Les Smith LL.B. FCA

Les is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. After qualification Les left the profession to work in industry. At the end of the 1980’s, bored and wanting a change of lifestyle, he started his own small (non-accountancy) business. It turned out to be the best possible training for his current role.  Anyone starting their own business has an incredibly steep learning curve and finding support can be difficult. When Les began the business in 1992 he called it “The Small Business Centre”. We have been able to support many start-ups and the accountancy practice, along with many of its clients has grown steadily. Indeed, some of those clients voiced the opinion that their business was no longer a “Small Business” and questioned the appropriateness of their accountant’s name. This prompted a strategic review, identifying the type of clients we wanted and the work we did for them. Increasingly we were doing business consultancy work hence the change of name to “Clearline Business Consultants”.  

Les is responsible for the development of the business and freely admits that the team make it easy for him to concentrate on ensuring that the practice is going where our clients need it to be. He oversees the implementation of systems and the selection of software to ease compliance burdens and to smooth back office procedures. The aim of going paperless is already complete in the Payroll department and being expanded elsewhere. If Clearline is to be an effective advisor to its clients in the 21st Century it will help enormously if it has personal experience of any pitfalls.     

“I believe in a healthy work life balance and often talk about this concept to my clients.  Outside of work I keep the brain going playing bridge at some local clubs.  I like to travel to experience different cultures and am currently looking forward to a month in Australia.  I have a passion for cooking and in addition to enjoying my own and my wife’s offerings like to sample the fare at good restaurants.  I enjoy spending quality time with my family”.

Kelly Terry LL.B.

Kelly has been at Clearline since July 2000 and is now the Office and Client manager at Clearline Business Consultants.  She has recently completed the final professional exams for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Her role includes all business compliance requirements and she is able to assist clients with HR, VAT, tax, book keeping and accounts preparation.

“Outside work I enjoy swimming and surfing.  I have a passion for reading autobiographies and gripping true life stories, and I enjoy going to the cinema, cooking and eating out.  My weekends are taken up assisting with the running of a successful Sunday league football team.”

Michelle Adams

Michelle has been at Clearline since June 2003 and her role here is as Payroll Manager.  She manages over 100 payrolls for a diverse group of clients providing   assistance on all aspects of payroll, advising and sorting out problems with sickness, maternity, holiday or redundancy payments. The service she provides now includes   contractor solutions to the new C.I.S. regime helping our clients to avoid the penalties that this scheme introduced. Michelle will be embarking on her AAT qualifications this autumn.

“Outside work I am an avid gardener and maintain an extensive collection of koi carp.  I also enjoy participating in a new style of aerobics called Body Attack.  The rest of my spare time is spent on activities with my children.”

Teresa Casey

Teresa is the latest addition to the team, having joined us in April 2008. Teresa has passed the AAT examinations and her experience working at Clearline will enable her   to gain her AAT membership. Her role is as the VAT Administrator and Book Keeper, assisting clients with the preparation of their VAT returns and the associated book keeping requirements.

“Outside work I enjoy horse riding.  I also enjoy using my other beauty qualifications to carry out treatments on my friends and family, including waxing, manicures and pedicures.  The rest of my spare time is taken up doing DIY at home and I enjoy spending time with my daughter using our outdoor trampoline and pool.”