Cooper Parry

Senior M&A Integration Manager

As Head of Operations for Cooper Parry’s Tech & High Growth Team, I oversee the day-to-day operations of the UK’s best Early Stage & Scale-up Team, for founders & CFO’s in venture stage companies.

Head of Operations - Tech & High Growth

The Finance Department™

An indispensable finance resource for entrepreneurs and their finance teams.

www.thefinancedepartment.co

Co-Founder

Acclivity Advisors (Now part of Cooper Parry Group)

Managing the day-to-day operations of a boutique advisory firm for entrepreneurs and high-growth, early-stage businesses both nationally and internationally.

I was part of the founding team at Acclivity Advisors. The business was ultimately acquired by Cooper Parry Advisory in early 2023.

Head Of Operations

EPAM Systems

Responsible for Resource Management and Staffing across EPAM’s UK contractor portfolio. Successfully lead a program of work to navigate policy change relating to IR35 reforms.

Project Manager

Working as a Project Coordinator for a Tier 1 Investment Bank

Project Coordinator 

Working within the Ready to Trade team, scope included multiple product areas: Fixed Income, Prime Brokerage, FX and Fixed Rates and Credit covering both Business and IT delivery.

Project Coordinator

Richmond Gatehouse LLP

A leading firm of accountants with offices across London and Essex. Presiding over two streams, IT and Business.

Operations Manager

BPC Partners Ltd

A leading Gloucestershire based company providing Accountancy and Business Advisory Consultancy.

Business Administrator

I completed my NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration whilst working for a leading Gloucestershire-based company providing Accountancy and Business Advisory Consultancy.

Business Administrator (Apprenticeship)

Head of Operations - Tech & High Growth 🚀 at Cooper Parry | Co-founder, The Finance Department ™

Having started my career in an owner-manager firm over 12 years ago, I've seen first-hand how the accounting world has changed dramatically in the last decade, and the fast-paced digital revolution shows no signs of slowing down. I take great satisfaction in using technology to turn those everyday problems into solutions, and our ecosystem has no shortage of exciting companies that will continue to positively change our sector for years to come 🧪💻

I am passionate about streamlining processes, optimising performance, and solving complex challenges in an industry I stumbled into via administration apprenticeship, which if I’m being honest, was a complete accident! But I wouldn’t change it for the world 🌍

“Never sh*t where you eat,” a wise old man once told me 👴🏼 

Ok no wise old man has ever actually said that to me, but it feels like something one would say.

And yet, sometimes, even wise old men get it wrong ❌ 

As a family, we have spent a long time debating whether two people walking away from stable, well-paid corporate careers to build something of their own was bold… or just a bit mad.

In the end, we decided that if we were going to risk the family coffers, we might as well go all in 🤣

So, I’m very proud (and perhaps a little bit nervous 😅) to announce that our first formal UK hire at The Modern Firm™ is not just a brilliant operator, a killer project manager, and an all-round lovely human, but she’s also my counsellor, best friend, and wife.

Some people have said we’re crazy. 🤪 

Others have said we’ll smash it. 👊🏽

Either way, at least we’ll finally get to figure out what the other actually does for a living. 

This definitely feels like a milestone, but it absolutely won’t be the last. 

Our new Head of Operations, Louise, is just the start of what (and who 👀) is coming.

There’s lots bubbling under the surface at the moment that I hope will make the rest of this year one to remember 📈

But in the meantime, if you’ve got any tips on managing a marriage and a probation period at the same time… 

My DMs are wide wide open 😂

Luke Farren

I help UK accounting firms modernise their processes & tech so they can scale with less stress and more profit 🧩🚀

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I’ve not done an all inclusive holiday in years 🏖️

They were an annual affair when we were kids and I always used to wonder why my parents wanted to spend an entire week in the same place, eating the same food, and socialising with the same families 🤔

Maybe that’s why over the years I’ve avoided coming back to places like Tenerife.

There’s a big wide world out there waiting to be explored 🤷🏼‍♂️

But my god… how right my parents (and those before them) were 😂

Nail the strategy and the execution takes care of itself.

Day 1 of an all inclusive holiday is all about over networking with every family you can find around the pool 🏊‍♂️

You’ve all got one shared yet simple mission.

Force friendships upon your children so you can spend approximately 50% of the rest of your holiday lying in the sun while they play with their new best mates for life ✅ 

It’s not quite full delegation, you must accept your hourly call up as the resident pool shark 🦈 as a rite of passage. 

