A manager here at Prime is celebrating more than two decades with a promotion to a senior role.
Paislei Godley has worked for Prime Accountants Group for 22 years and has recently been promoted to the position of senior tax manager.
Paislei, who is based in the Coventry office, within Whitley Business Park, and lives in the city, joined the firm in November 2001 as an office junior.
She has worked across numerous departments in eight different roles, during which time she discovered her passion for tax accounting.
Paislei began her training soon after starting as a tax secretary, passing her Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) exams in 2011, followed by her Charted Institute of Tax (CTA) exams in 2013.
She said: Working at Prime is a real privilege. I started in an admin role back in 2001 and soon found a passion for the tax industry, so I spoke to our managing director Kevin Johns to share my desire to train in this new area.
Kevin went above and beyond to support me. I was provided with a mentor who not only showed me the workings of tax but helped me in passing my exams.
Throughout the two decades I've worked at Prime, the support and approachability from the whole team has been a key driver for my continued commitment to the company and my career in tax.
Paislei said Prime's approach to flexible working had helped her throughout her time at the company.
She said: Prime has always offered flexible working, which has enabled me to have a good work-life balance, especially since I had my children.
Paislei is one of the company's many employees who are celebrating longstanding milestones with the business.
In total, Prime has 26 employees across its three offices who have achieved a decade of service, with a further14 who have been part of the team for more than 20 years - surpassing the average employee retention of a UK firm, which stands at four years and six months.
Kevin Johns, managing director of Prime, said: Paislei has always been a fantastic employee and we'd all like to congratulate her on her well-deserved new senior role.
Over the years, Paislei has always been willing to get stuck into anything - including one of our numerous charity events which saw the team cycle to all the gold post boxes across the UK.
Even after suffering an injury during one of the tough legs of the journey, eight weeks later Paislei joined as we finished the challenge, cycling from Coventry to London.
We're glad that having the ability to work flexibly has helped Paislei in her career with us. We understand that people have a life outside of work, and we are proud to be an employer which allows flexibility where needed.
Prime Accountants Group has announced Morgan Davies as our new managing director, succeeding the long-serving Kevin Johns.
Morgan formally takes over the role on September 1 as part of our advanced succession planning, which has been taking place behind the scenes for some time.
Kevin Johns
Kevin has worked for Prime for 31 years and has been its managing director since 2015.
As well as holding the positions of Solihull BID chairman and vice-president of the Solihull Chamber of Commerce, Kevin has spearheaded Prime’s fundraising efforts, which have seen the business raise tens of thousands of pounds for charities such as Solihull Life Opportunities (SoLO) and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Morgan Davies
Morgan is one of the four original founding partners of Prime from 2007 and steps up from his role as director overseeing our audit and accounts department.
While Kevin is stepping down as managing director, he will continue to work with his portfolio of clients and remains on the senior leadership team.
To facilitate Morgan taking on his new role, fellow directors Jeremy Kitson and Paul Guise will take over his responsibility for audit and accounts.
Succession Planning
Kevin, who was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year’s Honours list in 2019 for services to Solihull, said: “I’ve planned to gradually retire over the next few years, so handing over to Morgan now means we will have a far more controlled and better transition.
“I’ll still be part of the leadership team, I’m still looking after my clients but I just won’t be leading on the day-to-day anymore.
“I said when we marked my 30th anniversary with Prime that I’ve been leaving for a long time! This is long-term succession planning and a natural progression in any business. I’m passing the baton to someone in Morgan who is exceptionally capable and well-positioned to keep the firm on exactly the right path.”
The promotion comes in a milestone year for Morgan, who has worked for the firm for 20 years and has been in practice for 30 years.
He said: “This is part of a succession plan we have worked hard on. I’ve been audit and accounts lead ever since I’ve been here at Prime, which is effectively half the firm, as well as being part of the senior leadership team.
“The experience that gives you is seeing every element of the business up close. It’s a natural fit, we work closely together and I have supported Kev for years.
“The culture of this company is to develop people and empower them to succeed and grow, and this demonstrates that with aplomb. As I move up to managing director, two very capable directors in Paul and Jeremy move up to audit and accounts – it’s good for everyone within the pyramid at Prime.”
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