Meet Our Team
Beverly Walker
Starting out over 25 years ago, Bev is an experienced Chartered Certified Accountant who has worked in several senior accountancy positions with large blue-chip companies including as a Finance Director for a large property company based in central London.
Wendy Smith
Wendy spent the first 17 years of her career at one of the ‘big five’ accounting firms in Zimbabwe. Training initially in Audit before moving to Business Services has given her experience of working with a range of business from large manufacturing companies to small local family businesses.
Karen Lodge
Jill Berry
Jen Lester
We work with you to help your business work better!
Not all accountancy practices or accountants will suit your business. We at Tall Horse recognise this and work with organisations and individuals that want to have an accountant who is an integral part of their business and their team.
Established in 2010, Tall Horse Consultancy Services was established by Wendy Smith and Beverley Walker. Both are qualified Chartered Certified Accountants with a wealth of business accounting experience having worked in senior positions in both practice and industry settings.
Our business ethos is to provide a strong, business-driven financial accounting service to our clients, recognising that although compliance with government and legal requirements and deadlines is essential, it is crucial for an organisation to utilise its financial information to ensure the business thrives.
We build strong relationships with our clients, sharing our knowledge, experience and networks to enable you and your business to achieve the best results.
Why Tall Horse?
Numerous people ask us where our name came from; why are you not, say, Walker & Smith Associates.
We have never intended to be a standard accounting practice. Both Wendy and Bev have a connection to the continent of Africa and it seemed appropriate to choose a name for the business that reflects this in some way and also represents what we are about.
‘Tall Horse’ is a colloquial term for a giraffe in Southern Africa. The giraffe was virtually unknown outside of Africa in the 17th century and the extraordinary height and proportions of these exotic creatures fascinated foreigners.
In 1824 Muhammed Ali, the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, presented Charles X, King of France, with a giraffe; it was sent up the Nile by boat and shipped across the Mediterranean where it landed at the Port of Marseilles. Its 4,000 mile journey continued as it was walked through France until it eventually reached its destination in Paris. Tens of thousands lined the streets to marvel at this never-seen-before creature.
This giraffe’s journey linked Africa with Europe, for us it not only symbolises our individual cultural link, it also represents our fascination with progress and discovery. We at Tall Horse see ourselves as accountants with a difference, creating strong links and bonds with our clients. These clients are often astonished at how refreshingly different their relationship is with Tall Horse compared to that with their previous accountants. We bring our business approach and experience from the large corporate board room to you – so your business can thrive and become even more successful.