Principle Estate Management, the UK’s fastest growing residential management company, has appointed a new apprentice to its finance department.
Imahni Hurlock-Edmead has taken the finance team numbers up to seven at Principle, where the total staffing now stands at 31.
She will be the fourth apprentice that the company has recruited from training company Protocol centre.
Paul Richardson, finance manager at Principle, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Imahni to our team, and I’m sure she will flourish in her role as our other apprentices have.
“As Principle has grown, we have to keep up with recruitment to ensure the high levels of customer service that we have set ourselves are maintained.
“Now is the time when the finance department can bring an apprentice in to take some of the administration functions from our more experienced team members so they can concentrate on other tasks.
“Imahni’s role will be varied, working with our internal finance teams as well as some of our external accountants who prepare end-of-year statements of expenditure for customers.
“This is a great opportunity for someone to learn the basics and work their way up, starting their office career with a specialist professional services provider.”
He added: “This is our fourth apprentice from Protocol, who are great to work with as they know us and how we operate. Their pre-interviews provided a shortlist of suitable candidates, and Imahni stood out.”
Mr Richardson said that Ms Hurlock-Edmead would be learning all aspects of client account finance, starting with the sales ledger, which receives a large volume of transactions every day from Principle’s 6,500 customers.
Then there would be the purchase ledger, paying contractors for works at properties Principle manages, plus utility bills, insurance premiums and other invoices.
Other areas would include credit control, assisting the credit control manager with issuing reminder letters and agreeing payment plans where needed.
Once settled in, he said Ms Hurlock-Edmead could move on to the more complex service charge accounting, working alongside more experienced colleagues to understand the basics.
Ms Hurlock-Edmead was educated at Shireland Collegiate Academy in Smethwick and then Dudley College, where she studied for three A-levels, including Business.
She has completed long periods of work experience with local community charities, dealing with administration, bookkeeping and producing newsletters.
Ms Hurlock-Edmead said: “I am really looking forward to working with Principle’s finance team as I complete my training qualifications.
“Protocol have told me such good things about Principle as a business and this is my chance to put my interest in numbers to a practical purpose with a customer focused business.”
Principle offers a national property management service, looking after well over 6,000 units across the UK.
