For many of the team at q4 financial it could be said that accounting is in the blood. Alethea Rose is no exception. Building on a natural affinity for accounting in school, Alethea has built a career across several organisations and now is a pillar of the q4 family. We recently sat down with Alethea to share some insights into her career and her role at q4.
Alethea’s first role was as a receptionist at an Indooroopilly accounting firm, and within months of being this role, she was offered an Accounting Traineeship which saw her rapidly accelerate her career while studying at QUT.
“Working with a tough mentor I was given invaluable hands-on experience,” Alethea said.
“I was so grateful to receive countless hours of one-on-one training.”
During this time Alethea was introduced to an integrated approach for financial service clients where combining traditional accounting aspects, with financial planning. This concept sparked her interest, so when the opportunity arose to join Snelleman Tom five years later, Alethea jumped at it.
“I met with Grant back at Snelleman Tom in 2005 and was very curious about their integrated wealth approach and how I might expand on my knowledge in this space.”
Following several years with Snelleman Tom the pull of travel was on the horizon, and with the support of the business, Alethea was able to take a leave of absence to spend six months in London working for Fifteen, a foundation established by Jamie Oliver allowing her to spread her wings.
“I was so grateful for this experience as it taught me so many new things,” she said.
“I was given the opportunity to oversee the finance of a largescale fundraising event. Well outside my norm but my solid accounting foundations allowed me to add value in that role.”
Alethea returned to Snelleman Tom gaining further exposure to business clients across several industries. Having worked closely with Grant and Kelly during this period, when they established q4 financial Alethea joined them.
“When Grant and Kelly let me know of their plans, it was a no-brainer that I would follow.
“We were aligned in our thinking around how we wanted to look after both our clients and our team and I could see a great long term opportunity for me working with people that I admired.”
As q4’s Senior Client Manager, Alethea plays a pivotal role in not only partnering with clients on their ongoing business journey, to overseeing the q4 accounting division as a whole.
“In taking a systematic approach to ensuring we constantly review the numbers, I love helping clients understand where they are at and where they wish to get to,” she said.
Maximising a client’s position with the right structure and the implementation of various tax strategies is great, but the most satisfying thing for me is helping clients consider the ’So What?’- bringing it back to very personal objectives around what they are looking to achieve.
“I have learned that what we perceive as success is a very personal thing and different for everyone.”
When it comes to her role as a team leader she said her focus is on developing a united team and ensuring that each team member is able to succeed in their own journey and that they understand the importance of their role in contributing to the overall success of q4.
“Also creating a flexible workplace that is outcome-focused creates a give and take environment that allows us all to get the best out of each other.”
This flexibility and commitment to an environment that values the importance of family and personal time, Aletha said has assisted her to develop her career and responsibilities while having the ability to take the time required to focus on her young family.
“Any working parent knows it’s not a walk in the park but working in a supportive understanding environment makes an enormous difference to achieving the right balance,” she said.
“As with many businesses, our team were really put to the test during the height of the COVID pandemic and I couldn’t be more proud of how they performed.”
With her role continuing to grow within the business, and now as a shareholder in q4, Alethea said she looks forward to working with her clients for many more years to come.
“I think it is an exciting time in our industry.
“Ongoing automation demands us to think outside the box and continually focus on our why, and what sets us apart.
“I believe ‘Real Time support’ for our clients will be key to allowing us to add value in everything that we do for our clients.”
