Meet the team – get the low down on CGA’s talented bunch of numerically gifted grown ups, whose unsuspected talents extend far beyond the world of accountancy...
Michelle Thirsk FCCA ATT FMAAT Director
On 26th July 1991 Chelle began work at CGA. In those days it was files as far as the eye could see and one computer shyly sulking in the corner. Eighteen years later - having taken the helm in 1998 with a colleague and more recently two ‘home grown' talents Stacey McVeighty and Claire Barnard - with a paperless office and flourishing client list, is Chelle where she wants to be? Happily, yes: “But there's so much more to achieve for CGA and our clients!”
There is no place that Chelle would rather be then at her desk working for her clients that range across the full spectrum of regional businesses. A self confessed ‘doer', Chelle still finds time to flash a well turned ankle on York's Grand Opera House stage with her dancing school and jump out of planes at 15,000 feet. Never happier than getting stuck into something new, she has her eye on wing-walking, zorbing and an aerial assault course for 2010.
A good bottle of wine and a thriller make a relaxing change but don't take away her radio or you'll never see your end of year accounts again.
*FCCA – Fellow Chartered Certificate Accountants ATT – Association of Tax Technicians FMAAT - Fellow Member of Association of Accounting Technicians
Stacey McVeighty FCCA Director
York born and bred, self confessed Kylie fan and Green Champion for CGA's paperless office (if it moves she'll attempt to recycle it), Stacey works across personal tax, sole trader and partnership accounts. Joining Chelle as co-partner at the firm in 2007, Stacey and Claire became York's youngest female practice partners. Stacey is true ‘home grown talent' joining CGA from college and loves the close team and supportive spirit fostered by the company for employees and clients.
A live music and comedy fan, Stacey also loves a good gig, which includes ‘glamping' (read camping with clean sheets) with Chelle and Claire at Leeds Festival. Yet, when not ensuring her clients' are well taken care of, Stacey is thinking about her feet. Stalking shoe shops the length and breadth of Europe, (city breaks are a favourite) Stacey's guilty secret is an unquenchable love of shoes.
Working within the wider business community, Stacey is the President of the York ACCA members' panel and sits on the regional HMRC Working Together Committee, formed to promote better relationships between accounting firms and HM Revenue & Customs. Stacey reports that it's going very well to date, apart from some niggling concerns over outmoded footwear…
*FCCA – Fellow Chartered Certificate Accountants
Claire Barnard FCCA ATT FMAAT Director
Joining CGA in 1998 as a trainee fresh from A Levels, Claire became a co-partner in 2007 joining Stacey McVeighty and Chelle Thirsk at the helm of CGA and, along with Stacey, became York's youngest female practice partner.
A SAGE guru, there's nothing Claire likes more than getting stuck into VAT returns or management accounts for her corporate clients, including working with other packages such as MYOB and Quickbooks to achieve her clients' goals. Apart from CGA, Claire's other passion in life is for all kinds of sport. Her transistor radio is often ‘welded' to her ear capturing York City and Liverpool FC results when she can't make a home game - a noticeably generous range of sporting heros.
Claire is also the office party animal and acknowledged dancing queen. Another ‘glamper' (camping with personal loo) at Leeds Festival alongside Chelle and Stacey, ‘follicley perfect' Claire will never be found without her straighteners be it roaring on the winner at the Cheltenham Gold Cup or chillin' at an Ibiza beach party. A word to the wise, don't leave your packet of crisps within a 3 mile radius of Claire, you won't see her ' and neither will the crisps…
* FCCA – Fellow Chartered Certificate Accountants ATT – Association of Tax Technicians FMAAT - Fellow Member of Association of Accounting Technicians
Andrew Hudson AAT*
Andrew has been with CGA since 2006 and hails from Pontefract. Arriving with the team armed with ‘A' Levels in Media Studies and English, Andrew was of course immediately put in charge of spelling. Now, a qualified AAT and soon to be ACCA, Andrew's true talent for working with Limited companies on their management and year end accounts has fully emerged.
