A business consultancy and accounting specialist in Newbury, Lyndsey Camilleri, has been promoted to partner at Azets while on maternity leave.

Ms Camilleri has more than 16 years' worth of financial industry experience and three with Azets, having chosen an apprenticeship over university in 2008.

Returning to the office in December following the birth of her son Acer, the 34-year-old's responsibilities will include managing client relationships and services, generating new business, and leading the next generation of accountants at the firm, which specialises in business advice to SMEs.

Ms Camilleri is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales, with Business and Finance Professional designation.

She said: "I am looking forward to the challenge of being an Azets partner.

"These are exciting times to be part of our industry with the likes of cloud-based software and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in particular, changing how we operate on almost a daily basis.

"Therefore, our client relationships are also evolving, and to stay ahead of the curve we must innovate, adapt and, fundamentally, we must engage with our clients on a personal level to understand their business needs and requirements.

"I fully intend to embrace the changes.

"One of the things I love about Azets is the diversity of clients we support.

"I’ve worked with businesses in agriculture, transport, engineering, logistics, retail, manufacturing, construction, catering and more.

"It has been inspiring to learn about these industries and discover the best ways to support them.

"Businesses are operating in a time of great uncertainty.

"They have had to contend with vast changes in inter-EU trade and staff availability, interest rate pressures, a lack of affordable credit and global price increases due to conflicts.

"As a business advisor, part of my role is to work with our clients to navigate through these uncertain times.

"No two days are the same in my role, with each one bringing new challenges and opportunities.

"As someone who enjoys problem solving, being able to fix issues for our clients or signpost them to solutions is really rewarding.”

Azets is based in Elizabeth House on London Road in Newbury, near to the A4 and to Newbury train station.