Alistair has always been progressive in his thinking, whether it’s adopting technology early, promoting flexible working or training the next generation of accountants. Alistair spoke to AM’s Jonathan about how AM supports his approach and the daily operation of his 3-office firm.
We love our interviews with AM users, they’re a unique window into how today’s SME practice owners think and how they run their businesses. Alistair Hayward-Wright, owner of Hayward Wright Accountancy Group in the Midlands is the latest to grace our hotseat – and he didn’t disappoint. In fact, Alistair shared so many fantastic insights on the future of accountancy, we’ve had to create a ‘part 2’.
In today’s article, Alistair describes life with AccountancyManager. Look out for part 2, where Alistair deep dives into the evolution of tech, how to upsell and package advisory, the importance of soft skills and mentoring… and the problem with today’s accountancy qualifications.
Accountant by name, tech-focussed by nature (even in the 90s)
Alistair trained with a small firm in 1998 and launched his own practice a few years later. “I always had the intention of owning my own business, just not necessarily in accountancy!” Alistair almost quit his accountancy qualifications halfway through and bought an IT company, but decided to stick it out. This interest in technology still runs deep today and forms a crucial part of the culture at Hayward-Wright.
