Waikato Business News | March 1, 2024

28 REMARKABLE WOMEN
MARCH 2024
ADVERTORIAL
Taking a remarkable road
Hamilton-based accountant
and mum to two young
children, Justine Harris is truly
an example of a remarkable
woman who took the hard road into
becoming a Chartered Accountant and
did so because she had her sights set
on helping businesses succeed.
After starting as an intern in a small
accounting firm, Justine has always
known that accounting was “her thing.”
She studied part time while working
full time, then continued to complete
her Chartered Accountant qualification.
Then like many Kiwis, she went off
to the UK for two years to do some
travelling and get some experience “on
the other side” of accounting.
Upon returning to New Zealand,
Justine gained her certificate of public
practice, had two children (now aged
four and two years) and is a Director of
the successful Chartered Accountants
firm, Top Line Accountants.
Based in Te Rapa, Top Line
Accountants has been going strong
for the past 15 years with Jenny Barkle
at the helm. It’s mission is ‘making
life easier for business owners by
supporting them on their journey to
success’.
Bringing Justine on board in 2022
brought about a fresh burst of energy
when it comes to the direction the firm
is heading. It wasn’t long before she
proved that she had the experience,
skills and determination to become
Jenny’s business partner.
Top Line Accountants prides itself
on having a strong team and coming up
with innovative ideas when needed.
“Jenny and I are committed to
finding solutions that help our clients.
We believe in assisting them with
strong planning and strategising skills
to help their businesses grow,” Justine
says.
“Being a small firm, the clients get
more personalised advise, something
we strive to uphold as the firm grows.
Watching these clients grow from
being an idea in their mind to growing
into a successful business gives us a
sense of fulfilment and pride.”
“We have a reputation for delivering
great quality service.”
Justine Harris
Director
As a woman that has reached
Directorship and has a young family,
Justine wants to lead the younger
generation into the future of this
profession where they too can do the
same.
“It is not very often you see women
with young children being at the top of
their field.”
“I was lucky enough to carry out my
CA training with some great mentors,
many of them teaching me some of the
most valuable lessons of my career, and
helping shape me into the accountant
I am today. I believe in practicing
personal responsibility and taking
accountability of your actions creates
good habits.”
Being a working Mum is hard work,
especially when both parents are in
business, but with the help of family
and a flexible work environment,
Justine has managed to take those
final steps to achieve her goal of
Directorship.
“My passion and drive has helped
me get to where I am today. I have
always had a goal that I wanted to
achieve and am grateful to everyone
(especially my family) who helped me
achieve it”.
The firm promotes family first
and work-life balance that helps the
team know they have the support of
work behind them, no matter what is
happening in their personal life.
“I feel honoured to have found a
firm that is so flexible with young kids
and the juggle that comes along with
them”.
There’s No Place
Like Home
From Fast Cars to
Recruiting Excellence
They say time flies when
you’re having fun, and Asset
Recruitment’s new Permanent
Recruitment Specialist
knows only too well how true that is.
Returning to Waikato after 20 years
away, the Hamiltonian has swapped
fast cars (literally) for the world of
recruitment.
Introducing Amy Sutton
Meet Amy, a Hamilton girl, mum of
one, lover of travel, and client manager
extraordinaire with a story that starts
two decades earlier.
With a Diploma in Travel and
Tourism from Wintec to her name,
Amy followed in the footsteps of many
Kiwis before her and set off on her OE.
Time spent working for multinational
hospitality company Accor, gave her an
appetite for the hotel industry, which
brought her back to Aotearoa shores,
specifically Rotorua’s Novotel Lakeside.
But, when the opportunity to live
and work in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) presented itself, the world of
fast cars, sports tournaments, and
international expos, was too good to
refuse.
“During my time working in hotels,
I focused on the sales and events side
of things, so it was a natural transition
moving into the Emirates Group events
team,” says Amy.
Such was Amy’s natural flair for
client management, operational
excellence, events organisation, and
recruitment, she soon found herself
Head of Operations with a team of 300
Amy Sutton
ADVERTORIAL
employees, delivering events such as
the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai
Rugby Sevens, and Expo2020.
A yearning for a home
After 12 years living in the Middle East,
New Zealand was calling and Amy
found herself back in the country.
Based at the Waikato Stadium,
Amy managed the catering for FIFA
Women’s World Cup, ensuring the
teams, staff, volunteers and match
officials were well fed and looked
after during the tournament. She also
oversaw the 30+ training sites around
NZ, coordinating supplies for the
volunteers and staff.
Now, she’s applying her years of
experience to Waikato’s recruitment
sector.
“It’s a learning curve for me but
during my time at Emirates Group I
worked with so many different teams,
from finance to legal to business
development, I gained insight into what
recruitment needs each area had.”
Now she’s applying that in her role
as Permanent Recruitment Specialist
for Asset Recruitment, working with
clients to position excellence and
achieve the very best outcomes
possible.
Get in touch and let’s set you up for
success! Give Amy a call today.
We are proud to have serviced
our clients for 15 years in the
Waikato. Our clients include
trades, professionals, medical
professionals, manufacturing,
and investments.
Get personalised professional
service you can trust.
We can help with:
- Business coaching.
- Xero/MYOB set up and on-going
support.
- Business Startup.
- Business growth support.
- Tax and GST advice.
Justine Harris & Jenny Barkle
Directors
07 850 1570
98 Vickery Street, Te Rapa, Hamilton
Contact us for
a free one-hour
consultation.
info@toplineaccountants.co.nz
www.toplineaccountants.co.nz