Cloud accounting is reaching new heights for Sussex-based chartered accountants MHA Carpenter Box. The firm has embarked on an exchange programme with an Australian firm of accountants, with a cloud accounting expert from each practice flying to the other side of their respective worlds to share best practice.

MHA Carpenter Box has just welcomed Hayden Winters from Smart Business Solutions near Melbourne to its Worthing office on a four month secondment. At the same time, MHA Carpenter Box Accounts Senior, David Taylor, a member of the firm's Platinum accredited ACCA training programme, has recently settled into life at the Melbourne firm.

Says Hayden: "Although it's been a bit chilly weather-wise, my first few weeks at MHA Carpenter Box have been outstanding - I've been given a really warm welcome by a great team with a great culture."

During his time in Sussex, Hayden will be exchanging ideas with his new colleagues - particularly around cloud accounting and its add-on ecosystem. The use of cloud technology is currently more embedded in Australian business culture, so Hayden's expertise will help the Sussex firm to stay ahead of the curve in terms of the advice they can give to their many clients who use cloud accounting as a business tool.

"Similar to MHA Carpenter Box, our clients increasingly look to us for services beyond conventional 'number crunching' and we are now positioned as business advisers as well as experts in business finance and tax."

Hayden is from the south of Melbourne, and graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2016 with an accounting degree. He is now training on the Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand programme.

David Taylor, Hayden's UK exchange buddy, is now settling into the Melbourne business community. He has worked extensively with Xero cloud accounting software and will be lending his experience to his new colleagues in Australia until the end of May.

MHA Carpenter Box Practice Director, Chris Coopey, commented: "This is a great career opportunity for Hayden and David and came about through the success of our Business, Innovation, Technology & Efficiency (BITE) events held in 2015 and 2017.

Following these events, Smart Business Solutions contacted us and decided to run their own exciting BITE conference last year, with another scheduled for this May. I'm sure that sharing best practices and ideas around cloud accounting with Hayden will greatly benefit our clients as we help them embrace the future."