On 25 April, we are proud to be celebrating our 40th anniversary. Lewis & Co was founded by Barney Lewis, who built a firm with a culture of being personable, friendly and approachable – something that continues to this day.
Barney had set his heart on being an accountant while still at school and was even more determined to achieve this goal when his maths teacher told him ‘Lewis boy, you don’t have a hope!’ Barney qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1971 and enjoyed a corporate life, working in Singapore and New Zealand, before returning to the UK, where he undertook roles at Chloride Batteries, Wedgewood and Swiss Life.
Then, in 1986, Lewis & Co was born and, in 1997, moved to Southborough. It was there that now Managing Director, Gary Cornwell, first walked through the door – as a student embarking on two weeks’ of work experience.
“Barney really took the time to introduce me to accountancy and gave me a real insight into what it involved,” says Gary who, up until then, had intended to become a chef.
Gary returned to Lewis & Co during school holidays before being offered the opportunity to join the firm full-time as an Accounts Assistant. Ten years ago, Barney retired and Gary took the helm and, over the years, the firm has grown to include Adam Bailey and David Southall, both of whom have qualified under Gary’s guidance, and Lorraine Kendall, who manages payroll for our clients.
“We continue to be that friendly practice Barney created and a lot of our new business still comes from word-of-mouth referrals,” says Gary. “We are now looking forward to our next 40 years and have started that in new offices, while steering our clients through the challenges of Making Tax Digital.”