“People are our greatest asset”

“People are our greatest asset” was one of the opening statements made at the AAB recruitment evening the year I applied for graduate position,  I remember thinking at the time that a firm which views its employees as an asset was exactly the kind of place I wanted to start my career and was the reason I applied for the graduate training programme. I was extremely determined to make an impression and I was fortunate enough to be offered a graduate position in our Corporate Tax department and begin my career at AAB.

The support I received from day one was invaluable, everyone was focused on ensuring that I had the right coaching from the outset and committed my personal development, 11 years on I still receive this level of support from the team on a daily basis. We are focused on ensuring that we get the best out of our people, realising the importance of continual development not only in relation to technical expertise, particularly in tax which is subject to regular changes, but also other skills such as people management and coaching.

This continual drive to get the best from our people has played a huge factor in my progression at AAB, after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) and quickly being promoted to Assistant Manager an opportunity arose to become part of AAB’s Expertise to Entrepreneurs’ (“E2”) team.

Our E2 team specialises in providing tax advice to Entrepreneurs’ and High Net Worth Individuals to achieve higher returns by delivering structuring and tax advice with a commercial focus, while supporting client’s through the life of the investment. This was a great opportunity for my own personal development, allowing me to get involved in an area where I had a real desire to further my knowledge and to become a well-rounded advisor delivering meaningful advice to my clients, which not only focused on the tax aspects but also was aligned with their personal goals and objectives.

A short time after joining the E2 team, I was promoted to Manager then 18 months later to Senior Manager. The continual focus on coaching, progression and development throughout my career to date at AAB has helped me achieve my personal objectives within a short timeframe and allows me to continually focus on the next steps. Looking back to when I first joined in 2008, in some respects I feel I have accomplished a lot during my career, however I am now focusing on what comes next and looking forward to new challenges which will allow me to continue to develop, while having the invaluable support of the team behind me.

By Amanda Ollason, Corporate Tax Senior Manager