But it’s a small price to pay for a decent stint in the sun ☀️

Still absloutley perplexed about people whp reserve sun lonugers around a pool at 6am…

We officially launched the business 3 months ago today 📌 

That’s mental when I think about it. It’s flown by, and I’ve barely had time to come up for breath at times.

It definitely hasn’t been all plain sailing (far from it 😂), but we’re moving. 

We’re definitely moving 🏃🏽 

I’ve been bribed into flying to Tenerife on Saturday which, when we booked it, felt like the worst timing imaginable.

My brain was convinced it was a terrible idea 🫨

I’ll still be working a bit next week, but I’ve been desperately batting most meetings into the following week so I can actually have a proper go at unplugging and unwinding.

And I think that’s important.

It doesn’t always feel like it in the moment, but you don’t really see how far you’ve come until you stop, pause, and reflect 💭 

Next week feels like the right time to do that with a bit of space to rest and reset.

If Q2 turns out anything like Q1, we’re on track for some serious progress 📈

And that absolutely needs to start with a few cocktails in the sunshine.

2 days to go 🌞

This week’s been the exact reset I needed ✅ 

I might have only formaly launched this business in March, but the first 3 months (and frankly the 6 months before that) have been intense.

I’ve always backed myself, maybe a bit too much at times 😅

And whilst plenty have people have told me that’s a bit naive 😂 if you don’t back yourself who’s really got your back 🤷🏼‍♂️

I also know I’ve sounded like a bit of a broken record recently but there’s so much exciting stuff bubbling beneath the surface. 

And if nothing else its given me proper validation that not only is this industry crying out for change but so are the people in it 🧠

Yes I’ve had to do a bit of work this week 💻 but I’ve also had the space to pause, reflect and get laser focused on why I set out to do this in the first place.

And this week has truly reminded me of my why ❤️

I wish I could properly put into words how much this little human means to me, but I hope if nothing else she knows just how much it’s meant to spend a full week together playing pool sharks 🦈 and making memories that truly matter.

I hope we won’t need to 😂 but you can always rebuild a business, but you definitely can’t replay a childhood. 

And building memories with the people you love? 

That’s your real legacy.

One of the main driving forces behind launching The Modern Firm™ was to help UK accounting firms navigate challenges around technology enablement ⚙️

I’ve spoken many times over the last few months about the sheer volume of choice in the market and with all the will in the world it’s impossible for most firms to cut through the noise 🎯

When launching the business I made a very real and genuine promise to myself.

I wanted to remain unbiased and agnostic when it came to software and tech in the space. And my view was that commercial kickbacks or commissions would ultimately dilute the core message I was trying to get across.

And that message was simple: to be a truly impartial voice of reason for the firms I’m working with 💬

Remaining true to those principles has been key so far (and will continue to be) in acting as a trusted partner to both firms and vendors alike.

All of that said, good software is good software.

Good vendors are good vendors 🤝

And while my stance on impartiality is still crystal clear I’m keen to start showcasing the real tech that will help firms not just survive but thrive in this new era of digital adoption 🚀

It feels only fitting to kick that off by resharing last week’s partnership announcement by the team at XBert.

Will’s a pretty cool bloke, although the reasons behind wanting to formalise a partnership with XBert go way beyond his ability to navigate the Accountex after party scene 🍻

Many of the firms I’ve been working with recently will have heard me preaching about the benefits XBert could bring to their practice. And after 12+ months of getting to know the product I remain convinced that most UK firms could benefit from having XBert in their tech stack.

You can read more about why we both think a formal partnership makes so much sense.

Interested in how tools like XBert could help your firm but don’t have the time or capacity to implement them?

We should chat 👇🏽

We could all learn a thing or two from the innocence and patience of kids 🫵🏽

We had a super early start on Saturday, and everything was going smoothly, until the plane broke down on the runway at Birmingham ✈️ 

Cue the entire plane needing to disembark while we waited for a new plane and new crew.

Not ideal.

Anyway I think I’m a pretty level headed and pragmatic guy in these sort of situations. 

These things happen 🤷🏼‍♂️

Better on the ground than mid air, I guess. 

But my god, some of the adults on that plane… you’d think they’d just been sentenced to 10 years hard labour 🤣

Then there was my daughter. 

Far more concerned about how they’d blow up the plane’s flat tyre and whether Chase and Marshal (IYKYK) would be allowed on the new plane.

How can comments like that not make you smile?

Don’t worry, this isn’t turning into a “10 things plane delays taught me about stress and resilience in the workplace” post 👀 but seriously, some people need to chill out and get a bit of perspective 🤣

Anyway a glorious few days in Tenerife so far 🌞.

