Off Ledger
Off Ledger explores the personal journeys of the leaders in the accounting profession. We aim to inspire those who seek to follow in their footsteps and reassure them that sometimes it doesn't all go to plan....and that is OK.
Episodes
In this episode, Mitch Hahn, CEO and Growth Director at Nordens, shares how he went from signing a football scholarship at 16 to leading an 80-strong accountancy firm.
He opens up about falling into accounting by accident, the founder who gave him the freedom to keep chasing football and saw a business developer he couldn’t yet see in himself, and putting his hand up to become CEO without knowing what the job really involved,...
In this episode, Alex Falcon Huerta, founder and CEO of Soaring Falcon, shares a story shaped by real hardship, from a difficult childhood and homelessness at 16 to qualifying as an accountant two months after losing her mother, right before her ACCA finals. She opens up about building one of the UK's earliest fully digital, paperless accounting practices, becoming a genuine digital nomad long before it was fashionable, and why she...
In this episode, Grace Hardy, founder of Hardy Accounting and the first female accountancy firm owner in the UK to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, shares how a rainy season in Bali derailed her travel plans and accidentally launched her career, why she left networking events behind for TikTok and Instagram, and how she turned trolls, bullying, and dyslexia into fuel rather than obstacles.
She opens up about lobbying for financial...
In this episode, John Toon, Group CTO and Head of Technology at HLB International, shares his unlikely route into accounting, from years spent as a sailing instructor and water sports guide across the UK, France and beyond, to turning down a well-paid job running a watersports centre in Ireland for an £8,000-a-year training contract. He opens up about hoovering up knowledge across every specialism he could find, the self-doubt that...
In this episode, Julie Falczewska, Managing Director of Maslins in Tunbridge Wells, shares how she moved to the UK from Ukraine barely speaking English, spent three years writing to the same accountancy firm before they finally said yes, and worked her way from trainee to the top of the firm she qualified with. She opens up about the leadership books that got her through, why she still doesn't believe she has fully shaken imposter ...
In this episode, Sarah Harkness, Managing Director of InAccountancy, shares her unconventional route into the profession, from Adidas boardrooms in Germany to becoming MD of an accountancy firm without ever training as an accountant. She opens up about the instinct that told her something was wrong when a member of her team wasn't who she claimed to be, the imposter syndrome that still shouts loudly in rooms full of qualified accou...
In this episode, Lucy Cohen, founder of Mazuma and President of AAT, opens up about the day her body inexplicably formed 17 arterial blood clots, the hospital sprint that followed, and the strange guilt that comes with surviving something you weren't supposed to. She talks candidly about therapy, an eating disorder in her early twenties, and how she found healing on a powerlifting platform where, for once, there was no talking her ...
In this episode, Lucy Cohen, founder of Mazuma and the largest female-founded accounting business in UK history, shares her unconventional route into the profession, from a careers advisor opening a book at random to walking into a hotel and talking her way into a job. She opens up about growing up without money, feeling like an outsider in rooms full of privilege, and why a good dose of naivety was exactly what she needed to disru...
In this episode, Liam Wilson, Director of Elevate Accountancy in Wrexham, shares how watching his father's business nearly collapse shaped his drive, the rapid rise through private equity-backed firms that eventually hit a wall, and the leap of faith that led him to build a firm on his own terms. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm.
In this episode, Eriona Bajrakurtaj, Owner and Director of Majors Accounts in London, shares what it took to take over her father's practice and drag it into the digital age, the team fallout that came with it, and the offshoring gamble that kept the business alive when she gave birth to her second child just days before going back to work. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of...
In this episode, Luke Hamblett, Associate Director at Lewis Smith in Dudley, shares his journey from audit junior to the top table, the relationship-building skills that set him apart, and the presentation that helped convince the partners he was ready to step up. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm.
In this episode, Lucy Williams, Managing Partner at Team JS opens up about the
management buyout that transformed her role, the decisions that kept her up at night, and the mentors who helped her get there. Honest, considered and full of
hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm.
In this episode, Ermal Krutani reflects on 23 years of growth, the management mistakes he made along the way, and the moment he realised that pride was getting in the way of everything. Working in accounting but the biggest lessons had nothing to do with numbers.
Honest, self-aware and packed with lessons for anyone stepping into a leadership role for the first time.
Most firms measure success by how fast they're growing. Ask the Boss decided to measure it differently. In this episode, Antoniya Beyriyska reflects on the decision
to shrink the team, shed the wrong clients and rebuild around the ones they love to come out the other side more productive, more profitable and happier for it. If
you're leading a firm and wondering whether bigger really does mean better, this one is essential li...
Not many firm leaders will tell you about the moments that nearly broke them. Rob Heaton will. In this episode, Rob talks with rare honesty about losing everything and rebuilding from scratch. He reflects on what that journey taught him about leadership, delegation and knowing when to say no, and why the hardest lessons have made him the leader he is today.
If you've ever wondered how the best firm leaders are forged, thi...
Laura Kenyon left a corporate career at KPMG, started
an accounting firm from her spare bedroom, and built it
into a 23-person practice. In this episode, Laura talks
candidly about leading from the gut, the office decisions
she'd rather forget, and why imposter syndrome never
really goes away. If you're leading a firm or thinking
about starting one, this one's for you.
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