Meet the Applegate Team

Karen Applegate: Owner

karen@applegateaccountants.co.uk

Karen Applegate is the owner of Applegate & Co, a role to which she brings two decades' experience of the industry. Finance is in her blood – her father works as an accountant in Wiltshire, and both Karen and her sister Rachael joined the family business 19 years ago.

When she was made redundant by a construction company in the 1980s, she started on a Government scheme learning payroll, bookkeeping and tax returns, which led to a college course studying for her AAT's. Armed with an Enterprise Allowance Grant, a few local clients, and a desire to help businesses manage their tax affairs as efficiently as possible, she started Applegate & Co. In the five years since then, the firm has gone from strength to strength.

To relax, Karen enjoys reading, socialising, horse riding and watching sport – her biggest passion being football.

Heather Reeves: Office Manager

heather@applegateaccountants.co.uk

Heather Reeves is our Office Manager, and often the first person you'll speak to when you call us! Heather is responsible for managing the day-to-day running of the business, as well as offering advice to our clients on payroll, marketing, advertising and how to improve their cash flow.

Heather has had a varied career, which has seen her clean yachts in Australia, help to run a bar in Spain and provide Credit Control services to firms such as CrestPlus and The Cheese Company. Her extensive knowledge of the accountancy sector is a result of her having worked in various finance roles within the Chemical Industry for over 20 years before joining the Applegate & Co team.

Nick Rowland: Book-Keeper

nick@applegateaccountants.co.uk

Nick has a wealth of experience of working with small and growing businesses in the retail, wholesale and licensing trades, having worked as a partner and director of his own company for over 20 years. He has a thorough understanding of the finance side of running a business, and is the kind of hands-on type who's just as comfortable using a pencil and calculator to add up figures as he is with using Sage!

Nick's detailed knowledge of bookkeeping, VAT returns, bank reconciliation and monthly reports means that he can provide you with friendly, professional advice on how to deal with VAT and HMRC inspections.

Outside of work, he appreciates classic motorcycles, fine dining and a nice pint of Real Ale.

Carole Williamson: Book-Keeper

carole@applegateaccountants.co.uk

Carole has always been passionate about numbers. Maths was her favourite subject at school, so becoming an accountant seemed like the natural thing for her to do. On leaving school, she started working for a large building company who encouraged her love of numbers by funding her CIMA studies at night school.

After taking a career break to have a son, she returned to the industry and joined Applegate & Co where she says that her favourite thing about her job is "putting the accounts together and seeing the story that unfolds about the company". When she's not dealing with facts and figures, she finds time for long walks in the countryside and a spot of reading.