Celebrating 25 Years of Ruth Pearson at Whitings

From Trainee Accountant to Payroll Queen!

On 31st July, we celebrate an incredible achievement as Ruth marks 25 years at Whitings. That’s right—Ruth has been here so long that when she started, people actually used paper for payroll and nobody knew what a Teams meeting was.

When did Ruth start at Whitings?

Ruth joined Whitings in 2001 as a Trainee Accountant after an interview she may or may not have had a little insider help preparing for. As I happened to be good friends with her “boyfriend” at the time (yes, I can hear the cries of “fix!”), I may have given her a few pointers. To be fair, that boyfriend has now been her husband for 20 years, so clearly she knew how to play the long game.

After completing her AAT qualification, Ruth was awarded Student of the Year at West Suffolk College—a sign even then that she was destined for great things, or at the very least, destined to spend the next 25 years explaining payroll to confused clients.

What has changed in Ruth’s time at Whitings?

Payroll has always been a big part of Ruth’s role. She remembers the good old days of handwritten deduction cards and calculating tax and National Insurance from giant booklets full of tiny numbers. Younger members of the team may find this hard to believe, but payroll once existed without Excel, cloud software, or Google. She has never been known to run away from a payroll question—although she is still trying to run the London Marathon. She only narrowly missed out on a place this year by approximately 1.2 million people.

A bit more about Ruth…

Despite regularly claiming to be a “cool mum”, Ruth also enjoys plane spotting and bird watching. We’ll leave it to you to decide whether those hobbies strengthen or weaken her argument.

In her 25 years at the Mildenhall office, Ruth has seen colleagues come and go, offices change, systems evolve, and fashions… well, let’s just say there have been multiple work wardrobes, handbags, and enough pairs of shoes to rival a department store. Not always working at the same desk, but always the same Ruth.

Life at Whitings for Ruth today

Today, Ruth is one of the driving forces behind Whitings’ Payroll Department, managing payroll services for a wide range of clients. With payroll legislation constantly changing, her expertise, attention to detail, and ability to remember obscure payroll rules that nobody else has ever heard of are invaluable.

Beyond payroll, Ruth is known for her professionalism, approachable nature, willingness to help others, and surprisingly extensive cocktail knowledge. A unique skill set that has undoubtedly contributed to the success of Team Mildenhall. She has become a familiar face not only at Mildenhall, but across the firm and among countless clients who know they are in safe hands.

Congratulations, Ruth – our Payroll Queen – and thank you for 25 years of exceptional service!

On behalf of everyone at Whitings, thank you Ruth for your outstanding contribution over the last quarter century. We’re incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done. Although another 25 years might be pushing it… we’d certainly settle for many more payroll years, a London Marathon place, and perhaps a few cocktail recommendations along the way.