AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR SUMMIT SPONSORS – VICTORIA MASON OF CARDENS - Interview by Jill Woolf of Chimera Communications

Victoria Mason is a partner at Cardens Accountants and talks to Jill Woolf, MD of Chimera Communications about how her career began, the challenges along the way and why Cardens is backing the Brighton Summit.

JW:      Good to catch up with you, Victoria.  Today we’re talking about the story of your career as well as your company’s involvement with the Summit – so shall we start at the beginning?! Did you always have a burning desire to become an accountant?

VM:     Not really. It was either an accountant or a vet! I always loved maths puzzles and the idea of playing with numbers all day really appealed. It made sense to use these skills so in 1997 I started as a trainee at Ashdown Hurrey, which was the largest firm in the South at the time employee-wise. I got through all my exams and qualifications in 2001 and had my own portfolio of clients.

The company changed in 2006 when one of the partners, Barry Carden, set up his own company. He asked me to become a partner in the new business and the rest, as they say, is history.

JW:      So is it all about your clients’ maths puzzles now?

VM:     Well, it’s changed over time. It was certainly the case at the beginning but now it’s less about the numbers and more about helping people understand their own numbers – explaining what everything means and how to use numbers effectively to make their businesses work. It’s fun, honestly! I really enjoy sitting and chatting with my clients and helping them find solutions to problems.

JW:      Have there been many challenges or has it been plain sailing?

VM:     When I was 16, I did some work experience at a local accountancy practice and it was really boring. I left school with less than great A level results and so did an HND in business and finance. While on the course I did work experience at Renault Wivelsfield where I saw more about how a business is run. I knew university wasn’t for me as I didn’t want to get in debt for the future so I took my professional exams, saw a job in the Argus, went for the interview and got it.

I always had to work really hard at school and after to study. I regard myself as a C-grader but I maintain an element of faith in my abilities. I had to study evenings and weekends but I passed my exams first time and that was because I committed to do the amount of study necessary to get where I wanted to go.

I did take out a student loan, having made the comment about debt, but instead of going to university I used it to get some teenage life experience and travelled through Europe.

JW:      Probably an early example of your smart accountancy skills at work! What inspires you now in your career?

VM:     Barry is my mentor and continually inspires me, plus I really enjoy what I do. I love the interaction with clients as well our team. We have around 30 employees now at Cardens, so we’ve really grown. I also get to go to some really cool things like awards ceremonies and I met my hero, Viv Richards. Also I’m nosey and in my job, I get to see how businesses work on a daily basis. I’m very fortunate to be a part of people’s lives – for example recently when a client died and I was involved in finalising their affairs. It’s not necessarily what I’d envisaged when I became an accountant.

We help people throughout their lives which is what I meant about numbers becoming irrelevant. We advise on all aspects of their financial wellbeing. And, of course, we have a responsibility to our employees. I love watching trainees come through the company as a result of their hard work and enthusiasm.

JW:      It sounds like you have a happy team at Cardens.

VM:     Some of our managers have been with us since their A levels. It’s a big responsibility but it’s really rewarding. I started as a trainee and it’s good to see others take the same route and show them that through hard work, they can become a partner in a company too if that’s what they want.

JW:      Did your journey inspire you to sponsor the Brighton Summit?

VM:     I’ve been a Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce member since 2005 and there’s nothing else quite like the Summit. It’s cool to be associated with the event, especially last year when it was the Chamber’s centenary year. We’re main sponsors again this year and we’re doing it because it’s a successful event. It’s unique and it’s inclusive.

Of course, there’s a commercial reason – we get our name in front of so many local businesses – but which other event brings together business people from almost every sector in the city for a whole day of fun, interaction, networking, learning and participation with such brilliant speakers, hosts and sessions?

JW:      It certainly was a great day last year and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. It seemed an ideal environment for people to learn and do things they might not have tried before, while being informal. It felt like a splendid way to end the week and I’m glad it’s always on a Friday.

One of the things people liked was being inspired by the speakers, like Dean Atta last year with his amazing poem of the day. Do you have any pearls of wisdom of your own you’d like to share with everyone?

VM:     Well, I’m proof that if you work hard, you can achieve. And with luck, you’ll be in the right place at the right time, just like I was. It’s a bit clichéd but what goes round, comes round – if you help people and do the best you can, it’s pays you back in the end.

At Cardens, if we say we’re going to do something, we do. We also communicate in plain English. If it’s going to take more than a side of A4 to get a message across, we pick up the phone or go and see a client. There’s no waffle and there are service quality guarantees.

We also value our place in the local business community. We don’t publicise this specifically but we have something we call the 1% Pledge where we give 1% of our turnover every year to local charities. This includes donations like for the Chestnut Tree Pay for a Day, Rockinghorse quiz and similar organisations.

JW:      I think you should publicise that, it’s really good news that we wouldn’t necessarily know about Cardens!

Thanks for your time, Victoria, it’s been a pleasure as always. And you didn’t even mention your Taekwondo ...

VM:     I think everyone knows I do that now! Thanks, Jill, and I’m looking forward to the Summit enormously.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk