Team CRM

This is very true at Chapman, Robinson & Moore. The team here provide an excellent balance between technical expertise and interpersonal skills, blended with enthusiasm and patience.

The current team ranges in experience and technical skills across a broad spectrum, helping to ensure that all clients are given the support they need. Our longest serving team member has been with us for 21 years, and several more for over 10. This gives a good sense of stability and continuity, but we are always looking to learn from our new team members as well.

We are a training office for both the ICAEW and ACCA, and take very seriously the investment that we make in or trainees.

Two great examples of people choosing to forge their career with CRM are Paul Skinner and Loren Forbes. We asked them to tell us why they chose accountancy.

Paul Skinner joined CRM in 2004 straight from school after completing his A levels. Within 5½ years, Paul had completed all his ACCA exams and became a fully qualified accountant. Paul is our Systems Manager, keeping us up to speed on our accountancy systems and helping the team with their IT problems.

Paul said: “Being given the opportunity to ‘earn and learn’ at the same time was very appealing to me as a teenager and meant I didn’t need to go to university. I was attracted to accountancy in school as I had an aptitude for maths and business studies. Although I’m glad that my accountancy exams are all over and done with, I still keep up my continuous development as the technology and legislation changes all the time.

“I really enjoy getting to know our clients’ businesses and helping them to save money and grow successfully, there’s more to this job than just number crunching! Now with almost 15 years of experience at CRM, I take great satisfaction from mentoring the younger members of the team, supporting them through their qualifications.”

Loren Forbes is a trainee accountant at CRM. She graduated in 2010 and worked in retail before joining NatWest Bank for five years. Loren has been with CRM since early 2018.

Loren said: “I enjoyed the client interaction I had in the business growth side of banking and despite having a degree in Ancient History, I enjoyed all things financial, so accountancy was a natural progression for my career. CRM support me with my ACCA studies and I find that the experience I gain at the office is useful in my college work too. I’m about a third of the way through my three-year qualification and although it’s hard work, I enjoy the challenge.

I have been able to try out all the elements of accountancy and supporting clients to get the best out of their business is still my favourite part of the job. I sometimes liken it to solving a mystery – we can provide a solution that the client just can’t see. There is so much experience in the CRM office that if I’m stuck on a particular aspect, the knowledge is right there within the team.”

The directors at CRM are under no illusion as to how much the success of the business depends on the team, and recognise them as often being the unsung heroes of that success.