Employee Spotlights

Every few weeks we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature our Senior Manager, Crissie McConaghie. With over 12 years of experience in the Accountancy and Banking industry, Crissie joined Pacem as a Senior Manager in September 2023. She completed her degree in Accountancy at Ulster University and has been a member of CAI since February 2017. She now works as part of our Accountancy & Tax team, supporting and advising clients in areas of business and tax advice.

Crissie tells us a bit more about herself below.

Employee name
Crissie McConaghie

Your role at Pacem
Chartered Accountant

How long have you been with Pacem?
9 Months

What does your day-to-day role entail?
A typical day in the office involves managing our client work within the team and engaging with clients with any queries they may have. The client work varies from VAT return preparation, payroll, CIS returns, accounts and tax return preparation, and general bookkeeping. Every day is different. I do meet with clients a lot which is either in person or online.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Kind, Bubbly, and Hard-Working

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I competed in vintage ploughing competitions!

What do you like most about your job?
The Pacem team – everyone is so friendly and I felt part of the family from day one! I also enjoy being a part of our client’s business life journey.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
Take my family on a big holiday to Australia and New Zealand, with a stop in Disneyland Florida for my little girl Daisy.

Favourite Food
Any pasta dish, or anything on the Amicci Restaurant Portstewart menu for that matter (if you don’t know, get to know!) And a good Sunday Roast is always hard to beat!

Favourite Food
My husband is a farmer, so outside of work he always finds a job for me to do, whether it be delivering his dinner to the field or helping during lambing time, he will always find a job for me to keep me busy on the farm! I also enjoy long walks around the North Coast soaking up all the beautiful views it has to offer – Portballintrae being one of my favourite views.

Every week we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature our Planning Analyst Intern, Seanin McGarry. Seanin is currently studying Business Management at Queen’s University and completed a placement with ASM in Newry as part of her degree. Working as a part-time Planning Analyst, Seanin supports our Financial Planning team in meeting client’s needs.

Seanin tells us a bit more about herself below.

Employee name
Seanin McGarry

Your role at Pacem
Planning Analyst Intern

How long have you been with Pacem?
10 Months

What does your day-to-day role entail?
Normally, my day-to-day role is assisting in preparing reports and completing client work alongside our advisors. I prepare annual review reports and valuations for client meetings. I also process ad-hoc tasks that come up such as contributions or withdrawals within client portfolios.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Ambitious, Genuine, and Reliable

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I love to cook. I enjoy learning and creating new recipes to try out.

What do you like most about your job?
I enjoy the variety of tasks each day. I am always learning something new which makes it interesting. I also enjoy working with the team at Pacem, everyone is friendly and always happy to help.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
I would take all my family on a nice holiday. I would also build my dream house and then open my own café or restaurant…the list is endless!

Favourite Food
Anything spicy really but probably Chinese food.

Where is the best place you’ve travelled to and why?
I visited Bali in the summer and it was definitely my favourite so far. We travelled around to Ubud, Gili Trawangan, Uluwatu and Canngu so I was able to experience a bit of everything. I loved the food, people, beaches, and obviously the weather!

What is something you learned in the last week?
My mum taught me how to put oil in my car – I have been driving for 5 years!

Every week we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature our Planning Analyst, Adam Martin. Adam is currently studying Economics at Ulster University and joined the Pacem team in May 2023 as part of our Internship Programme. He is now working as a full-time Planning Analyst, supporting our Financial Advisory team in achieving client’s financial goals.

Adam tells us a bit more about himself below.

Employee name
Adam Martin

Your role at Pacem
Planning Analyst Intern

How long have you been with Pacem?
Almost a year!

What does your day-to-day role entail?
My day-to-day generally consists of preparing annual review reports for our clients. I assist the team in preparing recommendation reports for new clients. There is also usually always a few ad hoc tasks during the week to complete.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Ambitious, Motivated & Sociable.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I’m a Manchester City fan! That is unsurprising to everyone in the office as I started when City won the Champions League.

