FORMER city based tax specialist Jonathan Savage has just joined a firm of Devizes accountants and says the challenge at Charlton Baker is what attracted him to join the ever evolving business. In 2015 he and his partner moved to North Wiltshire and after a stint heading up the corporate tax group for RSM in Swindon, he has now taken on his role as Senior Tax Associate at the Devizes based firm.

Mr Savage, 33, always expected to spend the majority of his career in London but after eight years he knew it was time to move out and embrace other opportunities within the accountancy world, where location is no longer important due to the rise of cloud based technologies. He said: “When you tell people you have worked for a prestigious London firm they can be impressed but really the work in our industry is largely the same wherever you are. The important thing is to build good relationships with people and that’s something at the core of what Charlton Baker believes in."

He spent his early years in Hampshire before moving to Milton Keynes and then North Devon. It was here while studying business that his career path was launched. He said: “During my course, the lecturer of the accounting module inspired me to look into becoming an accountant once I finished college, and helped set up my apprenticeship with a local firm.”

His working life started with a small firm of accountants in Barnstaple, Devon, and was made to learn the fundamentals the hard way.

He said: “I was made to do all workings by hand on A3 pads of analysis paper. Only once I demonstrated an understanding of how the basics worked was I permitted to use a computer. Painful at the time, but a hugely worthwhile exercise in retrospect.”

He then moved to Cardiff, where he completed both his AAT and ACCA qualifications whilst practicing as a general accountant and auditor. In mid-2007, he moved to the City of London where he began to specialise in corporate and business tax, completing his Chartered Tax Advisor exams in 2008. In early 2010, he joined the prestigious City firm Rawlinson & Hunter where he spent the last five years of his time in London.

He said: “They are a highly prestigious firm and I gained massive practical experience on a wide variety of clients. Little did I know that those experiences would lead me to Charlton Baker. The business has made a big impression on me and when I first met with the directors I was very surprised to learn that Charlton Baker is competing with the larger City firms and in some cases doing a better job! Moving to the countryside could be seen as a backward step, but in fact it’s the most exciting challenge of my career so far”

Charlton Baker represents a wide variety owner managed businesses from single owner operations to larger corporates, as well as specialising in Land & Construction and Media & Entertainment, areas which Mr Savage will help to service and grow.