My Story | Kevin Clarke

Name: Kevin Clarke

Position: Corporate Recovery, Senior

Date Joined BDO: September 2016

College: Dublin City University (DCU)

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After graduating from DCU with an honours degree in Business Studies specialising in Management,  I joined BDO’s Corporate Recovery Team in September 2016. Since then, I have worked on a broad range of insolvency appointments including receiverships and several types of liquidations, while also providing financial monitoring services for our clients. As well as the experience gained on the job, I also completed my accountancy training, passing the FAEs in 2019 and qualifying as an Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) with the Chartered Accountants Ireland in March 2020.

My role in Corporate Recovery

To date, I have worked on insolvency cases across a broad range of industries including the financial, retail, construction, and education industries. Once we are engaged by a client on a particular case, my role includes dealing with a company’s stakeholders, which may include employees, creditors, revenue, the local authority as well as liaising with its directors and shareholders. As the case is progressing I am required to provide ongoing reports to our client, which may be a bank or a fund, the Courts or the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA). Our aim is to provide the best possible outcome for the business that is in distress, while simultaneously maximising the financial return for the client and the company’s creditors.

On the job learning

When I first joined the team I had very limited knowledge of anything to do with insolvency or the services that the department offers. I began with assisting the team by completing basic tasks such as updating receipts and payments accounts and completing basic tax returns. Within my first month I was given my own liquidation to manage. It was a very straightforward case of a small company that had no assets or liabilities, but with the guidance of my managers, it was a great way for me to learn about the processes involved in this type of insolvency. As I progressed, and continued to learn more on the job, I began to get involved in bigger and more complex cases. While these cases have many moving parts and are more difficult to work on, I have enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to continue learning more about the job. Tasks involved with the larger cases include preparing annual budgets, cash flow forecasts, and estimated outcome statements which are included in reports that are provided to the client. It is also important to ensure that a company’s tax and statutory returns are filed correctly up to date.  

Variety of work & exposure gained

While working in Corporate Recovery has allowed me to learn a lot about the different types of insolvencies, it has also given me the opportunity to get an insight into how numerous companies across a variety of industries are run. One day I might be working on the receivership of a construction company, while the next day I could be assisting with the liquidation of a retail store. I have always found it very interesting to see how different companies went about conducting their business. I have also had the opportunity to work closely with other professionals, such as solicitors and auctioneers, who assist us with the bigger cases. 

I enjoy the variety of work that I am involved in and look forward to developing my career further with  BDO.

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