Mary Jane Campbell retires as Partner after 27 years

This week marks the retirement of Mary Jane Campbell; an event we can’t quite believe has arrived.

Mary Jane started her journey into accountancy as a diversification initiative from the family farm. After attending agricultural college, and marrying her husband James, they searched for a farm tenancy eventually ending up in Devon. It became clear that more income was needed alongside farming, which led to Mary Jane qualifying as an accountant at the age of 39, all whilst raising her children. She considered whether to set up on her own as an accountant, and then a friend mentioned seeing an advert in the Western Morning News for an accountancy firm looking for an Accounts Manager in the Agricultural team; enter Simpkins Edwards. She called up about the position, but no-one in the office knew an advert had gone into the paper! After some investigating, she was invited to interview in August 1998 and the rest, as they say, is history.

During her time working at the firm, Mary Jane has pushed boundaries and driven change at every opportunity. She started out having every other Wednesday off for freelance work and balancing family life – when we look back now she was a pioneer of flexible working! Her husband was self-employed and at home so pick up childcare responsibilities, and Mary Jane’s attendance at parents evenings was often sacrificed. Working across multiple offices, in Okehampton, Exeter and Bovey Tracey, gave Mary Jane a better balance of work and home life, although the children still learnt to use the washing machine by themselves at an early age!

Being a woman in the field was still a newer concept at the time, and Mary Jane enjoyed attending agricultural events and growing her network with the support of Terry Rounsfell. She challenged ‘company golf days’ and set up ‘ladies garden visits’ in response, to readdress the balance of opportunity for women to build connections outside of the office. Mary Jane worked alongside Lynn Woodward for many years, with Mary Jane taking over from Lynn as Managing Partner. Becoming Managing Partner as the successor to an another female senior partner feels like a particularly proud moment for Mary Jane as she reflects back over her time at Simpkins Edwards.

We’ve seen a lot of change over Mary Jane’s tenure including the introduction of bookkeeping technology, the move from workbooks to spreadsheets (our first step to ‘paperless’ systems!), and in more recent years, the revolution to working practices as a result of COVID lockdown. Mary Jane has been integral in the adoption of tech and IT evolution at Simpkins Edwards, first a member of the IT working group and with John Coombs during his time as Managing Partner. During COVID, Mary Jane took the reins with getting everyone working digitally and the furlough process for both our own team and our clients.  She has a passion for innovation, and a seemingly unwavering solutions-focused approach. The importance of thinking about the bigger picture and keeping the end goal in sight features strongly in her working style – when we found out that her father was a diplomat, we were not surprised!

“I’ve really enjoyed the collaborative approach and acting together as a partnership over my time as a Partner. We haven’t worried too much about what other firms are doing, and we’ve remained innovative where it counts.”

When asked what her advice to the next generation would be, as she leaves the Partnership, in true Mary Jane style, she’s come up with a mnemonic (a process, her favourite!):

LOCK.

L is for living. You spend so much of your life at work, make the most of it! Don’t put off experiences or opportunities in the office or at home with family; work on a blend of both worlds.  Find a purpose, get involved in things you care about and make a difference.

O is a reminder to be observant. Look around to understand what is going on; identify opportunities to get involved or how best to deliver your input. Sometimes being quiet and reflective can be just as powerful as speaking up. Don’t be scared to keep going and moving forward – Mary Jane’s accountancy career started when she was 39!  

C is for staying curious. If you can keep interested and keep questioning, you’ll learn more and you’ll find ways to make a change. It’s about not always accepting the status quo, keep the bigger picture in mind. Go to that event, sit in the front row and ask the first question.

K is for being kind. You never know what someone else is going through or what circumstances lead to the life choices they’ve made, whether that’s a colleague or a client. We’re all just people at the end of the day, so if you can invest time in someone and show a genuine interest, the wider impact will ripple out.

“Everyone’s different, you can’t change someone’s personality, but you can encourage them to be more aware of their impact on others. You need to be tolerant and make the effort to understand other people, but don’t forget to be kind to yourself.”

In her retirement, Mary Jane will still be consulting with the firm, for which we’re very grateful. She has 4 ponies at home that need attention, as well as 2 grandchildren in Germany, and a new vegetable and flower garden back at the farm to tend to! She’s also involved in British Carriage Driving, supporting young drivers with their training and making a difference towards the future of the sport.

All that remains to say is a huge thank you to Mary Jane, on behalf of the firm, her colleagues and her clients, for her commitment over the last 27 years; we all look forward to seeing what adventures come next!