Matt Meadows, Managing Partner at Moore Kingston Smith
In his early days at university, our guest on this episode of Leaders With Ambition believed that accounting was all about maths. But what Matt Meadows quickly came to learn is that in fact accounting is equally about communication.
By expanding his scope of understanding and commitment to client engagement Matt paved the way to a highly successful long-term career at Moore Kingston Smith, where today he is managing partner. His interest never waned over 28 years because opportunities to stretch just kept coming.
“We wanted to be a corporate finance boutique and that’s what we created,” says our guest, “and it certainly enabled me to constantly be learning new skills and meeting new clients.”
Find out how Matt’s leadership style combines his broad audit and corporate finance expertise with a very human-centric focus on networking and family life.
Moore Kingston Smith places special emphasis on providing in-house mentoring as well as a clear path forward for aspiring team members with a desire to grow and advance their careers. It’s a workplace culture adapting to new technologies, taking on challenges within the professional services sector and retaining top talent. Find out how and why!
If you enjoyed this discussion, please click here to find previous episodes of Leaders with Ambition.
Key Takeaways
Starting out
Why early on Matt kept his options open while adding skill sets to his CV with the hope of finding a career trajectory that would take him beyond pure accountancy.
More than conversation
About the ways in which classic job interviews have evolved since Matt’s earliest interaction on the way to being hired as a trainee at Moore Kingston Smith coming out of university.
Key mentoring
How Matt found his way into a role helping to build out Moore Kingston Smith’s corporate finance division (while still keeping a hand in audit functions).
Diving in
What drove Matt to stay open and curious, soaking up as much knowledge as he could and stretching his expertise to meet challenges as he progressed.
A next step
About navigating towards (and hoping for) promotions at a time when there weren’t the kinds of career milestones or clear-cut path to partnership that exist today
Balancing act
How Matt juggled new responsibilities as a young partner with his growing family and demands at home. (Hint: Long days, late nights and personal connection.)
Human focus
How empathy and understanding play a central role when it comes to giving clients the best possible advice based on a clear understanding of their hopes and dreams.
A new chapter
What it looked like to transition into the managing partner role, leading teams and offsites focused on technology, regulatory impacts and big-picture business challenges and markets.
Choreographing change
About the nuance behind growing and evolving teams (particularly in merger scenarios), including reticence around change and communication to cultivate buy-in.
Staying versus going
Why Matt has happily stayed with the same firm over the course of his career based on ongoing opportunities for development and the chance to be a catalyst for long-term growth.
Intentional support
How mentoring has been knit into the workplace culture at Moore Kingston Smith in order to provide younger employees with expert advice and role modelling to advance their careers.
Current challenges
Harnessing AI and technology to improve efficiencies; integrating new tools with established protocols and professional services practices; retaining personnel and maintaining quality.
Broadening mandate
About expanding roles beyond the audit function, including data analytics and other opportunities for aspiring leaders seeking avenues for growth.
Words of wisdom
Know that being an accountant isn’t exclusively about maths. It’s also about communication!
Key Quotes
“We wanted to be a corporate finance boutique, and that’s what we created – and it certainly enabled me constantly to be learning new skills and meeting new clients.”
“Corporate finance translates well to audit because when you sign an audit, you really have to understand the business, what drives it. What are the key risks and growth factors?”
“It’s not just building networks. It’s nurturing those networks that’s so important. I think that’s what people forget … What are you actually doing to build that personal connection?” (Nicky)
“As professional advisors we really need to show that human element in order to be the best that we can be.”
“It’s almost over-communication that’s needed at times. It is so important because people inherently don’t like change, even if it’s going to be for a better reality.” (Nicky)
“What we’ve improved more recently is the learning curve and journey for directors and partners because if you do that they are then better able to coach and develop people coming through as well. So we’re always training the trainers.”
“What AI will do hopefully is free up some people’s time to deliver what the clients really want – which is human advice and interaction.”
About Matt
Having joined Moore Kingston Smith in 1998 as a trainee, Matt Meadows became a partner just ten years later. Leading the firm as managing partner from May 2024, his focus is on nurturing a working environment in which people can love what they do, learn, and grow, while delivering quality and excellence for the firm’s clients.
Honing skills across various disciplines including audit and corporate finance over the years, while embracing opportunities to challenge and reinvent himself along the way, Matt strongly believes that creating the right setting to empower the firm’s people, and those who join, to achieve their full potential is fundamental to continued success.
About Nicky
With over 25 years of experience leading high-performing recruitment teams, Nicky is a dynamic leader in the recruitment industry. As Regional Managing Director for the US, UK, and Europe at Ambition, she oversees a team of specialist recruiters dedicated to connecting top talent with professional services firms.
Her teams focus on niche areas: the US division specialises in Legal Marketing & Business Development recruitment, while the UK & Europe team excels in placing professionals within Business Services functions within Legal, Practice and Consultancy. Passionate about leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and talent retention, Nicky is a sought-after keynote speaker. She frequently presents at industry conferences, sharing insights on recruitment trends, hiring strategies, retention best practices, and DEI in the workplace.
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