As part of our 'meet the team' series, we talk to system accountant, Davina Lockyer about why she chose accountancy, how her role has changed over the years and making time for friends and family.
At Mewburn Ellis, Davina has a reputation for being the go-to person for anyone with a billing issue that needs fixing. She describes herself as “happy and helpful” and enjoys the part of the job that sees her helping people from across the firm.
She is responsible for management of the firm’s finance systems, including maintenance of the nominal structure for financial reporting, the back-end system, tariffs and service charges, as well as maintaining the firms’ billing platform.
“A lot of people come to me - paralegals, trainees, partners, the records department - I can help them with any problems they have with time recording and billing, making sure the system accurately reflects the work they have been doing and coming up with ideas where things are tricky to correct or we need to meet a specific client requirement,” Davina explains. “I’m quite a shy person but when it comes to work, I enjoy interacting with people. It’s gratifying to be able to sort out any issues they have and means I get to know people across the firm in all our offices.”
Davina studied business studies at school and when she left in 1983, she took a job working in the accounts department at the head office of High & Mighty, a men’s clothing retailer with offices across Europe and the US.
“I was always going to work in something involving figures,” says Davina, “I like to be organised, for things to be neat, tidy and in order. I think that’s why I like accountancy.”
She eventually became the company’s management accountant after studying to become a part-qualified accountant. Her son was born in 1998 and a year later, the family moved from where they lived in Sandhurst in Berkshire, to near Weston-super-Mare. She soon realised the long commute was not for her and, in 2000 moved to a construction company closer to home.
Modernisation
In November 2001, Davina joined Mewburn Ellis as an assistant management accountant and when the firm put in a new computer system to manage its accounts and time recording, she got an opportunity to be part of the project team.
“It took at least two years from start to finish,” says Davina. “It was a really important achievement for me and the finance team. In comparison, the old system had been very clunky and this was far easier for everyone to use.”
After that, Davina became the firm’s system accountant, overseeing the new accounting system, which over time has seen further modernisation and upgrades.
“Recently we redesigned our tariffs and I got involved with that,” explains Davina. “We are always looking at how we can modernise our systems. I’ve enjoyed working with the marketing team on the project, and it’s been really good to see the results.”
Time out
Davina, who works from Mewburn Ellis’ Bristol office, recently went down to a four-day week giving her more time to visit family and friends.
“Family and friends are really important to me, particularly as I lost my Mum and Dad a couple of years ago,” says Davina. “I am close to my sister who is three years younger than me and I have friends that go back over 45 years, to when we were all in primary school in Crowthorne in Berkshire. In my spare time I like to go back and visit them or pop down to see my aunt and uncle in Cornwall. Working a shorter week has made that a lot easier.”
When she’s not working Davina also like to spend time in her garden, keeping it neat and tidy and planting and growing flowers. She also likes to get away, with recent trips with her husband to Lanzarote and Tenerife. “I love to sit by the pool and relax with a drink,” she says. “I’m not so keen on the beach but like to take time to see the sights wherever I am.”
