At Crawford, we are always actively looking to promote from within. In fact, our promotion rate is well over 40% and that number is only going to increase, as we continue to invest in our people, create opportunities to upskill and provide clear pathways that enable our employees to push ahead at every level in our organisation.
For some, that forward momentum can be along a relatively linear path as they move through the levels of seniority within their chosen field. However, for others it can mean a shift in career direction when an opportunity to switch lanes comes up and they jump at the chance. That’s exactly what happened with Jonathan Pulley.
Jonathan joined Crawford UK in 2003 from Mazars already with 12 years of auditing and accounting experience under his belt. Unsurprisingly, his first role was that of a financial accounting manager – a role that set him on a career trajectory which saw him become a regional financial controller in May 2007. A challenging but equally rewarding role, Jonathan excelled in the position and made the role his own.
However, a serendipitous conversation with Sarah Baker, head of Crawford Forensic Accounting Services (CFAS), marked the turning point in his career. The chat helped open his eyes to the broad expanse of common ground that existed between his current function and that performed by the forensic accounting team.
“It was fascinating to find that much of the investigatory work carried out by the CFAS team was similar to the work I have undertaken in previous accounting roles so there were a lot of synergies,"
Jonathan says. “The team also spends a lot of time interacting with businesses at a more personal level, which is something that has always appealed to me. So, when Sarah suggested a move, I jumped at the chance.”
As Lisa Bartlett, chief operating officer, International operations, explains,
“Crawford is always keen to open up these employee pathways between different parts of the business. It’s about ensuring that we offer that flexibility in our approach that enables people no matter where there are in their career journey to move in a different direction,”
she says. “It’s also about providing the support to facilitate that switch through upskilling, mentoring and qualification programmes that empower employees and ensure they gain the expertise to make the transition successfully.”
For Jonathan the move has certainly proved successful. In August, he became a director within Crawford Forensic Accounting Services in the UK, bringing his decades of general accounting expertise and extensive financial qualifications to the role, as he now applies a new forensic lens to the process of assessing accounts that has been the staple of his work for many years.
“By creating these opportunities and making them happen,” Lisa explains, “we’re not simply allowing a member of our team to start a new and exciting phase in their career, but we’re also helping to strengthen further that sense of loyalty and belonging that we are always so keen to foster at Crawford.”
