In this section of the website we introduce you to one of our firms. Up next is Chelmsford-based firm Lucentum Xeinadin Group, run by Managing Director Melinda Atkinson. Read her answers to our questions to get to know her and the firm better.
What do you like about working for your firm?
“I like the fact that working with our clients to achieve success is rewarding and helping them understand the key numbers in their business gives them the tools to push forward and have a clear picture of where they are going.”
What are in your words the strengths of your firm?
“Lucentum listens to what clients want and will look to deliver them. We have over 25 years of experience with dealing with owner-managed and family businesses and so we understand their dynamics and are able to deal with all their stakeholders sensitively and diplomatically. We’re small but not limited by the experience or technical ability within our four walls but are able to provide clients with the best solutions and advice from experts across the world if needed.”
“We’re able to provide clients with the best solutions and advice from experts across the world.”
Melinda Atkinson, Managing Director
How do you help clients being innovative?
“At Lucentum we constantly challenge everything we do and we’re always looking at new concepts and ideas that could work both for ourselves and our clients. We are not afraid of change but embrace it wherever possible. This includes cloud-based solutions and BlueSky sessions with our clients to brainstorm ideas.”
What is the best or most rewarding experience you have had at your firm so far?
“We met a new client who had ambitious goals for their business and for themselves. They wanted to expand but needed to retain as much of their annual profits to enable them to reinvest in the business. At the same time, they wanted to improve the lifestyle and funds available to enable them to enjoy the money they earned. The Lucentum team assisted them in formulating their goals and committing them to paper. They then worked with the client over a period of time to achieve the goals they had set, which included doubling their workforce, purchasing another business and substantially increasing their personal wealth at the same time. Having achieved those goals, the team continue to work with the business to make sure they continue to grow and set some new goals which focus everyone’s efforts going forward.”
What result you achieved for a client, are you most proud of?
“We had a client who started their business in 1998 and since that time we have worked with him to successfully grow into a multi-million-pound business. We were instrumental in finding him a buyer for his business which will enable him to have a long and comfortable retirement. One major hurdle he faced in order to maximise the funds he wanted to realise from the sale was how he extracted some freehold properties from the company without incurring an additional tax bill of £800k and also an SDLT charge. Which other advisors had told him was impossible. Our team provided him with the solution to reduce this tax burden by £720k and also eliminate the SDLT he was facing.”
Which conditions do you think a ‘firm of the future’ should meet?
“I think the firm of the future has to consist of business advisors who work in partnership with business owners and it has to deliver fast and reliable service, clarity and transparency. Furthermore, it should be innovative, approachable, adaptable, contactable, and always able to provide clear explanations.”