Getting to Know You – Rachel Bell

Rachel is a Principal Manager, based in our Dundee office. She is a CA and a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA). Whilst she specialises in tax, she deals with a varied client portfolio. Rachel is head of our Transaction Tax group and is also a key member of our R&D Tax and Healthcare teams.

We caught up with Rachel to find out more about her experience from trainee to Principal Manager.

How did your EQ journey begin?
While studying accountancy at the University of Dundee, I decided that I wanted to study for the CA qualification once I had finished my degree. I was keen to stay in the local area and having heard about EQ through various careers fairs and presentations, it seemed like a great place to complete my training. I started with EQ in 2008 and after gaining my CA qualification in 2011, I then studied for my CTA qualification, qualifying in 2014. Throughout my time at EQ I have been given the support and opportunities to allow me to progress from trainee to Principal Manager.

What have you enjoyed most during your progression through the Firm?
Getting to know different people. Whether this is getting to know my clients and their businesses or the staff in the different offices, this is one my favourite parts of my job. Getting the opportunity to deal with many different types of clients and different types of work has been particularly enjoyable e.g. when preparing R&D claims I get to speak to clients more in depth about their businesses and what they do day to day and I find this really interesting.
Everyone in the each of the offices is really friendly and helpful, and the support of others has been key in helping me develop my knowledge and skills.

Since you started at EQ, how do you feel the Firm has evolved?
EQ has grown significantly over the time I have been with the firm. Having more people has brought more expertise and allowed people to specialise in areas they have a particular interest. There is always someone willing to help if you want a second opinion on something.

What would you say to someone thinking of applying to join EQ?
EQ does not departmentalise so you get to work on a wide variety of different assignments, meaning you get to build a wide range of expertise and your work life stays interesting as every day is different. As a trainee I found this particularly helpful as it gave me a good grounding and allowed me to see a whole range of subjects I was studying from an office perspective.
That being said, if there are particular types of work or industries that you have a particular interest in you are encouraged to specialise and develop your skills in these areas.

Our environment, whilst entrepreneurial and ambitious, has an incredibly friendly culture throughout as well as being supportive of all our staff. This culture enables us to assemble teams with the appropriate skills and experience to deliver what is required to our diverse and interesting client base. We’re always looking for experienced, qualified professionals to join our specialist teams of business advisers.

You can also read about our current vacancies, including others experiences via our Careers page.