We have known Josh for some time now, and Nicola Worrow assisted Josh in securing this corporate finance position at Castle Square back in 2023.

Nicola was delighted to speak to Josh about his career to date as he reflects and shares his journey from starting at Deloitte and moving into Corporate Finance at Castle Square.

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What made you choose to work for Deloitte after finishing University?

I chose to work for Deloitte for the opportunity to learn from top professionals in the industry and to work on large scale, diverse projects. It is naturally a great name to have on your CV, not least because of the client and people management skills you develop in a big four environment.

Working at Deloitte was also a fantastic experience to develop a wide range of industry exposure. During my time at the firm, I worked within a multitude of different sectors, including a global motor vehicle company with subsidiaries in software, auctions, remarketing and sales, a US based pharmaceutical company and the largest privately owned company in the UK. It was a fantastic learning experience.

When you were time qualified why did you stay on another year with Deloitte and not move straight into industry?

I wanted to make sure I made the right decision. Leaving Deloitte was a big jump, and I wanted to make sure I was jumping the right way! The first move post qualification is so important as it can be a real springboard to success if you get it right.

There is such a breadth of options out there, it is difficult to know exactly where you want to be. The first question you ask yourself is, industry or practice? This in itself opens you up to another 100 questions: What sector do I want to work in? Do I want to be client facing? Do I want to focus on climbing the corporate ladder?

Once I had decided that I wanted to remain in practice, then you have to figure out which service line you’d like to be in. Transaction Services is the obvious route from Audit into a more commercial role, which is something I had deliberated for some time, before deciding on Corporate Finance. Being (relatively) young and (relatively) free, location is also important, as a newly qualified accountant I wasn’t tied down to any city. Part of my search included checking out different cities, namely Manchester, Leeds & Sheffield.  

All of the above takes time, especially when you’re juggling being the field manager on several audits at once. Luckily, I had a good network around me to help advise, and that does include a great recruiter in Nicola!

Staying the extra year at Deloitte allowed me to further develop key skills as I stepped up to the “field manager” role, being the key point of contact for our clients on a number of engagements. This is something which has assisted me within Corporate Finance as it allowed me to develop my interpersonal skills, as well as the technical stuff.

When did you start thinking about working in Corporate finance?

Corporate Finance had been on my radar for a few years before I made the move given how many want to make the move from Audit. Being within a large professional services firm you also get the benefit of glimpses into the CF team day to day too within the office environment.

During my time at University, I studied Corporate Finance as an optional module of part of my Accounting & Financial Management course. Whilst this was all the technical parts of valuing a business, due diligence, etc, it was something that absolutely appealed to me and was one of my best performing modules at Uni. My interest was re-ignited during my ACA studies as part of my financial management course, where I studied different valuation methods, investment and financing methodology etc. This is probably where I began to really think about what a career in Corporate Finance might look like.

When I had qualified, I was in the fortunate position of having family members and friends who were working within Corporate Finance, so I benefitted from having the inside track on what a day-to-day role actually looked like! I was able to leverage their knowledge and learn about the role from the perspective of someone with boots on the ground rather than an outsider. Here is where I decided that Corporate Finance was the path that I definitely wanted to take.

You could have chosen to work at a larger corporate finance house, what attracted you to Castle Square?

When I first met the team at Castle Square it was clear that they did things differently to what I had seen in my career to that point.

The key reasons I opted for Castle Square over a larger corporate finance firm included:

The ability to make an impact – as a boutique, your reputation as a firm and as an individual are key to the success of the business. Having the opportunity to step up and make a real positive impact on the firm and our clients was key in my decision-making process.

A top-quality team – Working so closely together in a boutique environment enables you to learn much more, in a short time. It was important to me that I was joining a strong, experienced team for whom I get along very well with.

A positive working environment – Working in what can be a high-pressure job at times, it is also important to me that I enjoy my day-to-day working environment. It is key that you get on well with your colleagues, both professionally and personally. It was clear to me that I was joining a supportive team who rallied for one another when required.

Personal development and progression – It was clear that progression and development was embraced within Castle Square. If you wanted to run with projects, you could, or if you needed more time and support, that was also readily available. I am fortunate enough to have benefitted from that, and now, just under a year and a half in, I am getting the chance to run my own deals with little input from our senior team, building out my own network and looking to win work. This was a big pull for me when compared to a larger CF house or accountancy practice where the majority of the “exciting” stuff is done by directors/partners!  

What would you go back and tell your younger self?

The most important thing I would tell myself is that the soft skills matter just as much (if not more) than the technical stuff.

This has become very apparent during my time at Castle Square. Working at an independent, boutique firm, we often work with owner-managers who are going through a transaction for the first time. If this is a sale process, then it is very important to understand that this can be their life’s work and as such, it can be a stressful and emotional time for them! During process, emotional intelligence is key, to keep things moving in a positive manner.

You can learn the technical stuff (financial modelling etc.), but it is much harder to enhance soft skills, without exposing yourself to situations which may be uncomfortable for you at the time. I would tell my younger self to take these opportunities whenever they present themselves.

And finally, what does Josh enjoy doing outside work?

Outside of work you’ll likely find me in a local restaurant or café. I’m a big fan of the independent scene which is rapidly developing in Sheffield, it’s great to see local businesses coming to life, especially with the new developments in town like Cambridge Street Collective and Leah’s Yard. Living nearby to Ecclesall Road means there is no shortage of places for me to frequent (including several local pubs), as well as having easy access to the Peaks to try and walk off the multitude of pastries I manage to get through week in week out.

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