Meet Stephen Sowerby – Auditel’s Franchisee of the Year 2014!
Stephen Sowerby joined the Auditel Cost Management Franchise in March 2011.
Early in his career, Stephen had qualified as a Chartered Accountant and achieved a First Class Honours degree from Manchester University in Management Studies. He spent almost 5 years’ with KPMG, working in the Risk Advisory Services department, where he held a client-facing role, with both external audit and advisory responsibilities.
Stephen says: “My training as a Chartered Accountant and the experience of my previous roles, has given me specific skills and knowledge. Since becoming an Auditel Consultant, I have used these to help clients identify where they might be overspending. I then project manage the process needed to get those essential business costs under control.”
Stephen has completed projects on behalf of clients in a wide variety of areas, including office supplies, telecommunications, water, energy, solar PV and research & development tax credits. He says: “I have worked with companies in many business sectors – travel, commercial landlords, finance, engineering and manufacturing and saved my clients hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
Stephen gives examples of two of his assignments:-
Kinsella Clarke was established more than twenty years ago and has developed to become one of the leading Accountancy practices in Liverpool.
Having known Stephen from his work as a Chartered Accountant, Partner/Director Ged Clarke was aware that he had joined Auditel and asked whether he could help his business. He was particularly attracted to the contingency fee proposition, meaning that there was no cost unless measurable savings were found.
As Ged explains, “We run a very busy and successful accountancy practice and although we keep costs under control, we don’t have the time or resources to consistently monitor these areas. In the first 12 months, the savings were significant and the service has been dependable, straightforward and honest.”
Recognising that many of their clients face similar time pressures, Ged introduced this innovative service to help them grow their business. Results have been most promising. His clients have already saved over £120,000. The feedback has also been very positive, with many commenting on the time saving as well as the cost saving.
Ged concludes, “We are looking forward to introducing Auditel to more of our clients, because we trust them to deliver.”
Savings Breakdown for Kinsella Clarke:
- Telecoms 47%
- Electricity 29%
- Gas 16%
- Stationery 37%
7 Harrington Street Chambers is one of the UK’s largest chambers with 108 barristers and 11 QCs.
Although 7 Harrington Street were interested in Auditel’s contingency fee proposition, it was decided to proceed cautiously and test the service with the energy spend. After undertaking this assignment, Stephen returned to present his recommendations and findings. A saving of over 30% was found on the gas expenditure and over 15% on electricity.
The client enthused, “Stephen’s work did not simply stop at the recommendation stage; he diligently implemented all his recommendations with minimum involvement of Chamber staff and then monitored/proved the savings every month.”
It was decided that telecoms, office supplies and stationery expenditure would be worthy of investigation. This was achieved with excellent savings.
Savings Breakdown:
- Gas 30%
- Electricity 15%
- Telecoms 51%
- Office supplies/stationery 41%
The client explained: “A most important benefit to Chambers has been the time saving and peace of mind. We are looking forward to a long term relationship with Auditel.”
Franchisee of the Year Award
Each year at Auditel’s National Conference, a number of awards are made, celebrating the success in the field by members of the network of two-hundred Affiliates. This year, to crown Stephen’s achievements in his three-year career with Auditel, he was honoured with the coveted Franchisee of the Year Award (see photo).
I was tremendously proud and delighted to have received this award. As I said after my initial training, the ongoing support from the network on offer is second to none in helping you to establish and grow your business. This coupled with my own skills and experience has provided me with a first-class business opportunity which will develop over the coming years” – Stephen