Accountancy and legal services
for you, your business and your family
The legal team here at Optimum are specialists and experts, so we really know the ins and outs of our area of law: residential and commercial conveyancing, wills and lasting powers of attorney. And because we specialise in these areas, we can focus on the real issues that affect our clients daily: domestic and commercial property sales and purchase, tenancies and leases, equity release, and lasting powers of attorney and wills. We offer the same approach to all our clients: we listen carefully, we use our expertise to come up with the best course of action for you, and we deal with your issue in a professional, responsive manner keeping you informed every step of the way. Talk to us about conveyancing in Swindon, Cheltenham and the surrounding area.
Tracey is Accounts Senior, and her role entails preparing annual accounts for ou
Tracey is Accounts Senior, and her role entails preparing annual accounts for our clients, supporting the team, reviewing some of the team’s work and occasional bookkeeping and VAT.
Tracey has spent all her career in accounts, since starting as an office junior in 1997. She is AAT qualified and is working towards her ACCA qualification.
Away from the office, she loves spending time with her family, going to the gym with her son and socialising. Fun fact about Tracey: she was once Carnival Queen for Bodmin, Padstow and Redruth.
Luke takes care of processing weekly and monthly payroll for our clients. He joi
Luke takes care of processing weekly and monthly payroll for our clients. He joined Optimum after spending eight years in London with an RPO payroll recruiter, alongside working for a local accountancy firm.
Outside of work, he loves anything sports-based, including football, cricket, rugby and squash, as well as cycling and gym to keep fit. He’s also into DIY and is currently doing up his house.
Fun fact about Luke: he’s scored a goal in the FA Cup! He played in semi-professional football, for Shortwood United, and scored against Witney in an early round of the competition.
Michael is Accounts Director, looking after all our clients’ accountancy needs
Michael is Accounts Director, looking after all our clients’ accountancy needs, overseeing the inhouse accountancy team, and Optimum’s own business development.
He began his accountancy career in Gloucestershire and is passionate about helping clients to improve and develop their businesses, with careful accounting.
His spare time is taken up with family activities, but he does get away to play for his local football club, rarely missing matches (he decided not to play on his wedding day and when his son was being born!)
Mandy is our Tax Supervisor, whose responsibility is dealing with our clients’
Mandy is our Tax Supervisor, whose responsibility is dealing with our clients’ personal tax compliance.
Mandy began her career 30 years ago with HMRC, then entered private practice and has worked with a number of local and national top ten firms in Swindon.
In her spare time she loves cooking and taking her Labrador for long walks, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. At Optimum, she sits next to Michelle Hasson (wills and probate) and they are cheerfully known as the death and taxes team!
As Optimum’s Payroll Manager, Liz oversees all things payroll-related for our
As Optimum’s Payroll Manager, Liz oversees all things payroll-related for our clients and their employees.
Liz joined the team following Optimum’s takeover of Chris Mattos Tax, where she had been since 2014, working closely with local clients on their bookkeeping, VAT, payroll and general record keeping. She has also worked at a tax software company and with a tax training consultant, all of which gives her a broad knowledge across the tax sector.
An avid runner, most days you can find Liz pounding the pavements near her home, pushing a running pram with her two little boys in tow. At weekends, she’s taken to adventuring through the mud and hills and one day hopes to train for an ultramarathon. A big Harry Potter fan, Liz even has a tattoo of Hogwarts Castle!
Courtney is one of our bookkeepers, and her role is preparing monthly and quarte
Courtney is one of our bookkeepers, and her role is preparing monthly and quarterly bookkeeping and VAT returns for our clients.
Courtney began an AAT level 2 accountancy apprenticeship in 2018 for a small firm in industry for around four years, and progressed her way through to AAT level 4, whilst working for an accountancy practice.
In her spare time, Courtney enjoys taking her dog for long walks, visiting the gym and spending time with family and friends. Plus, she enjoys the occasional G&T!
Something you didn’t know about Courtney: when she was eight, she swam with dolphins and stingrays in Florida.
Jon is Finance Director and Head of Finance and Administration, whose role invol
Jon is Finance Director and Head of Finance and Administration, whose role involves overseeing the ethical and quality standards of our group companies while maintaining a portfolio of corporate clients.
Jon’s career in finance has ranged from setting up a drop-in desk for small businesses to advising on multi-million pound contract negotiations. His passion is working with SMEs to help them achieve their goals.
In his spare time, Jon loves the mental and physical challenge of archery and he once assisted TV celebrity Noel Edmonds with a charity stunt.
As a newly qualified accountant, Kaci assists with reviewing financial statement
As a newly qualified accountant, Kaci assists with reviewing financial statements and preparing reports, while gaining hands-on experience in the audit and accountancy field.
She began her career as a bookkeeping apprentice, where her experience working with SMEs gave her valuable insight into business operations while supporting clients’ financial needs. Since joining Optimum, Kaci has successfully passed her ACCA accountancy exams.
In her spare time, Kaci loves travel and exploring new places – her favourite destination so far is Thailand. She also enjoys the gym, and spending time with her three nieces.
