JESS HOGGAN

SECTORS/SUPPORT

Industrial & Manufacturing. Energy. Hospitality & Leisure. Technology.

DELIVERING EFFECTIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

“A typical week in my role will involve meeting with clients to understand their business and discuss key developments, reviewing audit work completed by the team, addressing technical accounting or audit matters, and working with directors and partners to ensure engagements are delivered efficiently and to a high standard.

A significant part of my role is supporting and developing our people, whether that’s coaching junior team members, reviewing their work, or helping them build confidence in dealing with clients. Alongside delivery, I also focus on planning upcoming audits, managing deadlines, and identifying opportunities where we can add value beyond the audit itself.”

A CAREER INSPIRED BY AN INTEREST IN AUDIT

“My interest in audit inspired me to pursue a career in finance because it provides a unique opportunity to understand how businesses operate from the inside.

Early in my career, I realised that each audit offered exposure to different industries, business models and leadership teams, which meant there was always something new to learn.

Having worked with businesses of different sizes and across a range of sectors, I’ve developed both strong technical expertise and a practical understanding of the challenges organisations face. This has enabled me to focus on building trusted relationships, understanding each client’s objectives and providing clear, pragmatic advice. My role isn’t simply to deliver an audit; it’s to help clients navigate risks, meet their obligations, and gain confidence in their financial information.

Throughout my career, I have managed audits during periods of significant change, whether that was evolving regulations, changing client circumstances or compressed reporting timelines. These experiences reinforced the importance of clear communication, proactive planning and maintaining strong relationships with both clients and colleagues. I’ve learned that challenges are best overcome by staying solutions-focused and bringing people together to achieve a common goal.”

CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST & UNDERSTANDING

“Before discussing audit requirements or technical matters, I want to understand the client’s business, their goals and the challenges they’re facing when building strong relationships.

Taking the time to understand what matters most to them helps establish trust early on and ensures that we can tailor our approach to provide a service that genuinely supports their needs.

The most satisfying aspect of working with clients is building long-term relationships and seeing clients achieve their ambitions over time. It’s rewarding to know that the work we do provides confidence to business owners, management teams and stakeholders, and that clients view us as trusted advisers who can help them navigate challenges and opportunities.

One of the best compliments I’ve received from a client was that I make complex issues easy to understand.”

COMMUNICATION IS KEY TO BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

“In my career, I’ve built great client relationships. One relationship that stands out involved working with a client during a period of significant growth. As the business expanded, its reporting requirements and internal processes became more complex.

Rather than limiting discussions to the annual audit, we maintained regular communication throughout the year and worked collaboratively to address issues before they became problems. By being accessible, responsive, and focused on practical solutions – we developed a trusted relationship. The key to its success was understanding the client’s objectives and demonstrating that we were invested in helping them succeed, not just completing an audit.”

A PROACTIVE ATTITUDE TO PROBLEM-SOLVING

“My role involves helping clients overcome challenges. An example of this was when a client faced tight reporting deadlines following changes within their finance team. There was understandable pressure on the business to meet stakeholder expectations while maintaining the quality of financial reporting.

We worked closely with management to identify priorities, streamline communication and address key audit matters early in the process. Through proactive planning and regular engagement, we helped keep the project on track and ensured the reporting timetable was achieved without compromising quality.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ADAPTABILITY & UNDERSTANDING RISKS

“One of the biggest challenges in audit is balancing increasing regulatory expectations with the need to deliver a practical and efficient service for clients.

My approach is to stay up to date with developments, maintain strong communication throughout engagements and focus on understanding the specific risks within each business. By planning effectively and keeping conversations open, we can deliver high-quality audits while minimising disruption for clients.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of adaptability. Businesses operate in constantly changing environments, and audit teams need to respond quickly while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines.”

AUDITS GO BEYOND THE NUMBERS

“A common misconception is that audit is simply a compliance exercise focused on finding mistakes.

In reality, a good audit provides assurance, strengthens trust in financial reporting and often helps businesses identify opportunities to improve processes, controls and efficiency. The best audits are collaborative and can provide valuable insights beyond the numbers.”

PROBLEM SOLVING & LEADERSHIP

“I would say the key strengths I bring to AAB are problem solving, organisation, and leadership.

I enjoy finding practical solutions to complex issues and supporting team members to reach their potential. I also bring a calm and organised approach to engagements, helping teams successfully manage competing priorities while maintaining quality and delivering a positive client experience.”

BEING IN A COLLABORATIVE WORKPLACE IS REWARDING 

“The most rewarding part of working at AAB is the people. AAB has a strong culture of collaboration, which creates an environment where people are encouraged to develop and support one another.

It’s rewarding to work with talented colleagues who are committed to delivering excellent service while also helping each other grow professionally.”

A FUTURE WHERE TECHNOLOGY STRENGTHENS AUDIT QUALITY

“To help develop my work at AAB, I’m particularly interested in how technology, automation and data analytics can enhance audit quality and improve the client experience.

As businesses generate more data than ever before, there are increasing opportunities to use technology to provide deeper insights, identify risks more effectively and deliver greater value. I’m always keen to explore new tools and approaches that help make audits more efficient while strengthening the quality of our work.”