The team here at Prime are about to embark on a momentous charity challenge, rowing the distance from Birmingham to Venice in just 24 hours, with the aim of raising £10,000 for our dedicated charity, Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity.
This year, we are embarking on five fundraising missions in aid of Birmingham's Children's Hospital Charity and first in line is our row at Touchwood Shopping Centre on Friday, May 19.
In just 24 hours, we will be rowing the distance from Birmingham to Venice!
The challenge is a daunting one, however, a number of the team are jumping into the hot seat and signing up for an oarsome' hour, or even more!
Across the 24 hours, we will fill 288 half-an-hour slots with rowers ranging from employees and their families to clients.
The distance for the challenge came about when we moved into our new Birmingham office and discovered the city's 35 miles of canals is said to be more than Venice! Once we found that out, the challenge was on!
At Prime, we always try to go the extra mile to raise money for local charities and this remarkable row is no different.
We've worked with Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity for many years and have always valued the support they give us during our fundraising activities.
When planning the event, Helen Miles, Head of Corporate partnerships from the charity came to a meeting with us and shared what the money raised would be able to do for their patients.
In preparation, we have installed a rowing machine in each of our offices, where our employees have been able to train during their lunch breaks!
We know it will be a difficult 24 hours, however, we have full faith in the team!
It's not the first time we've taken on a 24-hour challenge, we have actually done many in the past, with the most recent effort being our Le Tour in 24; a cycling challenge, which saw members of our team take on the challenge of collectively cycling the length of the Tour De France in just 24 hours.
If you would like to donate to this fantastic cause, there is still time. Please visit our JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/page/prime-accountants-group-rowingchallenge2023.
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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