Our people
Becky studied Economics and International Studies at Warwick University before travelling
and teaching in South East Asia. Now part of the BDO Stoy Hayward Tax team, she
is helping all kinds of companies to make sure they are paying enough, but not too
much, to the taxman.
“The assessment day I attended had a really personal feel to it and I was
also encouraged by the attitude to secondments. There was a sense that the firm
will work for you just as hard as you’re expected to work for them.”
Before starting at BDO Stoy Hayward I taught English in South Korea. It was a great experience and the kids were fantastic. I’m sure the experience has helped in my work when I’m dealing with colleagues and clients!
I had a chance to join one of the bigger accountancy firms but I chose not to on the strength of BDO Stoy Hayward’s reputation.
I chose tax because, when you get past the basics, it changes a lot - I thought it would throw up a few more surprises than audit. It’s the kind of subject that you’re regularly reading about in the financial pages. It can also be quite a creative field, particularly when you get into the realms of tax avoidance schemes, things like that.
At the moment I’m part of a team carrying out computations. They’re submitted every year after a company’s main accounts. I work mainly with property companies and I’ve found that there are certain issues that are particular to that industry - things you learn to look out for.
I get lots of front-line contact in my current team. As well as being first port of call for client queries, I’ve attended regular meetings with my client and the Inspector of Taxes. It was fascinating to see how the Revenue works, up close. I visit my clients quite often but I’d say I spend about 90 per cent of my time in the office - being office-based suits me perfectly.
The next thing for me is to pass all my exams and qualify. After that, who knows? I might take up a secondment, perhaps in South Africa or China.
What makes me different?
I helped break a world record by being in the world’s largest orchestra (I
play clarinet).