Paul English

My Graduate Story

My name is Paul English and I graduated from the University of Birmingham with an BA in Sport and Recreation.

I’m currently working as the CEO of CLA Global, a $3bn professional services firm (accountancy, tax, consulting).

CLA Global came out of the USA, where Clifton Larson Allen (CLA) is one of the top 10 firms in the US. I previously served on the Global Leadership Team at Grant Thornton, the sixth largest global accounting organisation.

A Day in my Life

A typical day in my role includes delivering on our global strategy, which includes specific goals around risk & quality, clients & markets, people & culture, technology and innovation and growth.

I'm often involved in meeting prospective member firms in different parts of the world. I've worked on the ground in over 30 countries across the Americas, , EMEA and APAC. The diversity and commonalities of different business environments is something I love about this role.

My Journey

This has been a circuitous journey. Sports took me down a particular path after graduating linked to corporate wellness and then through a connection to the University of Birmingham, I was offered a post-grad scholarship at Dalhousie University in Canada - linked to the fact I had represented England Universities at football. I went on to be an All-Canadian and national MVP. While in Canada, I began working in the professional services world, and continued when returning to the UK where I began and worked my way up into director and global leader positions. My wife and family are Canadian.

My Birmingham Experience

The intellectual rigour and high quality standards I experienced at Birmingham have shaped my approach and ways of working ever since.

I went on to do post graduate study at Oxford University and was awarded the Said prize for coming top out of a cohort of 80+ students from 30 countries. I'm fairly sure my academic grounding at Birmingham was a factor, even if the subject matter was sports related.

Birmingham's Impact

The most rewarding aspects of my course were the academic discipline, rigour, and of course my fellow students.

We're still in touch and have recently had a 30th, 31st and 32nd year reunion on campus and have had a great time. The WhatsApp group is filled with old and new banter.

My Achievements

I'm a first generation university student and so pleased to have graduated with a 2:1 but representing England Universities 1st XI at football (UAU as was) against Chelsea FC was a highlight, and a passport to a different life in Canada.

Advice for Students

My advice to students could be summed up in two things:

1. Just start (acknowledging getting a start is not easy). Most career paths are emergent rather than linear. Try and learn from each stage and trust it will come together. Your needs and thinking with respect to career change over time, so don't be too fixed in your thinking. As someone who doesn't like numbers, I would have found it hilarious to think I'd go on to be CEO of a major global accounting organisation.
2. A lot of younger people who have worked for me over the years get a little distracted by seeking purpose and fulfillment early in their career, and often end up disappointed when they leave to join charities & not for profits. Finding purpose outside of your career or in parallel is often the most fruitful path - it becomes additive to your career.