What do you like most about your job?
I like the variety of my role – no day is the same! I am constantly learning new things and developing my skills.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
Ah the dream! I would share a lot of it with family and friends but first I would probably buy a house beside Galgorm Castle Golf Club where I spend most of my spare time. I would also probably buy a holiday home on the slopes as skiing is my favourite holiday.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
I think I would more than likely be doing greenkeeping as it was my summer job and something I really enjoyed!

Favourite Film(s)
I love a good war film! I think 1917 or Hacksaw Ridge would be my favourite.

What interests/hobbies do you have outside of work?
I love sport. My main hobby is golf – I have a handicap of 4, although it was 2 a couple of months ago! My friends and I play 5 a side every Tuesday night which is a great way to catch up with everyone!

Each fortnight we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature our Accounting Technician, Yvonne Dunlop, Yvonne supports the accountancy team in delivering our bookkeeping services as well as payroll and accounts preparation. She is AITI qualified and has over 30 years’ experience in Bookkeeping in a wide range of businesses.

Yvonne tells us a bit more about herself below.

Employee name
Yvonne Dunlop

Your role at Pacem
Accounting Technician

How long have you been with Pacem?
3 years 7 months

What does your day-to-day role entail?
Providing book-keeping backup for financial directors–  preparing year-end accounts for our clients, vat returns, payroll, business and personal tax returns and statutory returns

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Logical, conscientious and hard-working

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I originally did a history degree and drifted into admin roles before realising that accounts work interested me more. I was qualified by experience for many years before doing any professional exams, I think I was easily the oldest one on my ATI course!

What do you like most about your job?
At Pacem we have a wide variety of clients with different business requirements and priorities. Preparing accounts requires work on all aspects of book-keeping which means that things rarely get boring or too routine. Each day tends to be different. I also appreciate the friendly and hard-working atmosphere amongst the staff in the office and the supportive attitude of the directors.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
Probably re-visit Venice, Paris and Vegas, this time 1^st class flights and 5* hotels

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
I’m a bit of a bookworm, would be happy working in a library.

Favourite book(s)
I like historical books fiction and non-fiction– My current favourite is the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
I’ve started to learn Spanish several times, still only know the basics but I would like to be fluent.

Each fortnight we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature director, Kevin Kelly. Kevin leads on business development, strategy and marketing. Originally a client of Daniel and Tony, Kevin co-founded Pacem and ensures the customer is at the centre of everything we do. He holds a 1st Class BSc Hons (Marketing), MSc with Distinction (Strategy) and an MBA. He is also a Director of Podiem and Co-owner of MLN.

Kevin tells us a bit more about himself below.

Employee name
Kevin Kelly

Your role at Pacem
Strategy and business development.

How long have you been with Pacem?
Since before it all began!! I was a client of Daniel and Tony before co-founding the business with them in 2017.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Competitive. Solid. Fortunate. Others have described me using the sentence “couldn’t like him if you reared him!”

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I started my career as a carpet-fitter! Since then I have been variously employed as a petrol station attendant, a mystery shopper (for Guinness – I brought a lot of authenticity to this role), a go-cart attendant, a male model (1 shoot which required me to look upset and hide me face – I thought I had found my niche, alas not!), a removals man (“person”), and a roofer (for 1 day, during which time I discovered that I had vertigo and started crying in front of my new colleagues – thankfully it was in the USA and I haven’t seen them since).

What do you like most about your job?
That it is not any of the above! In all seriousness, we have a fantastic group of people at Pacem, and it is an honour and pleasure to work with each and every one of them. Pacem’s 5^th birthday in Barcelona will live long in the memory.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
Tell my kids they aren’t getting any. Tough love.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
I was particularly effective as a Guinness mystery shopper so I could revisit that.

Favourite food?
Christmas Dinner. In truth I love all food with the notable exceptions of celery and blue cheese!

Favourite book(s)?
The best book I have read in the last 5 years would be ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’.