A devoted Leeds United fan and season ticket holder, (something which can only serve to give us a glimpse of his undaunted determination to succeed despite the odds) Andrew is also one of the CGA's Sage experts and is never happier than supporting clients through the smooth process of online accounting.
A game of footie, ‘jumpers on the ground for goal posts' is Andrew's idea of a good time. He also bravely threw himself out of a plane for Breast Cancer Care in 2009.
*AAT – Association of Accounting Technicians
Alison Platt AAT*
Joining from school through an apprenticeship programme four years ago, Alison qualified as an Accounting Technician in February 2008 and is now establishing herself in a new role at CGA, that of Practice Manager.
Haribo aficionado, Alison is working to absorb most of the Partner's day to day administrative tasks and streamline CGA's paperless offices systems even further, freeing up Chelle, Stacey and Claire to spend more time with their clients and expand the breadth of CGA's services. She's enjoying finding her feet (more of those later) and if you want to know ‘where', ‘who' or ‘what' Alison is the person to talk to.
With an undauntably sunny disposition Alison has never knowingly ignored a packet of open biscuits and is enjoying getting settled into a brand new house in Selby. Gamely wrangling endless packing boxes at night and accountants by day, any spare cash is being saved to visit Australia and enjoying as many pedicures as she can manage… Also CGA's Social Secretary, the way to this girl's heart is through a regular massage, clip and polish!
*AAT – Association of Accounting Technicians
Amy Corbett
Amy joined CGA straight from Leeds Metropolitan University after gaining a degree in Accountancy and Finance in 2007. Very quickly ‘outed' as a Chocoholic, Amy delights in sole trader, partnership, limited company and corporation tax accounting and, when not keeping her figures correctly aligned or an eye out for an unattended Mars Bar, Amy's other passion is music.
With a laptop groaning under the weight of her growing music collection there's nothing Amy likes better than a live gig. Anything goes, she's not fussy. With a taste for the exotic, Amy loves to visit family in Morocco and in 2008 travelled stateside to Orlando. Another team member to jump out of a plane at 15,000 feet, they raised a fantastic Ł2,300 for charity.
Mainly office based, Amy is really looking forward to getting to know more of CGA's clients, so please call her, she will be delighted to talk to you about any aspect of your accounts and quite probably your favourite band.
Jenna Partington
Casually browsing the Yellow Pages during a momentary lull in a socially packed last term at Tadcaster Grammar School, Jenna came across CGA and taking an instant shine to their advert got out her best crayon to impress the Partners with a letter of application.
It worked! And in 2008 Jenna made her debut in her chosen profession, just like her accountant Mum and Grandad before her.
Outside the world of work Jenna will dance to anything with a beat, is a respected traveller, having spent part of her Mexican holiday battling a hurricane. The office biscuits are safe, as gluten intolerant Jenna can't be tempted but sadly, not a fan of mud, it doesn't look like she'll be joining the Directors at a music fest anytime soon. Hopes for the future? Avoid hurricanes and get stuck in to be' a fully qualified member of CGA… Go girl!
Jenna spends half her time in the office and the other half visiting clients to assist them with their bookkeeping. She is also the first point of contact for our payroll bureau.
Liam Fox AAT*
Liam joined CGA early in February 2009. Hailing from Swillington, after hovering around the outskirts of Leeds for school and early career, Liam made the dizzying move to Hillam, just to the South of York.
Sharing good friend Andrew's good taste in employers, easy going Liam has already managed to ingratiate himself with the team offering chocolate, a fine collection of striped shirt and sock combos, plus an alleged introduction to ‘a mate in a band'.
Liam's talent lies with year end accounts preparation but with his flare for SAGE you can expect to see him on the management account circuit soon.
Like Andrew, Liam is a fan of football and Mixed Martial Arts but in all honesty, and in all probability, he'll be found at home, weighed down by baby son Josh and two enormously fat cats on an uncomplaining sofa.
*AAT – Association of Accounting Technicians