WHEN Andrew Hopwood joined a traditional town accountants after leaving university, little did he know he’d still be there 11 years later.
For who would have predicted that the graduate trainee’s post at Allwood Baird Hack would develop into a director’s role within a thriving North West accountancy group.
Andrew left Liverpool University in 1997 with a degree in maths and computer science, and crossed the border from his home town of Wrexham to train as a chartered accountant in Chester.
Working on limited company jobs, specialising in audits, Andrew became a fully-fledged chartered accountant in 2000 and progressed to the senior ranks.
Then the developing company, which had later rebranded to Allwoods, merged with the Champion Accountancy Group – and Andrew, 33, has been made a director of the Chester operation.
He is now enjoying his second decade in accountancy running Chester’s Champion Allwoods along with two other directors, leading a team of 23.
Andrew has worked with some of his clients, who are based across North Wales and Chester, for the entire 11 years.
He puts the longevity and success of his career down to an ever-fresh approach: “Accountants are often labelled as being slow to respond but we at Champion pride ourselves on organisation and efficiency.
He added: “On a personal level I have always enjoyed working here, I like the variety, and the merger with Champion has enabled me to progress and take on new responsibilities and challenges.”
Champion’s group operations director, Rachel Ward Lilley, said: “Andrew’s promotion to director is well-earned, he is a fantastic asset to the group.
“The loyalty of his customers stands testament to the quality of his work and his contribution to the continued growth of the Chester office.”
