Richard Evans, corporate finance manager, Grant Thornton
Richard Evans is a corporate finance manager at Grant Thornton. He attended the University of Manchester.
Getting a proper job
After university I had no real idea what career I wanted to do and was more concerned with organising my year out and a round-the-world trip than getting a proper job. What attracted me to accountancy was the idea of further training and gaining a professional qualification. Studying and working combined seemed a good option and knowing I would be doing it with plenty of other graduates was reassuring.
Early days
I started with Grant Thornton in September 2001 in their Leicester office, where I stayed for three years doing statutory audit of mid sized private companies. This was a great place to learn core business skills and I passed my exams to become an ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) first time around.
Time for a change
I spent the next two years in London doing big ticket audits, mostly in the financial services sector and professional practices. Then I realised that I had reached a career crossroads. I had been in audit for five years and was ready for a change. I sat down with one of the partners for a coffee and he suggested corporate finance might suit me. I spent the next few years focusing mainly on flotations of companies on the AIM market and corporate M&A.
I realised I had reached a career crossroads.
The crunch
In the last 12 months the financial world has changed and I am now experiencing the first major recession of my career. Deal activity has dried up, which is a shame as I was all set to spend the next two years on secondment in Australia. Instead I have been seconded to the recovery and reorganisation department. I was a bit unsure at first whether I would like working with businesses in distress, but I can honestly say it's one of the most interesting experiences of my career so far.
My career has had plenty of variety and although I have been with the same firm for eight years, it doesn't feel like it because my role has changed so much over that period.
