A Lowestoft accountant has won a prestigious national award recognising excellence in training and career development in the profession. Melanie Wright, who is training manager at Lovewell Blake, won the ‘Training Manager/Workplace Mentor Of The Year’ award at the annual PQ Magazine Awards at the Café de Paris in London, beating off competition from some of the biggest accountancy firms. Miss Wright, who is based in Lovewell Blake’s Lowestoft office, is responsible for supporting people in the firm who are working towards professional qualifications – around a quarter of Lovewell Blake’s 250 staff at any one time. She was nominated for the award after she maintained her commitment to supporting trainees despite being diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2016. In a period which saw her endure two operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she maintained contact with trainees via email and in person when possible. After receiving the award at the glamorous London ceremony, she said, “I am delighted to win this award, which is a reflection of the high standards of training support offered by Lovewell Blake to its employees. It is always a pleasure to mentor trainees through their studies, helping them to achieve their full potential and culminating in them becoming a fully qualified accountant or tax adviser.” Lovewell Blake managing partner Colin Fish added, “This award is very deserved. Mel’s commitment to supporting our staff who are studying is astonishing, even when she was very ill. She is hugely popular at the firm, and we are all delighted and proud that she has been recognised on the national stage.” Miss Wright joined Lovewell Blake as a mature trainee in 1998, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2003. She has been the firm’s training manager since 2005.
