Dedicated local accountant celebrates three decades with Carpenter Box

A local accountant is celebrating more than three decades in a career he says he finds deeply fulfilling and rewarding.

David Hopper is a Client Service Director at Carpenter Box, an award-winning firm of chartered accountants based in Worthing, which offers a range of professional services to both businesses and individuals in the area.

David, who has a passion for numbers and lives in the town with his wife and two children, joined Carpenter Box in 1988 aged 17 as one of the company’s first trainees. He spent six and a half years training before gaining his Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification.

“The company’s training programme was first class, giving me practical experience alongside experienced accountants on a variety of clients as well as one day a week for college and studying,” said David.

“After I qualified, I spent two years as an accountant in general practice before stepping up into a manager’s role, which involved specialising in audit, accounts and tax, as well as mentoring new trainees. I was then awarded my own portfolio of clients and promoted to associate level.”

Over the years, David has won plenty of new clients and retained many of his existing ones, some of whom have been with the firm for almost 30 years. This is testament to his keen ability and dedication to providing the best possible service.

In 2020, David was promoted to client service director. His role now includes all the general practice responsibilities typical of an Associate, as well as dealing with new business enquiries, advisory work, tax planning and mitigation, compliance and VAT services.

He works with the Partners of the business to manage a team of 20, comprising a mixture of qualified accountants and trainees. Between them they manage the workload of this busy department.

David continued: “I’ve stayed with the firm for 33 years, my entire career in fact, because I’ve always felt like part of a family. We provide the highest quality of service here and I take an enormous amount of satisfaction from helping local businesses with complex accountancy issues. I love my job and can’t see myself working anywhere else.

“I have always been exceptionally well supported at this firm and over the years our trainee programme has gone from strength to strength. We have a new intake each year, which is immensely popular with those looking to begin their careers in accountancy. We go to great lengths to ensure recruits get the same positive experience I did, and the right candidates have big opportunities for rapid progression.”

Carpenter Box also offers a wide range of employee perks including private health insurance, a discount scheme, flexible hours and hybrid working.

Since David joined Carpenter Box, the firm has grown five-fold, with a current headcount of more than 200. It now has offices not just in Worthing, but also Gatwick, Brighton and Chichester.

If you are interested in joining Carpenter Box, please visit https://www.carpenterbox.com/careers/