RSS feedsIt’s always a risky business experimenting on yourself. You either have to be slightly mad, unconcerned by the consequences, or supremely confident in what you are doing.
With Access Accounting it was probably the latter when the business began testing its new carbon footprint software on itself. Group finance director Ian Little reveals, somewhat surprisingly, that it was quite an enlightening experience.
‘We’ve collected our own data and it has caused us to sit up and think - there were spikes in some months, but then we discovered having an overseas reseller conference was a huge carbon hit. We’re not banging the green drum, but it is making us think about what we will do in the future.’
Not banging the drum? That must be hard to resist given that Access has gambled on business leaders’ increasing awareness of the environment to launch what it believes is the first technology, built into a core financial product that measures a carbon footprint.
Deloitte-trained Little stresses that the company’s staff do not view themselves as ‘green warriors’, instead providing a service that could eventually impact on all companies whatever shape and size, by recording their carbon emissions.
‘Essentially what we’re doing is enabling businesses to track their footprint, their emissions from their business activities. We’re not pushing any environmental message, but looking to facilitate businesses to understand the impact they have on the environment. We’re expecting it will be more standard to report on this.’
Part of the process of making sure Access’ core financial product keeps up to scratch will see Little make the surprise move to become finance director of Access Accounting Ltd, which looks like a step down. ‘We’re in the process of looking to recruit a new group FD. I’m looking to move back and focus on Access Accounting Ltd, which has had very little of my attention over the past three or four years.’
After hitting the acquisition trail, he wants to take up a more operational role alongside MD John Beech, which he says means the move cannot be viewed as backwards. ‘For me it’s onwards and upwards - another step in my career to take it into different areas of the business and develop myself. I was aware people would look at it as being stepped over, but there is a great need to develop better software, more software, to support and market it.
‘The main focus of the group FD is one of continuing the growth through acquisition and their integration. I’ve done a fair bit of that and I am deeply entwined in the limited business and want to stay there and elevate that. The group FD role going forward will be less hands on,’ he says.
It’s as much about getting his hands dirty, as having green fingers.
Career footprint
Access Accounting group FD Ian Little left university in 1987 with a mind to enter commerce, and began training at Touche Ross in corporate recovery.
He was in the first batch of ICAEW accountancy trainees allowed to work outside of audit, a move that worked well for him and the institute.
‘I’d left university not wanting to go into accounting, I didn’t want to be an auditor. I got involved in corporate recovery at Touche Ross, dipped my toe in the water, enjoyed it a lot and they offered me a training contract.’
Little admits it was ‘important’ that the ICAEW had broadened its path, or he would most likely have taken the CIMA route instead.
‘Had I not had the opportunity to work in corporate recovery I wouldn’t have done it, I may well have gone into industry and commerce and maybe looked at CIMA if that’s what I needed to do.’
