Case Study
August 2026
About The Client
For Chris and Lucy Gray, that complexity had grown naturally over time. Alongside building The Guildford Vet, they had developed a portfolio of property businesses and partnerships, each with its own reporting requirements, deadlines and financial demands. As the group expanded, so did the challenge of managing everything in a joined-up way.
That's where Surrey Hills Accountancy came in.
The Challenge
Before working with SHA, the group’s finances were being managed differently across different entities. Information was fragmented, reporting lacked consistency, and consolidation, particularly where intercompany transactions were involved, was time-consuming and difficult.
Each business added its own layer of complexity, the veterinary practice with its operational and staffing demands, multiple property companies each with their own transactional flows, and High Loxley Farm Partnership with its own accounting structure and compliance considerations.
Without a centralised finance function, decisions were being made on incomplete information.
“If I wanted to understand how we were performing across the group, I had to piece it together myself from multiple sources. By the time I'd done that, the information was already out of date."
Chris Gray
Director of The Guildford Vet
The Solution
SHA initially began supporting the group through High Loxley Farm Partnership before gradually taking responsibility for the wider group as the relationship developed.
Today, SHA acts as the group’s fully outsourced, centralised finance department managing:
- Bookkeeping and bank reconciliation for accurate, up-to-date recording of financial transactions across all six entities, with regular bank reconciliation to ensure the numbers always reflect reality.
- VAT and tax compliance for managing VAT returns and tax obligations across the group, ensuring every entity meets its requirements accurately and on time.
- Payroll across the group for full payroll management across all entities, covering calculations, submissions, pension compliance and payslips.
- Management accounts and year-end accounts with regular management accounts providing timely performance insight for each business, alongside full statutory accounts at year-end.
- Ongoing financial oversight and intercompany reporting for group-level oversight managing intercompany transactions, reconciling balances between entities and producing consolidated reporting across the whole group (Xero has been standardised across the group, creating consistency in systems, reporting and processes).
“We now have one team who knows all of our businesses, one consistent way of doing things, and one point of escalation. Nothing falls through the gaps.”
The Results
- A single, centralised finance function now covers all six entities: bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, accounts and tax.
- Clear visibility of each individual business alongside a full group-level financial picture.
- Faster, more confident decision-making based on reliable, up-to-date information.
- Consistent systems and reporting across the group through Xero.
- Significantly lower cost than building an equivalent in-house finance team.
“To replicate what SHA delivers, we’d probably need at least three employed members of staff. The cost of SHA across all of our businesses is considerably less, and the depth of expertise is far greater. It genuinely isn’t a close comparison.
“Lucy and I now know where we stand financially across the whole group at any given point. That peace of mind is genuinely invaluable when you’re running multiple businesses.”
Why This Matters
When businesses grow across multiple entities, finance can quickly become fragmented and difficult to manage. The cost of getting it wrong, in time, money and missed opportunities, compounds fast.
For Chris and Lucy, SHA didn’t just solve an accounting problem. They built a financial infrastructure that gives the whole group visibility, control and confidence, and a structure that’s ready to absorb future growth without disruption.
“It doesn’t feel like a supplier relationship, it feels like a genuine partnership.”
That’s exactly what embedded operational finance partnership looks like in practice.
Looking For More Than Compliance?
If you’re an ambitious, fast-growing business, who needs more than an accountant. We embed ourselves in your business, build the right foundations and grow with you every step of the way, Surrey Hills Accountancy can help.