Sarah Clarkson,
Chartered Accountant (FCA),
Director

Sarah is a co-founder and director of Clarkson Cleaver & Bowes Ltd.  An economics graduate and Chartered Accountant, Sarah has more than 25 years’ experience in working with and advising a wide range of owner managed businesses. 
Having started her career in the trust department of one of the big accounting practices, she then moved to work as an auditor with Grant Thornton before landing a role with them heading up the small business department.  During her time there, Sarah formed a good working relationship with Kathy Cleaver.  It was also there that she realised she wanted a career working with owner managers and their businesses.
Sarah went on to further enhance her advisory skills and breadth of experience working for two other mid-tier firms before she joined forces with her former colleague, Kathy, to start Clarkson Cleaver and Bowes Ltd.
Now her focus is on helping clients interpret their figures and providing them with business and taxation advice.  For Sarah it is all about people. 
“When you work with an owner managed business you are working with people who will benefit directly from your input and advice.  That is where I get my job satisfaction”

Kathy Cleaver
Institute of Financial Accountants (FFA)
Federation of Tax Advisors (FTA)
Director

Kathy is a co-founder and director of Clarkson Cleaver and Bowes Ltd. Kathy started her career as a tax trainee with a local practice before moving to Grant Thornton where she studied for the Chartered Institute of Taxation exams.
She ‘learned the ropes’ working on the tax affairs of owner managed businesses and looking after complex personal tax cases, much of the time being trained by former tax inspectors.  It was here that Kathy and Sarah met, working together closely to provide a complementary range of services to a common portfolio of clients.
Kathy went on to head up a specialist practice that focussed on looking after the tax and accounting affairs of consultants and contractors before reuniting with Sarah to form Clarkson Cleaver and Bowes Ltd.
With more than 25 years’ experience in advising and supporting owner managed businesses Kathy still remains passionate about working in tax.

Amanda McCooke
Business and Administration NVQ Level 3
Office Manager

Amanda’s project management and organisation skills are focussed on ensuring the team are able to continue to provide the highest level of service to our clients.  Amanda also directly manages a number of compliance processes on behalf of clients. 
If you are not sure who you need to talk to then Amanda is the person to point you in the right direction to make sure you get the help you need.

Andrew Holland
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. (ACCA)
Association of Accounting Technicians (MAAT)
Associate Director

Andrew has over a decade of experience in working with small and medium sized owner managed businesses, gained here at Clarkson Cleaver & Bowes Ltd. He qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant (quite) a few years back having originally joined our team as a trainee. In his role as a client manager he oversees the delivery of our full range of services to his portfolio of clients and enjoys using his broad experience to provide proactive and timely advice.
Andrew has become the 'go-to' person amongst the staff when it comes to needing advice in connection with accounting software and is heavily involved in managing the offices IT requirements alongside Kathy Cleaver.

Jake Parsons
Association of Accounting Technicians
Client Manager

Jake knew he wanted to train as an accountant so he took the decision, having completed his A Levels, to join our team as an apprentice where he has combined studying for the AAT exams with on the job training.
During his time with the practice Jake has acquired the skills and experience necessary to enable him to manage a small portfolio of clients as well as continue to work with others in the team.  The advisory culture is ingrained in everything we do at Clarkson Cleaver and Bowes Ltd so inevitably this has become part of Jake’s approach to looking after clients. According to Jake ‘It is what makes the job much more enjoyable.’

Alex Francis
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. (ACCA)
Senior Accountant

After finishing university, Alex went to work for a local accountancy practice as a trainee. Having confirmed her suspicions that her passion for numbers meant she might enjoy a career in accountancy, Alex started to train to take the exams of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.  She was admitted to membership of the ACCA in 2013 and joined the team at Clarkson Cleaver & Bowes Ltd two years later.
Alex now has more than ten years of experience working with owner managed businesses and the individuals connected to those businesses.
Alex says that she particularly enjoys working for Clarkson Cleaver and Bowes Limited because ‘not only do they provide meticulous processing for clients’, but they are always one step ahead in terms of planning for the future needs of clients’.