Robson Laidler Accountants has promoted a duo of new associate directors at its Jesmond and Chester le Street offices.
Georgina Rutter joined the accountancy firm in November 2017 where she progressed along the firm’s career pathway to become a senior client manager in the audit and assurance team. She is promoted alongside longstanding employee Vicky Smith, who joined the firm as a trainee in 2010 and makes the step up from her previous role as senior audit manager.
The promotions are part of a drive to bolster Robson Laidler’s audit and assurance offering across the region and is also a demonstration of the firm’s performance in progressing female talent with women now representing 30% of the board of directors.
Georgina Rutter said: “The audit department has more than doubled in size since I joined the firm and I’m particularly proud to represent a growing team of female leaders in the office. In my new position I am looking forward to expanding my role from overseeing and reviewing audits to delivering more strategic business advice to clients as well as nurturing our growing team to help them reach their full potential.”
Vicky Smith said: “I have attained vastly rewarding experiences advising large multinational corporations with operations across the globe as well as managing audits for local companies, groups and pension schemes. I am eager to continue building my expertise whilst now leading Robson Laidler and helping to ensure we meet our strategic goals as a business.”
Robson Laidler managing director Graham Purvis said: “Both Vicky and Georgina have been valued and respected managers for several years and have demonstrated that they are ready to take that next step to hold a director relationship with their own clients. These new appointments will help us add capacity to our audit and assurance department to help it continue to grow.
“It gives me great pleasure to see Vicky and Georgina progress along our Career Pathway and succeed at the highest level. They are both examples to our trainees of the opportunities we offer here in terms of career development.”
The ONS Gender Pay Gap report 2020 highlighted that within the top 20 accountancy firms the overall median pay gap in favour of men averages at 15-20% and far more men than women are employed in senior positions.
Graham Purvis concluded: “No gender pay gaps exists at Robson Laidler and as a certified B Corp, our board of directors champion gender equality and remain focused on developing diversity, across both gender and ethnicity and have factored these considerations into our succession planning activities.”
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