A couple of client calls to take first thing on the terrace before joining the rabble by the pool for the rest of the day 🏊‍♂️ 

Best not to get me started on people who reserve sun beds at 6am… probably a post for later in the week.

Sometimes it can be easy to forget where you came from.

Life moves fast 💨 

And we’re all juggling our own priorities. 

Family, friends, work, and if we’re lucky, a bit of time for ourselves. ⏳

I’ve been guilty lately of trying to run at 100mph, convincing myself I don’t have time for the things that really matter.

That’s why I love long weekends. ❤️

They can give you permission to hit pause and squeeze in a little bit of everything.

I’ve not had a Sunday afternoon in the pub watching football for about 2 years. 🍻

For a few hours at least, the chaos of everyday life faded. I was back in a once familiar world, simple, grounded, and frankly a lot of fun 😁

There’s something quietly brilliant about that.

And Tuesday now doesn’t feel quite so bad 😎

I have spent a lot of time on the road over these last few months, but I’ve spent an equal (ish 😅) amount of time under the bonets of accounting firms across the UK 🧩

This week The Modern Firm™ concluded a multi-phase 6 week discovery project with one forward-thinking accountancy firm, helping them untangle and rethink how they deliver, manage, and scale their operations 📊

While every firm is different, the patterns I’m seeing are all too familiar:

▪️ Processes have evolved organically, not strategically, leading to friction, duplication and a lack of standardisation.

▪️ Tech stacks are busy and brittle, lots of tools in play, but minimal integration and very little confidence in the data. 
 ▪️ Reporting is reactive, siloed, and time consuming, both internally and for clients. 
 ▪️ People are stretched, with senior team members firefighting rather than operating strategically. 

▪️ Client onboarding feels clunky, with pricing and proposals still handled on spreadsheets and gut feel.
 ▪️ Compliance work is still burdened by admin, with limited automation and an over-reliance on manual checks. 
 ▪️ Data security and offboarding often gets overlooked, with access left open and policies sitting in docs rather than being operationalised. 

None of this is that surprising 🤷🏼‍♂️

And it’s certainly not unique ⚠️

Firms that have grown quickly (and even profitably) are now starting to feel the drag of legacy systems, manual workarounds and inconsistent ways of working.

It’s that old analogy of building the plane while flying it ✈️ 

We’re now moving into the next stage of this particular project:
 ✅ Fine tuning every, documented workflow and identifying areas for optimisation ✅ Recommending a smarter, more integrated stack (with RPA baked in from the start) ✅ Supporting the firm’s leadership team to implement real change, but not just via another layer of software

There’s a huge opportunity here.

We will build a firm that is both tech-enabled and people-first.
 But getting there takes more than new software.

It takes structure & clarity 🧠

And a proper plan 🧬

Interested in how we can help your practice gorw so you can scale with less stress and more profit?

Lets chat 📥

I spent yesterday lunch time in the Nook (going to need to seek a sponsored by package soon) with a couple of really inetresting chaps. 

Joel’s a top bloke, a real visionary 💡 and the MD of a rather unique accounting firm helping businesses of all shapes and sizes get deals done. 

A professional services firm by name, but definitely more than that in practice.

We ended up diving deep into how data remains the key trading currency for any forward-thinking practice wanting to stay ahead in this ever-changing world 🌍 

Data lakes, data warehouses, data streams…

These are far from buzzwords any longer, these are things firms of all sizes need to start waking up to 🫵🏽

The benefits of having well structured and truly centralised data are becoming limitless 🚀.

Off to Bath this morning to deliver a final presentation on a tech enablement project I’ve been running with the awesome leadership team at Richardson Swift.

I say final, but I’m confident this is just the start of several months of rewarding work as we start to bring the next phases of this project together.

Early nights all round tonight, before a 2am taxi to the airport tomorrow.

I really need to speak to our new Head of Ops about that particular scheduling decision…

There’s a very real and exciting sense of momentum building at The Modern Firm™ right now. 

I’m always preaching to accountants about shiny object syndrome 🐦 

How it’s easy to get distracted by the latest tech or trend without a clear strategy 🧬

But if I’m honest, I can be just as guilty sometimes.  Especially with the sheer volume of opportunity presenting itself lately.

I’ve always had an overactive brain 🧠, but being wired to spot opportunities others might miss has often been a bit of a hidden superpower 🦸 

The last three months have been full of progress, and we’re really only just getting started 📈

I’ve also never been very good at keeping secrets...