Favourite film?
The Lord of the Rings films (sad, I know). This trilogy would probably be my favourite books as well.

Where is the best place you’ve travelled to and why?
I worked in San Francisco for a couple of summers. Great city to live in. To visit I would go for the Perhentian Islands off the Malaysian coast. An enjoyable paradise.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
A second language and/or a musical instrument. Standard issue answers!

What is something you learned in the last week?
To say ‘no’ to writing Employee Spotlights and organising 7^th birthday parties – my nerves are still wrecked!

What interests/hobbies do you have outside of work?
I love sport although it is more watching than playing these days. Recent highlights were being at the Aviva to watch Ireland win the Grand Slam, in Madrid to see Liverpool win number 6 and at Anfield’s greatest ever night!

Most importantly…….. of course…… is spending ‘quality’ time with my wife and 4 young children!

Each fortnight we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature our People and Talent Manager, Frances Neeley.  Frances has 20 years’ professional HR experience and is an accredited executive Coach of 8 years, she also has her own business, Lighthouse Consulting & Coaching.

Frances tells us a bit more about herself below.

Employee name:
Frances Neely

Your role at Pacem:
People & Talent Manager

How long have you been with Pacem?
4 Months

What does your day-to-day role entail?
My role is quite varied, I work on delivering our company growth plans through people resourcing activities, recruitment and engagement with universities and further developing our Employee Value Proposition. I support company operations management in preparation of company presentations, quarterly strategy meeting document updates. I work as part of our company impact team to enhance our 4 Pillars of People & Wellbeing, Empowering Enterprise, Charity & Community and Planet & Environment.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Optimistic, Creative & Supportive

Tell us something that might surprise us about you:
I’m also an Accredited Executive Coach qualified in Emotional Intelligence.

What do you like most about your job?
I love interacting with our current team and engaging with potential new team members. I enjoy working with our Directors to develop and introduce great People and Wellbeing benefits and initiatives.

Favourite book(s)?
The Help and The Book Thief

Where is the best place you’ve travelled to and why?
The best placed I have travelled to is Val Thorens in the French Alps for a family ski holiday. The scenery was breath taking, especially at dawn and dusk, the snow was amazing and well-developed ski resort for all skiing abilities, and the food was fantastic too!

What interests/hobbies do you have outside of work?
I love getting outdoors with family and friends, painting or drawing, listening to music and having a dance around the kitchen with my kids!

Each fortnight we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature our Business Support team member, Tyrene Kerr. Tyrene joined the firm in September 2021 bringing a wealth of experience from a wide range of business administration roles. She supports the financial advisory team in meeting our client’s needs.

Tyrene tells us a bit more about herself below.

Employee name
Tyrene Kerr

Your role at Pacem
Business Support

How long have you been with Pacem?
September 2021

What does your day-to-day role entail?
I enjoy the variety of the role which can range from providing excellent client service, maintaining our back-office system, preparing and closing month end, admin support, arranging travel and assisting with induction & training plans for new team members.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Reliable, diligent and friendly

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I’m a twin, not identical but growing up we had fun confusing people!

What do you like most about your job?
The people – the Pacem team are fantastic to work with and of course, I enjoy engaging with and getting to know our clients.

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
Sounds cliched but I’d book an extravagant holiday for family and friends and share my winnings.   As much as I would miss Pacem, I’d give up work and volunteer with local charities.

Favourite food
Cheesecake or my sister’s pavlova.  I’ve such a sweet tooth, I look at the dessert menu first when I’m at a restaurant!

 Where is the best place you’ve travelled to and why?
We had an amazing family trip to San Francisco, LA and Vegas in 2019.  I enjoyed the history of Alcatraz, the eclectic architecture, tram rides, Pier 39, the Holywood Hills, Santa Monica beach, flying over the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, the neon lights of Vegas and that’s just a glimpse of what we packed in!

