Crowe Ireland was established in 1941, and has grown to become a leading accountancy, tax and business advisory firm in Ireland. With 14 partners and 140 professional staff in Ireland, we provide a comprehensive service to a variety of clients, from owner-managed firms to multinational organisations and some of Ireland’s leading national companies.
Over the years, we have developed particular industry specialisms and expertise across the Irish and international commercial, government and not-for-profit landscape. These include the hotel, tourism and leisure sector, real estate and construction, public sector, charities and the healthcare sector. Our clients regard us highly for our specialist sector knowledge and insight.
Understanding client needs is a process of constant investment
I joined Crowe in May 2020 as an assistant manager. Having trained in a small practice and gained further experience in mid-sized firms, I had the experience of working with various types and sizes of businesses, as well as working in both small and larger teams.
What I have learned from those experiences is the importance of building a quality team and developing good communication skills with both my team and clients. This has been key to how I approach my current position in Crowe. I’m happy to say that I have built strong relationships with clients and I am their first point of contact for any queries they may have.
I became a member of ACCA in 2018 and it was part of my five-year plan to become audit manager in that time-frame. Crowe has facilitated this with a clear, defined career framework that is very beneficial for me in terms of goal setting and career development.
Our firm, like many others, moved to remote working during the pandemic and has now adopted a blended working model, where staff can work remotely or from the office. Luckily with a strong IT platform, we have been able to manage change seamlessly and our clients really enjoy the flexibility that this allows when engaging with us on assignments. We have also developed a training plan to ensure staff receive relevant and timely training and do not feel isolated when working remotely.
Clients are concerned about the economy and whether we are facing recession
However, after working with clients remotely for two years, my priority this year was to get back to face-to-face meetings and continue to build on existing relationships. Understanding client needs is a process of constant investment and can be easy to lose sight of in a remote working environment.
Clients have been resilient in the aftermath of Covid-19 and have been able to adapt to the constantly changing landscape. However, many are concerned about the economy and whether we are facing into a recession. Most have been ensuring that they keep an eye on costs and that their operations remain efficient and able to weather any storms on the horizon.
We have recently moved to new offices overlooking Dublin’s Grand Canal, which is a lovely space in which to work. Between that central location and the unique team culture we have at Crowe, our hope is that we stand out from competitors and can find the right people to enable the firm to meet its ambitious growth plans.
The experiences of the last few years have confirmed the truth of a great Benjamin Franklin quote. ‘By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail’ has always resonated with me. It will continue to guide me in my future career.
