Nick Roberts

Executive Summary


Nick Roberts, who has achieved success in both business and accountancy for more than 27 years, founded the Accountancy + Business Advice Centre from scratch in late 2007 without a single client, building the business in less than three years to a successful practice with a great reputation and a respectable client base despite the recession.

Before deciding to move a little closer to his favourite Hawkes Bay wineries, Nick made it to the top and earned the respect of peers, other professionals and clients by becoming Managing Partner of an extremely successful and multi-award winning eight-partner firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers in the Thames Valley in the UK.

Nick has been helping clients prosper in their businesses since he obtained his own clients in the 1980’s and soon realised that accountancy and finance, whilst a good foundation for the future, were just two aspects of business to master!


The Accountancy + Business Advice Centre


The Accountancy + Business Advice Centre provides a unique blend of integrated accountancy and business advice. The philosophy of the firm is to:

1. Regard the Annual Financial statements as the first step in the process of the helping the client, not the last, as year-end financials prepared many months after the year-end are absolutely useless in managing the financial side of a business.

2. To go out and meet clients and help them to improve their businesses and profits, since investing time and effort in introducing systems which will deliver up-to-date, specifically tailored, regular, and key business information will place a business owner in the best possible position to thrive and weather tough trading conditions.

The client base of the firm now includes a variety of industries and businesses ranging from horticultural, farming, and exporters through to the trades, professionals and service businesses and is growing strongly as a result of its ethical and honest advice provided at value for money fee levels.


Community


Nick Roberts believes that, as in life in general, to get you have to give, so he always provides a little extra advice and assistance to clients and fellow business owners he comes in contact with, as well as:

1. Being a volunteer business mentor with Business Mentors New Zealand, providing business mentoring advice to growing Hawkes Bay business. Nick enjoys giving something back to the business community as well as networking with the other business mentors in Hawkes Bay.

2. Offering a Free Business Clinic which is open to all business owners whether clients or not.


WHK Coffey Davidson


Prior to founding the Acountancy + Business Advice Centre Nick was CEO of Coffey Davison in Hastings, a large (for NZ) forward-looking firm of accountants and business advisors continuing to expand the range of non-accountancy services available.

From April 2007 Nick moved into a mixed internal/client role tasked with promoting both firm and self to grow a sizeable client base as well as fulfilling the role as the firm’s Financial Controller. Client work included three months as temporary CFO of a major Hawke’s Bay winery, tax, accounts and business valuations with a small fee base.


Harwood Hutton

Back in the UK Nick spent 18 years working his way up the ranks of Harwood Hutton, an eight partner 50-strong award-winning firm of accountants, described in 2003 as “the best kept secret in the Thames Valley”. The awards the firm won included Small Firm of the Year, Investor in People and ISO 9001.

Nick started off in the firm as a personal assistant (technical), was promoted firstly to manager and then secondly to partner within 7 years of joining. Over 1991 to 1997 Nick greatly expanded his client base (being the highest fee earner in 1994) before being elected Managing Partner in 1997. During the 5-year period that Nick was Managing Partner both turnover and profits increased by over 70%.


Other Employment

Before working for Harwood Hutton, Nick built up his experience working for two smaller accountancy practices and J Sainsbury plc on their management training scheme before deciding accountancy was a better opportunity.


Qualifications

Nick studied business and accountancy at the Thames Valley University and passed all his examinations at the first attempt for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, later obtaining FCCA status. Nick has held a practising certificate since 1990.

However, Nick regards his real education as 27 years at the “coalface” of small business over a huge variety of industries and business types together with his “incomplete records” background, which means there is very little that Nick has not seen or had to deal with in the world of owner-managed businesses.