Australia beckons for Plymouth accountant

The firm, which delivers accounting, tax, corporate restructuring and advisory services to businesses and not-for-profit organisations, and private wealth advice to individuals, is seconding their employee, Freya Hancock, to a firm of accountants in Melbourne for a work placement period from July to October.

The Audit Manager will be working for McLean Delmo Bentleys Chartered Accountants in one of the most exciting cities in the world thanks to Kreston International, the global network of independent accountancy firms, of which Bishop Fleming is a member.

Freya joined Bishop Fleming in 2010 as a trainee accountant, studying to be an Accounting Technician and then later qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2016. She is a member of Bishop Fleming’s Bright Futures Development Programme, a voluntary programme for staff seeking to invest time and effort in developing their careers.

Freya will be working in the audit department of the Australian firm and will be meeting clients in the Melbourne area, as well as the wider Victoria state to carry out statutory audit work.

Her experience gained at Bishop Fleming will stand her in good stead whilst down under as Bentleys has similar clients, as well as some different ones such as Melbourne’s public transport operator and a vineyard. As a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW), Freya says she is also keen to get involved with the equivalent Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

She flies out from London on 10 July, and her first day in the office will be 13 July, so not much time to recover from the long flight.

When the opportunity to work down under came up, Freya seized it in order to experience working in a different country, and to savour Melbourne, voted as one of the top 20 greatest cities in which to live. It will certainly be different to her home base of Cornwall!

Freya commented: “I am really excited about my secondment to Melbourne. It will be a fantastic opportunity to work with a different team and a variety of clients, as well as to experience living in one of the world’s most liveable cities. I’m hoping to explore more of the country during weekends, including a ski trip, as well as visiting New Zealand to see friends!”

Having travelled the East coast of the continent in 2016, Freya is no stranger to Australia. As a keen skier, it’s a great time to visit the south as it is winter over there at the moment and skiing is only a couple hours’ drive from Melbourne.

This is the fourth time Bishop Fleming has been able to support a member of staff with a secondment to a firm in Australia through Kreston International.

Robert Davey, Partner in Charge of the firm’s Plymouth office, commented, “Opportunities to share or exchange staff through our connections with Kreston International present a great opportunity for our staff. It also presents a great opportunity for Bishop Fleming. Working in such a different environment is a great way for our staff to develop their skills which Freya will undoubtedly put into good use when she returns to the UK.”

Bishop Fleming is ranked 26th in the Sunday Times Top 100 places to work, as well as being ranked as a Top 30 practice in the league table of accountancy firms in the UK.