Our People Stories

Our people are our business, and we encourage an open and transparent working environment.

We prioritise listening, learning and adapting our recruitment and staff retention processes to ensure we continue to evolve in an ever changing accountancy landscape. By talking with our people, we gain valuable insight into what it is like to work at Affinia. Our training and work experience sets us apart as we encourage client contact from day one.

Our people stories | Affinia. Health and wellbeing initiatives

Rewarding | Community | Collaborative

Whether you are starting your accountancy career or are an experienced professional, let’s find out first-hand what it’s like to work at Affinia.

Meet Megan – Semi Senior Accountant

Starting a Career

‘It was important to me to check the plan for advancing onto further education and expanding on knowledge.’

I started as a part-time worker and gained work experience while completing my A-Levels. After finishing my A-Levels, I began working full-time and had the opportunity to shadow senior staff members and assist with various tasks. I started college shortly after joining Affinia (beginning with Level 3 AAT), which helped strengthen the essential knowledge and skills I used in the office.

A new employee’s typical day involves checking their Retain calendar for allocated work, discussing tasks with their manager, seeking assistance from senior staff if needed, and then starting the job. Initially, we work on shorter jobs for smaller companies or sole traders to gain experience before moving on to larger companies and more complex tasks.

Meet Kacper – Senior Accountant

Developing your Skills

‘I’d recommend Affinia to anyone looking to start a career at a place which supports you throughout and helps you challenge yourself and grow.’

Working at Affinia is very rewarding. You are constantly exposed to new challenges and areas of accountancy and audit you have not interacted with before. There is always an opportunity to learn and improve and help and advice are always there if you need them.
This is a great place to learn and develop your skills, with plenty of opportunities to keep challenging yourself after you do so, as well as colleagues who want you to do well and help you get there if you are ever struggling.

Meet Emily – Assistant Manager

Career Development

‘I look forward to seeing what my future at Affinia will bring!’.

I have been at Affinia since November 2020; starting as a Junior with my AAT qualification. With ongoing guidance and training from the team, I have gained many invaluable skills and knowledge, both in the workplace and during my apprenticeship.

The exposure and opportunities Affinia provided me in different areas of work kept me focused and interested in my exams and career. Having completed my ACCA qualification, I have been promoted to senior accountant with a growing portfolio of clients to manage.

Meet Rebecca Pearcy, Senior Manager

Career Development

“I enjoy working with the team, supporting my colleagues’ career progression and ensuring we all work in a happy and supportive environment”

I joined Affinia in 2016 after qualifying at another firm with one year’s experience. Since then, I have worked my way up from a Senior within the Accounts and Audit team to Senior Manager and now sit on the Accounts team board.

Part of my role on the board include training staff and mentoring managers. I always encourage them to take time to reflect and look back at accounts and consider any advisory elements for the client, rather than getting bogged down in the numbers.

I really enjoy the people element of the role, working with the team and clients and providing training and support for staff.

Meet Darren Flint, Associate Director

Career Progression

“We have a great team, we’re here to support you”

I joined the Accounts service line, in the Stratford office in 2019, having worked in practice since 1989. I joined the team as a Manager and then progressed to Senior Manager and then Associate Director.

My role includes helping to line manage the team, supervising client accounts for more junior members of the team along with managing my own portfolio of clients.

I enjoy working as part of a great team and encourage my colleagues that if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded and progress in your career. We’ve all started out in a junior role and have had the same experiences – there is a team here to support you.

Meet Clare Wilson, People Operations Manager

Agile Working

As technology advances and new challenges arise, the accountancy profession must keep up with the changing times to remain relevant and effective. One of the most important ways to achieve this is through flexible and agile working practices. Ultimately, the goal for the HR team is to create a dynamic and adaptable workforce that can meet the needs of today’s rapidly changing business environment.

Meet Claire Berg, Marketing Manager

30 Years of Connection, Growth and Transition

“If I look back, my career has been shaped by opportunity, building meaningful relationships, and a genuine commitment to helping my colleagues succeed – always striving to provide the highest level of support and to think creatively about how we communicate with the market. I’ve enjoyed the evolution from a family‑feel firm with global reach to being part of the UK’s fastest‑growing wholly owned accounting firm, where we’re strengthening our specialist expertise and embracing modern, tech‑led ways of working.”