Each fortnight we will be spotlighting a member of the team so that you can get to know the people behind the Pacem brand. This week we feature our Planning Analyst, Dan O’Kane. Dan has been with us since January 2022 and is a great support to our Financial Advisory team.

Dan tells us a bit more about himself below.

Employee name
Dan O’Kane

Your role at Pacem
Planning Analyst

How long have you been with Pacem?
Since January 2022

What does your day-to-day role entail?
My day-to-day role usually consists of preparing reports for our clients whether that be Annual Reviews or preparing recommendation reports for potential new clients. There are usually always ad hoc tasks which can vary from week to week in addition to ongoing projects within the firm.

How would you describe yourself in three words?
Ambitious, driven, motivated

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
Outside of work I play football for my local club Glenullin, great way to stay active and meet up with people.

What do you like most about your job?
I enjoy the variety of the role. No 2 two days are ever the same which ensures you are always learning and developing. There is also a great team at Pacem with everyone willing to help push the company further and are willing to help guide you along the way.

Favourite food
Can’t go wrong with a good steak and pepper sauce!

Where is the best place you’ve travelled to and why?
I’ve been to Florida a few times with the family. Great spot, plenty to do and the weather’s not bad either. Killarney has to be a close 2nd, beautiful scenery and lovely people.

What interests/hobbies do you have outside work?
It usually consists of some sort of active activity whether that be playing football or the gym, a good way to clear the head.

This week’s special edition of Employee Spotlight features Angie Dzenite. Angie is a 6th form pupil at Ashfield Girls School, Belfast and has been with us for a 6 week internship over the summer break. Angie has brought enthusiasm and has been a great addition to the team over the summer.

Angie tells us a bit more about her experience at Pacem below.

I was given this exciting opportunity by a programme called ‘Careers Ready’ which is organised through Ashfield Girls’ High School. This programme helps you gain a qualification as well as gaining confidence in yourself and experiencing the world of work and being able to have a mentor from different companies who help answer all your worries and problems. Pacem was invited to my school and they then invited us for interviews to see who would get in! When I got accepted, I was over the moon because it was a new experience, new place, and new people! From a young age I was always told to dream big and take every opportunity what came at me, and that is exactly what I did, I took it and have no regrets whatsoever joining this work experience where I learned so many skills and enhanced my qualities making me more confident in myself and ready to take on the world of work and the challenges what come with it.

When I first arrived at Pacem, I was nervous and excited to get stuck into the world of office life. At first, I thought it would be boring, but it wasn’t because the work atmosphere is so welcoming and friendly, every work colleague is always there to help you and even have banter and daily check-ups! You truly feel like your apart of a family and I can see why Pacem is a winning business company at Eastside awards.

When working with Pacem I got to work in both Accounting which was every Tuesday and Wednesday then Finance was every Monday and Thursday. While working for Finance I did a lot of scanning for clients and realised how even the small things are valuable towards the whole financing sector. I also advanced my skills in Excel and IO (intelligence office) which holds loads of client information in which I had to solve queries and problems. I also organised letters and helped with other aspects of finance which is great.

When I was working for accounting, I found it very challenging as you were learning about bank statements, commissions, Cheques, VAT, Net and Gross which was interesting as there were times you literally couldn’t figure out what was happening and when completing tasks, you felt an instant relief. If I was to consider studying in this sector, I would pick accounting because I am always up for a challenge even if stresses you out, you just know that it is worth it in the end. I also used excel, auto entry and tax calc which has deepened my knowledge in accounting.

If I was to summarise this experience working with such a talented company, it was spectacular as you never felt alone and always had tasks set out for you, always had people to talk to and you even had laughs. One thing I will remember be is that although I am an Eastside award winner, I also caused a lot of printer/scanner problems and at one point they both went on system failure and everyone just laughed and tried their best to help! Pacem is a hard-working company and when you get to work with you just realise how privileged you are to be in such a team with very co-ordinated, friendly and determined people. I would recommend anyone to take the opportunity to work for them as they support you through the entire way and you learn a lot.