountants. I’m so proud of the team that we have trained over the years, many of whom are now the partners and managers of the firm.”

THE FUTURE OF COMMUNICATION

“Advances in technology have been brilliant in recent years, and tech was particularly helpful during the period of COVID restrictions and lockdowns; we have all embraced technology far quicker than if we hadn’t been forced with the pandemic. Videocalls are great but I find that it’s always better to build relationships in face-to-face meetings, especially in initial meetings. A healthy mix of face-to-face and virtual is definitely where the future lies.”

SECTOR CHALLENGES

“Unfortunately, the Not for Profit and Public Sector area is really being squeezed financially – and at a time when their services are so important. We aim to support this sector and provide genuine, great value for money in the services we provide. 

The farming sector is also being hit hard financially, with huge increases in costs such as fertiliser and fuel, and at the same time, government support through the basic payment scheme is being phased out and farming incomes remain unpredictable. So, it’s really important to us to support our clients in this sector as much as possible, for example by looking at diversification strategies, to help them through these tough times.” 

OUR PEOPLE

“One of the AAB Group Values is that ‘Nothing is more important than our people’ – which means we are continually striving to provide our team with fantastic opportunities, but it also just means that we care, and will always come from a starting point of compassion. 

By growing as a firm, new opportunities are created for team members either through working in new areas, working with and learning from other specialists, or being provided with opportunities to progress. This creates the opportunity for all team members to achieve their personal goals.  

We want to continue building a technically strong and stable team full of people who support and respect their colleagues and can develop long-term relationships with our team and clients.  

We are a people business – although we sell professional services, it is really our team that we are selling. So, we always ensure that our team is trained to the highest technical standards and can deliver a first-class service to our clients. To do this we make sure that they feel confident in their abilities, have adequate resources, and work in a culture where they are given responsibility and trust to carry out the work.”

GROWING OPPORTUNITIES

“There are a lot of things to be excited about when it comes to the future at AAB! Changes in the audit profession, the audit market, and being part of AAB have already provided opportunities for us to act for interesting, growing clients who are looking for a local service. These kinds of opportunities will only be increasing.”

AN OPEN, HONEST LEADER

“Some of the greatest strengths I bring to AAB are that I’m an open, honest leader, and I’m always happy to get my hands dirty and support the team. I’m a team player. I’ve helped build and shape a great team over the years by recruiting the best individuals. We’ve got some exceptional talent.  

I have also built long-standing relationships with my clients – I’ve been part of the team for 25 years and acted for several clients and their families for all this time.”

BUILDING A DYNAMIC TEAM

“The adage is that accountants are boring, but we strive hard to build a team of interesting and dynamic professionals, and I think we do just that. I really enjoying working with the team, and we always make sure that the workplace is fun and social.”