2018 Global CEO Excellence Awards

24 CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2018 , GCE18005 Established in 2014, the Accountancy Cloud has flourished over the years, drawing on the expertise of its senior management, including Founder and CEO Wesley, who is happy to talk us through how he created the firm by drawing on his vast experience and the opportunities he noticed within the accountancy market. “When I first started the Accountancy Cloud, London’s technology start-up scene was emerging out of the financial crisis and I could see there was a huge gap in the market in offering specialist expertise in accounting, CFO and tax advice for tech start-ups: this is a The Accountancy Cloud is the leading accounting partner for technology start-ups. CEO Wesley Rashid tells us more about this revolutionary company and how he is driving it to success thanks to his innovative approach. Accounting CEO of the Year 2018 - UK specialist sector as they are not bricks and mortar businesses, often pre-revenue and have to rely on investment to help bring their product to market. “With my background, as a qualified chartered accountant with over 15 years in the accounting and tax profession, I brought the experience I knew into the sector that I’m passionate in. I previously had experience as the Technology Ventures team finance director for Diageo and had previously worked for Accenture and Grant Thornton. Overall, I’d advised on 15 strategic acquisitions and exits across the UK, Europe and the US. So, after having successfully grown my network through tech accelerators and incubators where I often served as a mentor to founders, I knew this industry was perfect for me. Since establishing the Accountancy Cloud, Wesley has drawn on his experience to carve out a niche for his business and support a wide range of burgeoning technology firms to succeed in this competitive industry. We invited Wesley to share an insight into the work his firm undertakes and he was more than happy to oblige. “Over the years I have developed the Accountancy Cloud, and we now position ourselves as a millennial accounting firm with one mission: to help start-ups succeed worldwide. We focus on real start-up challenges using industry expertise, technology and social tools, we aim to solve them. We also offer lifelong community support for technology start-ups across the globe to ensure they succeed on their terms. I constantly aim for the Accountancy Cloud to have one, clear ‘shared’ vision: to be the leading accounting partner for technology start-ups, so my leadership style is one of collaboration and I adopt an entrepreneurial approach to this, encouraging members of the team to make decisions, make themselves visible in meetings and facilitating a knowledge sharing environment of team members who are eager to learn and incredibly ambitious. “Currently, our company is proud to be evolving. We have always been innovative in the way we deliver our services, which allows us to be true business partners to the tech industry. Our strategic focus is on real-time accounting and tax support. We are always looking ahead to anticipate what is around the corner. This dynamic approach helps our clients grow and fulfil their potential, helping scale them faster, stay ahead of the curve and achieve their international ambitions.” Thanks to its focus on innovation, the future looks bright for the Accountancy Cloud, as Wesley is proud to conclude. “Recently we built an online resource and community platform called The Tech Startup Collective, as I believe that there is a core of knowledge that can and should be shared for free. As such, through our collective the Accountancy Cloud has brought together the best content, podcasts, guides, blogs and products specifically to support the technology community. Moving forward I am keen to continue innovating and expanding this resource, as well as my firm’s service offering, so that we can remain a key thought leader in the technology accountancy market and support even more start-ups.” Company: The Accountancy Cloud Contact: Wesley Rashid Address: 12 - 18 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6NG, UK 2nd Address: New York, 119 W 24th St, New York, NY 10011, USA Phone: +44 (0)207 887 4527 Web Address: www.theaccountancycloud.co.uk