Accountant Spotlight: Joel Lacey
Welcome to another maths wunderkind and Collins Hume accountant
As another whiz who is great at numbers, Intermediate Accountant Joel Lacey is certainly on his way to helping business owners understand and think about their financials.
With becoming a Chartered Accountant firmly in his sights, Joel works on a broad range of different clients and also helps out Collins Hume’s junior accountants with support on any of their accounting queries and conducting first-level reviews of their work.
“I like helping businesses and business owners,” says Joel. “I realised that having a good grasp on the numbers can help people to understand them, so I’ve found the best of both worlds at Collins Hume.”
Primarily doing tax returns and financial statements, Joel is also part-way through his professional qualifications with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand with Jeff Skinner as his mentor.
“At school I was good at maths so it helps to have a background in data analysis and understanding logic as an accountant,” says Joel. “I’d like to think I’m a pretty disciplined and determined person, having strength in action and thought.”
Having done a stint in the Department of Canberra’s graduate program, Joel brings his experience in what he calls ‘government beancounter’ work — reporting income and expenses and comparing budgets to actuals. He also has a forte in cash flow forecasting.
“I wanted to stay based in the Northern Rivers and join a firm with a great culture. When I talked with a recruiter they mentioned that Collins Hume was one such firm.”
“In my interview, I got the impression that Collins Hume didn’t seem like a typical accounting firm — they recognised work/life balance and were friendly, responsive and organised.”
Speaking of fortes, did we mention that all-rounder Joel is also an accomplished pianist and sportsperson? He’s currently a bowler for Alstonville Cricket Club and a striker for Alstonville Football Club. He also enjoys playing golf.
Before joining Collins Hume in 2021, Joel worked for the Department of Finance in Canberra and then for a local Northern Rivers accounting firm. He holds a B Business (Accounting) from SCU, is Xero Certified and is a Provisional Chartered Accountant (CAANZ). Joel is originally from Lismore and is currently based in Collins Hume’s Ballina office.
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