For this edition of our ‘meet the team’ series, we sat down with Michael Jones, Partner at our Swansea office, to chat about Michael’s path to partnership and what his role at Bevan Buckland LLP entails.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
A: I am one of the new partners at Bevan Buckland LLP; I am a Chartered Certified Accountant and have worked in accountancy firms for over 21 years.
Outside of work, I am married and a father of 3 boys. I like to spend my spare time playing golf socially and representing my local club; I currently have a handicap of 1.4.
I started coaching my son’s football team and have the FAW Football Leaders Award – the team is participating in the under 9’s Neath league this season. Coaching children this age is challenging but rewarding when you see the children develop and improve throughout the season.
Q: How long have you been at Bevan Buckland, and what’s your current role?
A: I’ve been at Bevan Buckland for 18 years; I originally joined Bevan Buckland as a trainee and, with experience, have progressed through the firm and became a partner in 2022.
Q: How did you first get into accountancy?
A: I’ve always liked maths and been relatively techie, so when deciding A levels, it was easy to choose maths and IT.
When choosing a degree subject, it was a choice between accountancy and IT. I went with accountancy as I felt it would give me insight into how businesses operate.
After completing my degree, I had opportunities to enter either a management accountant role or into practice. I chose to practice as I felt that dealing with a variety of businesses would both develop me across multiple aspects of the profession and provide regular challenges. My initial training in a small firm exposed me to all aspects of accounting, from accounting and taxation to payroll, which I’ve continued to use to this day.
Q: What does a typical day look like in your role?
A: I’m typically an early riser, so I tend to catch up with emails and start working whilst the family is in bed. I’ll head into the office for a full day of internal/external meetings, reviewing work from staff, meeting new clients to grow my portfolio and looking into technology to improve the firm.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about your work?
A: I like to help both clients and staff resolve issues they have.
Working with my clients – from small sole traders to large companies and not-for-profit organisations- means I’m constantly discussing different aspects of business and resolving various issues.
Q: How do you continue learning and growing as a professional?
A: With the continuing growth of our business, current economic conditions and technological advancements, we are often asked to provide advice on new topics. I need to keep on top of emerging issues to support my clients. It’s the adage that every day is a school day.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
A: When I was a trainee and had to reconcile a bank account, I had a difference of less than £500 but was told this could be made up of two large errors that contra and to re-check the workings. Over the years, this has been found to be true with staff and clients.