A 24-YEAR-OLD has become the youngest ever head of office at Old Mill, an accountancy and financial advisory firm with four offices in the West Country. 

Lucy Bennett has been appointed as Old Mill's new head of office for Yeovil, where she has worked for six years. 

In her new role, she will encourage collaboration and engagement amongst the firm's teams and support Old Mill's work within the local community, alongside her work as a client advisor. 

In her time at the firm, she has forged strong relationships with clients and colleagues, making her well-placed to take on her new role. 

She has also been heavily involved in the Yeovil Social Committee and played a key role in the launch of The Old Mill Fund, which is responsible for the firm's charitable giving. 

Lucy said: "I see my appointment as a perfect illustration of how forward-looking Old Mill is when it comes to offering exciting opportunities for career development.

"We are most definitely not ‘old school’ in this respect, and hopefully me being slightly more junior will be beneficial in encouraging others to take a ‘leap of faith’ and put themselves out there." 

Lucy has big plans as a head of office - some of which are more extreme than others. 

“Some of the things I’d like to do early on include a charity skydive for Mind, a sponsored walk or run for the Old Mill Fund, office yoga followed by a breakfast party and filling the office freezer with ice cream!”

Lucy says that being supportive of staff and respecting their choices will be important at Old Mill as the firm gets used to the 'new normal'. 

She said: "Bringing everyone together and providing another level of support has always been important, but now it feels more important than ever.

"Whether people are working from home, the office, or both - they will require different levels of support to make them feel comfortable with the transition, which I hope I can help provide.

"Being open minded during times of change not only links to Old Mill’s values, but also seems the most sensible plan of action and I hope to be as inclusive as possible."

Ian Carlson, Managing Director at Old Mill, said: "Lucy will make an excellent office head. She is a people person with a friendly approach that brings out the best in people, and I am confident that she will bring her energy and passion to the role.

"Lucy is also a hard worker, a natural collaborator and a great representative of our values so I know she will a fantastic ambassador for Old Mill both internally and within the local community."