Celebrating National Careers Week - Tom Davage,

FRS 102 Revised Seminar Brings South Yorkshire Finance Leaders Together

In collaboration with Shorts Chartered Accountants, we recently hosted a seminar for senior finance professionals from across the region.The event brought together a number of Finance Directors, Financial Controllers and senior leaders from across the region for a morning of insight, discussion and networking over breakfast. It was a pleasure to welcome so many familiar faces, alongside new contacts, reflecting the strength and depth of the Yorkshire finance community. The seminar was presented by Howard Freeman, Audit & Accounts Partner, and Andy Ryder, Corporate Finance Partner at Shorts. We are extremely grateful to both speakers for sharing their time and expertise, and for delivering a clear, practical overview of the forthcoming changes to FRS 102, which came into effect on 1 January 2026 and are expected to impact a significant number of UK businesses. The session explored what is changing and why, particularly in relation to lease accounting and revenue recognition, and considered what the updates mean in practice for finance teams and business leaders. The speakers also addressed the new reporting requirements under FRS 102, the potential impact on EBITDA and valuation methodologies, and the key considerations for organisations as they prepare for implementation. Rather than focusing purely on technical detail, the seminar encouraged broader discussion around readiness, communication with stakeholders and the commercial implications of the changes. This led to a highly engaged Q&A session, with attendees sharing perspectives and experiences from their own organisations. At Sharp Consultancy, we are committed to supporting the finance community beyond recruitment alone. Events such as this form part of our ongoing effort to create opportunities for connection, knowledge-sharing and professional development among senior finance professionals. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Shorts for partnering with us on this event, and in particular to Howard and Andy for delivering such an informative and thought-provoking session. We are also grateful to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion. We look forward to hosting further events in the coming months and continuing to work closely with our network of finance leaders across the region.If you would like to discuss how these changes may impact your finance team, or if you are considering strengthening your leadership function, please contact us for a confidential conversation.

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Following on in our celebration of National Careers Week, an annual event that aims to provide young people in various educational and organisational settings with career guidance and support. Tom Davage reflects on his experience as a recruiter and his role at Sharp Consultancy.

Since he came on board almost three years ago in his second role since University, Tom has proven to be an essential part of the team and achieved many goals along the way.

As part of his development with us, Tom has completed the Recruitment Consultant Level 3 from the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education via Recruitment Juice, an online recruitment training platform. We offer this qualification to trainee consultants as a way of enhancing their potential with our company and helping them advance to more senior roles. Tom achieved a distinction in the qualification and this partnered with his commitment and success lead to his promotion to Senior Consultant.

Tom's story shows that recruitment can be a successful and rewarding career route for young people starting out their career.

What were you doing before you worked for Sharp Consultancy?

Before Sharp Consultancy, I was working for a national Newspaper supplier, selling advert space to tradesmen in local areas, including the North East & North West.

How did you first connect with Sharp Consultancy?

I first connected with Sharp through a Rec2Rec who put me in touch with the business.

What sparked your interest in pursuing a career at Sharp Consultancy?

I was interested in working at Sharp Consultancy because they are a long standing, local business with a good reputation. Being from Sheffield and having worked previously with people from different parts of the country, I wanted to work with local people and local businesses.

What do you enjoy most about working in recruitment?

Meeting and working with different people and businesses and fitting them both together. Hearing how happy people are in their new roles is always a great feeling.

What is the most valuable thing working here has taught you?

To not be afraid to have that difficult conversation. That was quite daunting at the start, but having a conversation that is a little uncomfortable maybe hard at the time, but clients and candidates respect you more because of it and for setting the right expectations and then delivering against them.

What is one piece of advice would you pass on to any person trying to start a career in recruitment?

Put in the hard work and you will be rewarded. It’s not easy at the start but if you continue to do the right things, believe in what you are doing and the process then you will see the benefits in no time and they far outweigh the hard work as you start out in your career in recruitment.

Are you interested in working as a recruiter? We would love to hear from you and discuss the opportunities to become part of our team.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today and see how we can help.

Celebrating National Careers Week - Tom Davage, Senior Consultant