Iain is our Head of Legal, overseeing Optimum’s busy legal department, which c
Iain is our Head of Legal, overseeing Optimum’s busy legal department, which covers conveyancing, wills and probate.
During his career, Iain has worked with a range of clients across the South West and the UK, from large corporates to individuals and renewable energy providers. He was also part of the legal team working with the Homes and Communities Agency, helping with the regeneration of Swindon’s town centre.
His favourite pastime is skiing (he says it’s the adrenaline rush he loves). He admits he once entered another country without permission – but that’s all he will divulge!
Hannah’s roles involve collaborating and communicating with audit clients and
Hannah’s roles involve collaborating and communicating with audit clients and audit staff to deliver the audit plan effectively and efficiently, alongside running a portfolio of clients and ensuring that the team deliver a proactive and timely service to all our clients.
After graduating, Hannah spent time in industry where she worked in revenue protection within a fast paced environment at some of the UK’s largest sporting events. She then transitioned to practice, where she trained as an auditor in a leading Cheltenham based firm.
Hannah loves animals and has ambitions to run a small holding, but for the moment is settling for a vegetable patch, ducks and a cat. She’s ridden motorbikes since she was 12, although these days tends to watch MOTO GP rather than ride. She can also unicycle, including riding a giraffe unicycle where she is 6 ft off the ground – very high up for someone who is only 5ft 1”.
Yvette's role as bookkeeper is to categorise financial data, to enable clear rep
Yvette's role as bookkeeper is to categorise financial data, to enable clear reporting for our clients.
Yvette worked in administration and business before deciding to go into accountancy. She took an AAT apprenticeship through Swindon College, working in the accounts department in a food packaging business. Once qualified, she moved to accounts with a construction/fit-out company.
In her spare time, Yvette enjoys keeping fit, gardening, and trying to grow veg (so far, she's managed to grow about eight peas!) and she loves spending time with her pet cat and dog. Yvette hails from Saint Helena, the tiny South Atlantic island, where Napoleon was exiled.
Callum has joined the Optimum team as Accounts and Audit Trainee, and is learnin
Callum has joined the Optimum team as Accounts and Audit Trainee, and is learning how to prepare and audit financial statements for our clients.
Callum is now qualified to AAT level and is embarking on his ACA.
Before joining our team he worked in customer service and retail roles, but finds he much prefers an office environment.
In his spare time, Callum enjoys playing and watching football and he loves listening to music. He also records a podcast with his friends called ‘Okay, But’, where they like to talk about random and (as Callum admits) strange topics!
Claire is our Bookkeeper, who is responsible for liaising with clients and proce
Claire is our Bookkeeper, who is responsible for liaising with clients and processing their records on a monthly or quarterly basis in preparation for yearend accounts or VAT returns.
She has spent most of her career working in accounts, mainly in a private practice with a short spell in industry.
She loves going to the gym, socialising with friends and taking her dog for long walks. She hates planes but ironically is a roller coaster enthusiast.
Rob is Head of Accounts & Audit, helping his clients to grow and meet their
Rob is Head of Accounts & Audit, helping his clients to grow and meet their needs, whilst helping to nurture and develop Optimum and its staff.
He has worked in finance for more than 20 years, and provides advisory and compliance services to a range of clients, from sole traders to international businesses and Academy Trusts.
Away from the office, Rob is a rugby enthusiast and plays second row for the Old Cryptians RFC 2V and 3XV team. He is sometimes known as The Tardis given his ability, whilst being 6’ 5”, to appear unexpectedly at people’s sides without them knowing.
Tracey is Optimum’s Operations Director, who deals with everything from managi
Tracey is Optimum’s Operations Director, who deals with everything from managing our client database to making sure we don’t run out of tea and coffee.
She has worked for most of her career in secretarial and admin roles, although briefly ran a pub with her partner but (in her words) “saw sense” and returned to office work.
In her spare time, she enjoys socialising, cycling, going to the gym (she’s run Swindon Half Marathon more than once) and has recently taken up tap-dancing.
Tracey’s role is to offer a warm welcome to visitors to our Swindon office, an
Tracey’s role is to offer a warm welcome to visitors to our Swindon office, and answering and directing incoming calls.
Much of Tracey’s career has been in customer service, but her last two roles have been as a receptionist, which she thoroughly enjoys because she likes meeting new people.
In her spare time, Tracey likes nothing more than spending time with the family, eating out and taking holidays.
Tracey’s motto: life is a party to be had!
Debbie is one of our two receptionists, giving visitors to our Swindon office a
Debbie is one of our two receptionists, giving visitors to our Swindon office a warm welcome, as well as answering and directing incoming calls.
Debbie has a 30 year career as a secretary/PA in the oil and gas industry, but prior to joining Optimum worked in a family-run farm shop, which involved lots of chatting to customers!
In her spare time, Debbie loves gardening, which she finds very relaxing and rewarding (if the pests don’t ruin her hard work). She also enjoys cooking and socialising with friends.
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