New partner for Griffin as growth continues
South West accountancy firm Griffin Chartered Accountants has appointed a second Partner.
Laura Waycott joins founder Misty Nickells at the firm, which was founded in 2015 to provide accountancy and auditing services to a range of businesses, academies and charities and has two offices, in Exeter and Honiton.
Laura’s appointment comes after Griffin experienced impressive growth of 20 per cent in 2022, following the firm’s stable growth trajectory over the past 7 years with 80 per cent of new business coming via referrals.
Misty said: “After yet another strong performance it became clear that it was no longer feasible for me to continue as sole partner. But it was critical to find the right person who fits with our ongoing plans as well as our company ethos.
“Laura’s approach and her specialisms are exactly what’s needed to free up my time to concentrate on supporting our business clients, ultimately allowing Griffin to take the next steps in its development.
“Importantly, Laura is as excited about the future as the rest of the team. She fits perfectly within the culture of our business, fairly unusual in its unstuffy, informal and non-hierarchical approach which is encouraged in our open plan office structure and team-orientated attitude.”
Previously Laura was at PFK Francis Clark for over 13 years where she undertook her training and rose to become an Audit Manager specialising in the not for profit sector. For the past two years she has been Head of Finance for charity Children’s Hospice South West. She has worked with Misty on ‘both sides of the table’ in her previous roles, with Griffin being Internal Auditor for Children’s Hospice South West.
She said: “I’m delighted to be joining Griffin, a firm perfectly in tune with my own experience with academies and charities. This move for me is career fulfilling, a goal I have been aiming towards for a while. I see lots of opportunities ahead to work with Misty to build up the business even further.
“I particularly like the style of the business, it’s extremely inclusive and respectful of staff whatever level they are at.”
From its start-up team of four, the firm now employs 21 full time staff across the two offices. Griffin has an ethical approach to employment with several long-term senior team members and a successful track record of taking on school leavers as apprentices and supporting them through their AAT exams to become qualified Chartered Accountants earning a competitive salary in just five years.
Misty said: “As we continue to push and grow we will be needing even more staff which will enable us to provide more employment choices in the local area. We’re keen to get the message out that young people don’t need a university degree to become a qualified accountant - the opportunity is here for the taking.”
