Local accounting apprentice 'hotshot' awarded at the North East Accountancy Awards

A 20 year-old graduate from Blyth, Northumberland, has been crowned Accounting Apprentice of the Year at the 17th annual North East Accountancy Awards. 

Eleanor Gray, who joined durhamlane, a Newcastle-based B2B global revenue acceleration company in October 2022 as an accounting apprentice, beat off high-profile names and stiff competition to secure the prestigious award. 

The North East Accountancy Awards recognises excellence within the fields of finance, accounting and tax from all industry sectors operating in the North East.  

The event, held at St. James' Park in Newcastle on Thursday 4 July, brought together the finest talents in the accountancy profession from across the region. Nominees at the awards included team members from KPMG, Deloitte, and Newcastle University, and the event showed the crème de la crème of accountants gathering to celebrate their achievements. 

Eleanor passed her Accounting Technicians level 2 course in September last year, achieving a 95% average grade, before joining the junior board at durhamlane this year. The company’s junior board is a volunteer-based board, headed up by founder and CCO, Richard Lane, which gives durhamlane employees an opportunity to shape change and influence decisions in the business. This features regular sessions with employees, where they gather thoughts and feedback to the main board. 

Eleanor said about her win: “I’m so proud to be taking home this award – it feels like a recognition of all the hard work I’ve put in to get to this point. I owe a huge thanks to the team at durhamlane for always supporting my growth and throughout the learning process. I hope to make even greater strides in my achievements going forwards.” 

Richard Lane added: “We couldn’t be prouder to see Eleanor sit amongst the best and reach this huge and memorable career milestone while representing durhamlane.  

“Eleanor's achievement is a testament to her hard work, skill, and commitment to excellence. Throughout her apprenticeship with durhamlane, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional talent and a passion for her craft, making her well deserving for this esteemed award.” 

As a leading provider of integrated sales and marketing services globally, durhamlane has pioneered its 'Selling at a Higher Level' methodology, distinguishing the company from traditional lead generation agencies by providing integrated marketing and sales solutions that cover the entire sales cycle. From audience research and campaign design to demand generation and deal closure.  

durhamlane's services are designed to enhance sales professionalism and effectiveness to accelerate revenue growth for clients.