Our story begins long, long ago in the year 1998.
In the distant land of New Zealand, a world of castles and dungeons was being constructed ready to start filming in the year ahead. As director Peter Jackson was preparing to cast wizards and orcs for his fantasy epic, across the world our very own Iain Barker was recruiting the first of many to our magical team at Solutions for Accounting.
Since then, our team has grown from those humble beginnings to one of more than 70 talented individuals with more than 400 years of combined experience.
Their diverse range of personalities, skills, and expertise is reminiscent of a party of adventurers like that of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or a game of Dungeons & Dragons. They have brought that same sense of magic to our company and have helped us thrive throughout our own epic journey over the years.
Many characters have entered and exited our story, each leaving their own special mark on the company. There have been 16 dedicated individuals who have reached the 10-year milestone at the company – an amazing achievement – yet surpassing even that is a core band of six heroes who have dedicated more than 20 years each to Solutions.
At our most recent team meeting, we decided to take a moment to celebrate their achievements and long service. Read on to learn more about these fantastic individuals and their respective thoughts on their time with us.
Mark Hearne, our skilful Ranger and Development Director
Mark joined our adventure way back in 1998. In his role as our software Development Director, he leads a merry band of developers.
Adam Brailsford, our Web Applications Developer, said of Mark’s role within the team:
“He is the keeper of the gates when it comes to software acceptance testing. No live changes proceed without his say so!
He’s skilled in so many areas and has been instrumental in the development of key software over the years”.
Adam suggested that Mark was like a skilful Ranger, a fantasy character that often acts as a multi-skilled tracker, guide, or hunter.
Much like a Ranger, Mark has an exceptional talent for identifying and tracking down issues, so our team of developers can proactively address them before they become potential problems.
Alison Arnold, our cunning Rogue and Senior Technical Consultant
Alison has been with Solutions since 2001 and has established a bold reputation within our team for her strong opinions – and her lack of fear in sharing them!
As a Senior Technical Consultant, Alison is constantly working in the dark corners and recesses of Solutions’ virtual labyrinth of IT and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) infrastructure. She is wily, intrepid, and ready for any challenge that comes out of the shadows to face her.
Alison is our team’s Rogue, a nimble assassin whose work is both efficient and effective. She has a knack for solving problems that others simply can’t and hasn’t shied away from passing that knowledge on to others.
Taking the time to train others is actually one of Alison’s favourite memories from her time at Solutions. She said when asked about it:
“So much has happened in the last 23 years, it is hard to pick out a single memory.
But I’d say the time I look back at most fondly was when Barry first joined us. I spent time with him showing him the ropes and getting him started in a career in IT.
Passing my knowledge on was quite fun, but the fact that Barry was willing to learn, and has put a lot of hard work in over the years since, meant that the time I spent with him in the early days was time well spent”.
Nick Hempshall, our studious Wizard and Head of Software Development
Nick is our Head of Software Development and has been with us since 2002. He is a man of few words but vast amounts of hidden knowledge. Nick is our wise, sage Wizard; a repository of valuable information.
Nick is our in-house subject matter expert for multiple products, which means he’s the go-to guy when our clients need support with technical issues.
He’s known within the development team for his genuine love for the products, even spending his free time tinkering with new software or working through tutorials.
We’re honoured to have had Nick casting his software spells for us for more than 20 years, helping us to fix issues and improve our products.
Joanne Barker, our caring Cleric and Office Manager
The eagle-eyed among you might have noticed Joanne’s familiar last name. Married to our Managing Director, Iain, Joanne joined the team herself in 2004 as our Office Manager.
She has her hand in various matters of office administration, as well as helping foster our warm and welcoming staff culture.
Joanne organises our annual staff weekend away, any social nights out, and the awards we give out to celebrate our staff’s achievements.
Her caring and affable nature make her our team’s Cleric, a divine magic user known for their ability to heal and boost others. She is an incredibly popular member of our team and is always available for a chat.
Sean Graham, our crafty Warlock and Operations Director
It seems like a lifetime ago that Sean, our Operations Director, joined the company. In the far-away year of 2004, Sean brought his unique, no-nonsense, approach to our team.
Sean is never fazed and is calm as a cucumber as he juggles multiple demos, deals, and calls at any given moment. This makes him our Warlock, a magic user known for seamlessly moving between making pacts with beings of supernatural power, soaking up ancient knowledge, and gathering power to help themselves and their companions succeed.
Sean is a living library of valuable information relating to manufacturing. He is a man of the people and the kind of person who seems to know everyone. Sean’s love for socialising is evident in his favourite memory from his time at Solutions.
He recalled winning an award for a new Sage 50 manufacturing product in the early 2000s and an exciting additional prize. Sean said:
“The prize was a trip from London to Brighton on the Orient Express, with a staged murder thrown in for us to solve. It was such a fun experience, and I got to do it with people from Solutions too, which made it extra special”.
Will Ingleby, our noble Paladin and Marketing Director
Will, our Marketing Director, has been with us since 2005 and has helped define the exceptional standards we are beholden to at Solutions.
Will is a natural leader with strong core beliefs and an ability to motivate the team as we prepare for (figurative) battles. He is our Paladin, a knight that champions our company and its many values.
Will is known to get involved with everything across Solutions. He is the man who always seems to have the answer. Across the sales, marketing, and CRM teams, Will is typically the first port of call for any important questions.
Will said of his time at Solutions:
“Reflecting on the past 20 years, a standout moment for me was when our primary vendor, Sage UK, announced that Solutions for Accounting had been validated by customers for outstanding service.
We were awarded the title of Customer Success Partner of the Year. This recognition highlighted everyone’s contributions and brought us closer together as a team. It was truly a golden day!”.
No man, or woman, gets left behind on our adventure
At the end of our recent quarterly team meeting, Iain presented a series of awards and prizes to our long-term staff to thank them for their loyalty and valued work.
Aside from the six who have surpassed the impressive 20-year milestone, awards were also given out to the several team members who have been with us for 10 years or more, including:
- Michael Jones (2006)
- Amanda Duffy (2006)
- Nicola Saville (2007)
- Julian Appleby (2008)
- Kathy Warner (2009)
- Sam Looms (2010)
- Gregor Imrie (2011)
- Sentley Wilson (2011)
- Joe Paton (2013)
- Jack Deeley (2013)
- Steven Carpenter (2014)
- Matthew Kerry (2014)
- Mark Whitfield (2014)
- Gavin Huskinson (2014)
- Jess Clark (2014)
They might not literally be able to cast spells or fight dragons, but the quality work and unique personalities they all bring to Solutions make them magical in our eyes.
If you’re interested in applying for a role at Solutions for Accounting, you should visit our careers page. We’re always looking for ambitious and motivated individuals to join our ever-expanding team.
Alternatively, if you’d like to talk to one of our talented team members about what we might be able to offer your business, please email us at enquiries@solutionscloud.uk or call us at 0115 840 5075.
