“We are what we do repeatedly; excellence is not an act but a habit”

Xeinadin Ireland Managing Partner Sandra Clarke tells Accountancy Ireland about her career path, evolving goals and “golden rules” at the helm of the fast-growing advisory firm

Sandra Clarke is Managing Partner of Xeinadin in Ireland and a member of the UK-headquartered firm’s executive team.

Originally from Dublin, Clarke qualified as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser with BCC Accountants in the 1990s. She bought into the firm in 1999 and, two decades later, BCC was acquired by Xeinadin just as the UK firm was beginning its expansion in the Irish market.

In the years since, Xeinadin has acquired six accounting and advisory practices around the country—including, most recently, FCC Accountants in Galway.

Headquartered in Northwood in Dublin, Xeinadin employs over 650 people at 25 locations in Ireland.

Q When did you decide to become a Chartered Accountant and what were your expectations?

I always loved numbers and was naturally curious about accounting as a career from an early age. Even as far back as my first year studying commerce at secondary school, I remember wanting to know about the profession and how it worked.

I knew then I wanted to become a Chartered Accountant. My expectation was that, as a highly respected profession and qualification, it would give me plenty of options in life.

Q Did you have a career plan at the outset? What were your early ambitions?

While doing my Leaving Cert, I decided I wanted to get straight out into the workforce as soon as possible and gain practical experience doing the actual work accountants do every day.

I joined BCC Accountants in Dublin straight from school, working by day and studying at night to qualify first as an Accounting Technician and then, in 1994, as a Chartered Accountant.

It was a fantastic experience and, having developed an interest in tax, I subsequently decided to take the Irish Tax Institute exams, qualifying as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1997.

Even back at the start of my career, I had already set myself the goal of one day becoming a partner in a firm.

I stayed with BCC Accountants and, in 1999, bought a share in the practice and fulfilled my dream. It was a massive undertaking at the time but the best career decision I think I ever made, and the firm was subsequently acquired by Xeinadin in 2019.

Our ethos at BCC centred on providing a broad range of services and expertise to our clients locally— specialist expertise and niche services right on their doorstep.

This is what I love about Xeinadin today; our ability to give clients around the country access to national advisory teams with specialist skills who can help their business grow.

Q Tell us about your current role as Managing Partner of Xeinadin.

As Xeinadin’s Irish lead, I am responsible for the strategic delivery of our operations nationwide.

We have undergone an exciting transformation in the last few years with lots of new practices joining.

My role is to ensure these new teams are fully integrated with our systems and processes, so we offer consistent service across the board.

Over the last 12 months, one of my main responsibilities has been to lead a team rolling out our new practice management platform.

We have also undertaken a legal entity reduction process to help our offices operate more efficiently, giving our teams more time to dedicate to clients.

My day-to-day role is to ensure our offices meet budgetary requirements, collect debts and manage work in progress.

We are also currently building out our competency, learning and development and employee benefit frameworks, so we can ensure each one of our hard-working team is duly rewarded and given the right opportunities to advance their careers.

Q Among the people you have worked with, who has inspired you most?

My parents have been my greatest inspiration in life. They taught me the value of a strong work ethic and resilience as a means to earn respect.

In my working life, I am grateful to both Paul Byrne and Alan Connolly for their mentorship and support.

Training with Paul taught me the importance of providing high-quality service to clients. Throughout the 35 years I have worked alongside Alan, he has continued to inspire me.

Q Talk us through some of the challenges you have faced as your career has progressed.

The recession that followed the financial crash of 2008 was hugely challenging for me, as it was for many professionals and business owners in Ireland and elsewhere.

At BCC Accountants, we knuckled down and rebuilt the practice with a strategic specialism in the healthcare sector. This approach succeeded for us. It made the firm stronger than ever before and we didn’t look back.

On a broader level, I would say the most challenging aspect of running a business is finding and recruiting the right talent.

Ideally, you want people who share your vision, ethos and focus on delivering the best possible service to clients and helping them achieve their goals.

Learning to recruit the right talent the right way is really key. For me, it is enormously satisfying when clients give me positive feedback about a new hire.

Q In your view, what are the most important traits of effective leadership in business and practice?

To be a good leader, you really must be respectful to everyone you work with and have a strong work ethic in the first instance.

Equally important is effective communication, particularly when it comes to collaborating with, motivating and inspiring your team. Self-awareness is critical here as well. You need to be able to take feedback on board, both the good and the bad, and use it constructively.

I think success in any arena ultimately rests on planning and execution. There has to be a strategic plan in place to focus minds and define goals within an agreed timeframe and with a clear roadmap in place for execution.

This kind of strategic planning sounds easier than it is—you have to allow for bumps along the road and be prepared to revisit the plan regularly.

A positive mindset makes all the difference. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people helps boost focus which is vital in leadership.

Q Whom do you admire most in business or public life?

I have always admired Michael O’Leary, Group Chief Executive of Ryanair. He has a shrewd business acumen and no-nonsense attitude, yet he is still charismatic.

He has transformed the aviation industry globally and continues to deliver value for shareholders.

Q What career advice do you have for today’s newly qualified Chartered Accountants?

• Always be respectful to your clients and colleagues.
• Don’t beat yourself up when something goes wrong; dust yourself off and start again.
• Always focus on your personal career goals. We are what we do repeatedly; excellence is not an act but a habit.
• Every day is a school day. If you have not learned something new today, don’t go home!

Q What are your own career plans and ambitions at this stage?

My goal is to see Xeinadin become a recognisable “household name” among accountants and businesses in the small-and-medium enterprise category in both Ireland and the UK.

Right now, Xeinadin employs over 3,000 people across 135 locations in the UK and Ireland, including 650 people at 25 offices in Ireland.

Over the next five years, our goal is to expand our footprint to include office locations in the majority of cities and towns in Ireland and the UK.

That will be the big focus for me from now to 2030—that and finally getting the work/life balance sorted!