David marks ten years with Lewis & Co
This month (September 2024) David Southall marks ten years with Lewis & Co. “It’s quite scary to think how quickly the time has gone,” he says.
David didn’t start his career wanting to be accountant, instead he was drawn to working in sport – which he loves. This led him to be being a personal training for three years, while also coaching rugby. Although he enjoyed it, the hours weren’t very social and he found himself working evenings and weekends when his friends were off. While he had originally steered away from a 9-5 job, David realised it was time to consider one.
“I looked around at what was out there and realised accountancy was an option,” he explains.
At that time, Lewis & Co was recruiting and David went for an interview with Barney Lewis (founder of the firm).
“When I met Barney, I realised he was the Dad of somebody I played rugby with, so that gave me peace of mind about the firm,” he adds.
David joined the team and went on to complete his accountancy training. In March this year, he was accepted as a Fellowship Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), having been a full member of the AAT for five continuous years.
“Lewis & Co is such a nice, easy place to work,” says David. “You’d imagine that accountancy firms can be quite stuffy places but it’s not like that here at all. We’re a friendly team and I think our clients feel that too; we stand out by offering a more relaxed and personable service.”
He continues: “But, we’re also professional and responsive. A recent new client was surprised to discover that we reply promptly to phone calls and emails as, apparently, they had found their previous accountant very hard to get hold off. That’s never the case here.”
David’s role involves preparing accounts and tax returns for a range of limited companies, partnerships and sole traders, as well as personal tax returns, VAT returns, Management Accounts and offering tax advice.
“I enjoy every aspect of being an accountant but, as I’ve got more experienced, I’ve realised I like getting stuck into the more challenging and complicated work,” he explains.
In his spare time, David enjoys cycling and watching live sport, particularly rugby. He also loves seeing the world and, last year, approached Gary about the possibility of taking a six-month sabbatical to travel. Gary agreed – although he was relieved to see David was back at his desk for the busy January period. David says Vietnam was a particular highlight of the trip. Now, however, further travelling has been put on hold for the time being, as David has recently purchased a new house – so holidays now are more likely to involve DIY.