21 future accountants and business advisers have joined our growing team this week, as we welcome our largest graduate cohort to date.
The latest cohort of university leavers will bolster the specialist teams at work across our firm’s Derby, Nottingham and Birmingham offices. Our audit division gains 13 graduates, while our business services, corporate finance and corporate tax teams gain two each, and our employment tax and VAT teams gain one graduate each.
Among those welcoming the graduates to PKF Smith Cooper will be our firm’s dedicated Learning and Development Team, which was strengthened with the addition of new hire Qais Hussain in August. The team will work closely with the new starters to support their training and development needs on their journeys to becoming qualified accountants.
The 21 graduates join us at a time of celebration, as last week’s ACA results day revealed a 100% pass rate for our 11 trainees who sat their final exams, with 10 of those individuals now fully qualified accountants.
James Bagley, Managing Partner at PKF Smith Cooper, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming our largest ever graduate cohort this year. We hope that many of these young people will go on to play valuable roles in the continued growth and success of our firm in the future. Our commitment to homegrown talent has seen dozens of graduates reach their potential and progress through the ranks at PKF Smith Cooper over the years, with some even becoming partners of the firm.
“I also would like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to our team members that passed their final exams last week. The path to becoming a qualified accountant is rewarding but challenging, and it is great to see their hard work pay off. With several of these team members also starting at PKF Smith Cooper as graduates, their success is a shining example to our new graduates of what can be achieved with a strong work ethic in the space of a few years.”
James Bagley, Managing Partner
Emma Lesley, Learning and Development Manager, added: “The Learning and Development Team is looking forward to supporting a brand new cohort of graduates on their professional journeys and we will be making sure they receive all the training, mentorship and development opportunities they need to thrive.”