From Audit Trainee to Partner, we interview Charlotte Willmore

A picture of Charlotte Willmore with Interview written across.

From Audit Trainee to Partner, we interview Charlotte Willmore

It was the “family-friendly vibe” that drew Charlotte Willmore to Wilder Coe in September 2010, as an aspiring audit trainee at the very beginning of her accountancy career.  

Now, Charlotte officially stepped into her new role as Audit Partner, joining Wilder Coe’s growing Senior Management Team on 1 October 2024. We had a chat with Charlotte to learn about her journey to Partner and her future goals in her new position. 

“When I was at school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I liked math and business subjects at GCSE level. However, when I was looking at universities, I wasn’t 100% set on that idea, so I considered alternative options. 

Coming across accountancy apprenticeships and the idea of getting a qualification whilst not having to go to university, was what drew me to this route. It was not necessarily accountancy that I wanted to do, but that’s how I stumbled onto this path.” 

Welcome to the Wilder Coe family 

As a school-leaver, Charlotte was attracted to Wilder Coe’s warm welcome and medium size when starting her training.  

“Having my own identity within the firm and not just being a number was important. I did apply for bigger firms, but the family touch in my interview, as opposed to the very corporate approach, was very different. I was coming straight out of school at 17 and it was all quite scary, so having a welcoming firm that wanted to help me throughout my training was where I wanted to start my career.”  

Charlotte spent the first six months as an Audit Administrator before starting her AAT and doing junior bookkeeping and accounts work. She progressed forward with getting more audit work, more client-facing and more responsibilities, before completing her ACA qualification in 2015.  

“I was promoted to a supervisor, looking after my portfolio of clients, which was a big step up. I don’t think people appreciate how big a leap that is whilst training and it’s a huge learning curve, but I had great support at that time, and I gained more responsibility as RI (Responsible Individual) and have now developed strong relationships with the same core clients in my portfolio as Partner.” 

Learning to juggle 

Wilder Coe offers several comprehensive training schemes, allowing individuals to qualify as accountants while gaining in-depth, first-hand client experience. Many of the senior team started their training with the firm and having Managers and Partners always there for support helped Charlotte and taught her many vital skills throughout her career journey. 

“The biggest skill that is essential in my job today is juggling. Juggling tasks, juggling priorities, different partners’ workloads and management styles, was something I learnt early on in my training that is vital moving into management. As you become more senior, you have more to juggle – more clients, more tasks and priorities. If you are not organised, you are going to struggle. Organisation is key.” 

“However, you’re not on your own, ever. As much as we do have managers working for certain Partners, and are independently responsible for our portfolios, you are never fully on your own. If you need help, you need guidance, the wider management team are all there to support each other in our busy periods. We are always reaching out to each other and making sure we are all okay. Even though we don’t work with the same clients, you know you don’t ever have to be alone.”  

Supporting Charities 

Charlotte has been working towards becoming a Partner for several years through Wilder Coe’s Partnership Development Programme, and she is excited to sink her teeth into her new role.  

“My immediate goals are to continue the work we are doing to grow our charity specialism and actively help more clients in this sector. Longer term, I would like to see the work we do in this area come to fruition and have a thriving Charites and Not for Profit division.”

Outside of my client work, I’m looking forward to getting more involved in staff management matters. One challenge I anticipate stepping into the position of Partner is making sure I stay hands-on within the Audit department. While I have been a known entity for many, I must navigate my new title and responsibilities, meaning I have fewer dealings with the team directly, and I want to be able to offer our new audit trainee cohorts the same level of support and guidance I received at the start of my training.” 

If you would like to congratulate Charlotte Willmore on her new role or arrange a time to discuss your audit matters, please contact us.

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Charlotte Willmore
Audit Manager at Wilder Coe
Charlotte has experience in the supervision and preparation of statutory accounts, management accounts including tailored client-specific analysis and service charge accounts as well as the audit of statutory accounts and preparation of Corporation tax returns for companies.