My Life in Numbers
Shona Barker CA
Tax Director, Greenback Alan
Serial volunteer and lifelong language lover, Shona Barker CA missed out on Blue Peter glory – but has won accountancy awards, become a mental health first aider and taught French schoolchildren to sing Flower of Scotland
Tax Director, Greenback Alan
Serial volunteer and lifelong language lover, Shona Barker CA missed out on Blue Peter glory – but has won accountancy awards, become a mental health first aider and taught French schoolchildren to sing Flower of Scotland
10
I grew up in Aberdeen. I was into arts and crafts and graphic design. Aged 10, I entered a Blue Peter competition to design a cartoon character based on a musical instrument. I thought mine was quite neat until I saw the winning entry – the winner was much older and more talented than me, and it showed. If you didn’t come in the top three you only got a button badge, rather than one of the enamel ones you see on TV. Even so, it still felt cool to get one.
10
I grew up in Aberdeen. I was into arts and crafts and graphic design. Aged 10, I entered a Blue Peter competition to design a cartoon character based on a musical instrument. I thought mine was quite neat until I saw the winning entry – the winner was much older and more talented than me, and it showed. If you didn’t come in the top three you only got a button badge, rather than one of the enamel ones you see on TV. Even so, it still felt cool to get one.
3
I studied modern languages at the University of Durham. As part of the course, I spent seven months teaching English to kids, aged nine to 11, in Nevers, France. I worked in three primary schools, two of them in what were called “educational priority zones” – the most disadvantaged parts of town. So there were fewer resources, but I still loved the experience. I made flashcards from cereal boxes and magazines and taught a bunch of nine-year-olds to sing Flower of Scotland.
3
I studied modern languages at the University of Durham. As part of the course, I spent seven months teaching English to kids, aged nine to 11, in Nevers, France. I worked in three primary schools, two of them in what were called “educational priority zones” – the most disadvantaged parts of town. So there were fewer resources, but I still loved the experience. I made flashcards from cereal boxes and magazines and taught a bunch of nine-year-olds to sing Flower of Scotland.
2007
I always wanted to learn new languages, whether another national tongue, more coding or industry-speak. One option was working for a big supermarket chain in its IT graduate scheme, learning more computing languages. The other was working for a Big Four accountancy firm in corporate tax, learning to demystify business jargon, which is the route I went down. I wasn’t ready to move to London at that stage, so in 2007 I joined KPMG in Aberdeen to study to become a CA.
2011
The CA is a brilliant qualification, one that gets you ready for the real world. The study was hard and a bit daunting, but very worthwhile. For example, my final mock exam debrief was done by a CA who, it turned out, was one of my KPMG clients who had been paying for my tax advice. Fortunately, he liked my case study. And in 2011 I passed my last exam.
100
In 2019, I was named among the Top 100 Young CAs. I was living in London, and when you move away from Scotland, sometimes you can feel detached from where your professional body is based. So, being appreciated by ICAS for the work I was doing really meant a lot to me. It’s also nice that I will always have the words “Young CA” on my CV.
17
I’ve worked in tax for 17 years. People think it’s all about numbers, but it’s not. It’s about getting to know and talking to your clients, finding out what they’ve done and what they want to do, as well as what they can do legally and ethically. It comes back to the whole languages thing – you have to interpret and translate for them. Ultimately, tax people are problem-solvers.
14
I started volunteering when I was about 14, working in the tea room at the Gordon Highlanders Museum in Aberdeen as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. I wasn’t very good at it and once managed to drop a pot of boiling water down my leg. I was lucky it didn’t scar. The next thing was volunteering in a charity shop, which was much more my bag – handling cash and making sure things were organised.
There’s so much going on in the world that is really upsetting, but volunteering helps you feel you’re redressing that in some small way. And being an accountant is a position of privilege from which to do so. We are ethically trained and can have a positive impact through our work.
£10k
Volunteering has always been a big part of my life and I’ve tried to bring that into my day job. When I moved to BDO, they gave me 10 days’ CSR leave on top of my annual leave, which was amazing. A group of us raised more than £10k in a week for various charities chosen by staff, making the most of our individual skills and interests. As a CA, I was all over the budgets and profit margins for our quiz night to maximise money from drinks sales.
2020
I first wanted to be a mental health first aider after hearing a speech from Colleen Welsh CA at the One Young CA event in 2019. I did my initial training in December 2020, when I was at PKF. During lockdown, a lot of people experienced poor mental health for the first time and needed extra support. The pandemic may feel a lifetime ago but we need to keep having important conversations about mental health. I’m grateful to Greenback Alan for putting me through my recertification.
2023
My dad was seriously ill last year and I thought it would be the last summer I got to spend with him. It was also at that time that I was headhunted to join Greenback Alan as Tax Director. The partners were so understanding of the circumstances. They agreed to be flexible over my start date, so I got to spend that quality time with my dad. When he passed away, they looked after me so well, saying: “There’s nothing more important right now than you and your family.” Who wouldn’t want to work at a place like that?
1
As Tax Director, this is my first “Head of” role – I lead the corporate tax function at Greenback Alan. I also have a mentor from ICAS as a sounding board, which has made the step up so much easier. I’m enjoying the opportunity, the challenge and the chance to make some positive changes and put my own stamp on things.
50
I was named Hero at the 2021 Accounting Excellence Awards, which was hosted by Marcus Brigstocke and Rachel Parris. I was shocked to win. I organised a lot of mental health and wellbeing initiatives, so I think that was why. I’ve just been named among the Top 50 Women in Accounting for 2024, which is particularly exciting because it’s global, and proves again that we CAs can hold our own with the best in the world.
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