So let’s see how much longer some of this stuff can actually stay under wraps 👀

The value of meeting people in real life is unparalleled 👌🏽

Not sure if I’ve mentioned that recently 👀?

And one thing I think Cheltenham is really lacking is regular community events for the accounting profession. 

Stopping short this time of hiring out the entire venue, The Modern Firm™ is hosting an accounting round table dinner at the Nook in Cheltenham in proud partnership with AppVentory on Thursday 10th July 📆

By my count we have 4 spaces left around the table🍴in their private dining room, and I want to know who else in Cheltenham wants in.

Accounting leaders from across Gloucestershire, hit me 📥 

What not to expect ❌ 

▪️ any sales pitch
▪️ a set agenda 
▪️ long rambling talks 

What you can expect ✅ 

▪️ a bespoke 7 course taster menu 
▪️ wine pairings (or soft drink substitutes)
▪️ industry insight & debate
▪️ some terrible jokes

Who’s local to Cheltenham (or further a field if you fancy a drive 🚗) that wants to join us on the 10th July? 

I will take zero offence to those simply motivated by the free food and drinks.

Promise 😎

Back to the real world this week 🛬

I don’t think I could ever be one of these digital nomads. I was able to stay connected last week but let’s be honest there are far too many distractions when you’re abroad 😂

I’ve never been someone who can return from holiday to an overflowing inbox, that kind of chaos just stresses me out 😵‍💫

But either way having the team in Sri Lanka keeping the cogs turning made all the difference last week. 

Good people, wherever they’re based, are going to play a massive role in the future of this industry. 

And last week only validated that long standing belief even more 🌍

Chamara, Shalini 👏🏽 

I’ve kept today light so I can crack on with a few key client projects ✍️

The rest of the week isn’t shaping up quite so kindly 😅
 Although I’ve somehow managed to bag 3 meetings over lunch in Cheltenham this week.

All three will be great, but Thursday’s might just help shape the future of our UK team.

And no guesses where we’ll be eating.

😎

The future of accounting is shaping up to be fundamentally different to today’s normal.

Technology is reshaping how firms operate ⚙️

I remain convinced that good people, wherever they’re based, will remain critical to the story 🌍

And equally convinced that HMRC will continue to be as strong and stable as British weather in June ☔️

To be fair, we’ve been long overdue this rain, I’ll let it off ❤️

Back in March, I brought together some of the brightest minds in the industry to share ideas on what’s coming next and how we can do things differently.

The Modern Firm™’s launch at The Nook in Cheltenham was a cracking evening.

And who knows… it might not be the last time we take over Cheltenham’s only rooftop bar this year 🍸

Missed the original? Check out our highlights below 👇🏽

It’s time for a day by the seaside ☀️

Well… I say day, I mean morning.
 And I say seaside, I actually mean visiting an accounting firm office in Weston-super-Mare. 

That said I do have fond memories of riding donkeys on the beach here when I was younger🐴 

So I guess this counts as a little trip down memory lane.

Today was meant to be a longer road trip (leg 4 of the not-so-infamous The Modern Firm™ countrywide tour) with a few more firms to visit in Exeter. 

But plans have shuffled slightly so I can be back in Cheltenham by mid-afternoon for a particularly exciting meeting 🤫.

Still, not one to let anyone down, I’m coming for you Neil Criddle
 Get the kettle on, mate ☕️

What’s the next best thing than being nominated for an award? 

Being asked to sponsor one 😂

Proud to share that The Modern Firm™ is an official category partner for the 2025 SoGlos - Gloucestershire's leading media brand Business Awards sponsoring the Customer Excellence Award 🏆

Not bad going for a business that only officially launched in March 😁

But for me this just makes sense. 

We set up The Modern Firm™ to help accountants modernise how they work, with better systems, better data, and better outcomes for the people they serve. 

So backing this award in particular feels like the perfect fit.

And as I’ve said numerous times now, there’s never been a more exciting (or more important) time to build something bold in Gloucestershire.

Cheltenham’s evolving fast.

The MX & Golden Valley 🚀 and a thriving cyber + startup ecosystem to name but a few things 🧠 

It’s turning into one of the UK’s most innovative regions but if local accountancy firms want to stay relevant and resilient they need to lean into that shift, not run from it.

The digital age is here.

And I genuinely believe firms in our region should be leading the charge 💥

Look forward to judging some of the brilliant entries and then celebrating the people who are raising the bar in the region 👏

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