David Parkin on a night to remember and a resilient approach

I KNOW what you are going to say.

This photograph captures my best side.

Please yourselves.

This is a photo from the AABIE Charity Ball which I compered at Aspire in Leeds on Saturday evening.

It is getting rarer to have corporate social events held at weekends but on the evidence I saw last Saturday it isn’t so much about when the event is scheduled, but much more about the who and the what.

AAB is not an organisation I have worked with before but it is definitely one I would like to be involved with again.

It is a leading professional services firm with a team of more than 1,000 people operating across the UK, Ireland and the USA providing audit, accounting, tax, payroll, HR and advisory services to a wide range of growing businesses.

Set up by three business partners in Aberdeen in 1990, AAB has grown rapidly and entered the Yorkshire market when it absorbed Leeds-based accountancy firm Sagars in 2021.

My good fortune is that the head of AAB Leeds, James Hunt, has seen me host events before (and may even be a reader of this blog) so when Leeds was chosen as the destination for this year’s annual ball of its charitable initiative called AABIE, they asked me to be the host.

As well as key figures from the AAB group, there were guests from the firm’s clients, contacts and its private equity backer, August Equity.

I could tell from the buzz of conversation during the drinks reception that there was a great mood among the guests.

I already knew some of the key members of the AAB team in Leeds, Sarah Hex and John Beevers and when I bumped into a kilt-wearing Ken Beaty, who told me he’s the firm’s chairman, I knew it was going to be a good night.

Ken and I sat on the board of the charity Maggie’s Yorkshire.

As well as compering the event I conducted the charity auction for lots including a villa for 10 in Portugal, a stay at Gleneagles and an 18 carat white gold pendant from Berry’s Jewellers in Leeds.

I even managed to sell hospitality at next season’s Spurs v Chelsea Premier League match to a fan of St Mirren in Scotland.

He didn’t take offence when I suggested it would be nice for him to experience decent football for a change.

The most frantic bidding centred on a painting by accomplished artist Julie Arbuthnott who is a member of the AAB team in Scotland but also chair of Scotland’s largest annual community arts festival in Pittenweem.

Inspired by her travels around Yorkshire and using her 30 years of oil painting experience, Julie created The Watcher on the Moors, a stunning painting of a woman staring across a bleak landscape.

It was no surprise to learn from Julie that she loves the writings of Charlotte Bronte.

There was a three-cornered bidding battle between chairman Ken Beaty, AAB chief executive Emma Lancaster and one of the group’s founders and the chair of AABIE, Sheena Anderson (she’s one of the A’s in AAB).

Ken eventually triumphed and the auction, plus donations and a raffle for a VIP trip to Wimbledon helped the whole event raise more than £45,000 for charity.

AABIE supports charities and good causes in all the areas where AAB is based and it was heartwarming to watch videos at the event showing how its donations have been used by Leeds Baby Bank and Leeds Women’s Aid.

It was a great night and I even managed to survive another encounter with Heather Swarbrick.

She once confronted me with an umbrella after a charity singing contest for the Yorkshire corporate finance community.

I know it is a slightly incongruous image, but when Heather was introduced to me by her husband John, one of the region’s leading dealmakers, she thought I was a journalist who had been rude about him in print.

Before the brandished brolly was thrust too far my way, John managed to placate his wife and convince her I was a “nice journalist”.

I know you’re thinking that’s an oxymoron but I’ll take it as it is one of the most positive things ever said about me.

They normally just drop the oxy and call me a moron.

IT was off to one of the biggest events in the Yorkshire business calendar last night: Crypt Factor.

The event, at Elland Road, is an X Factor-style singing competition for members of the region’s property community.

For the second year in a row I was invited by our AV supplier Ayre Event Solutions and Leeds Arena.

On one of the hottest nights of the year so far, sitting inside a metal events pavilion with 950 people could have been a challenge.

But the quality of the competitors, coupled with a lively audience and brilliant judges Craig Burrow from Town Centre Securities, Dawn Allen of Pinsent Masons and Garry Howes from GV&Co, made for a cracking night.

Garry even forgave me for my comment last year that his hair and teeth put me in mind of the Bee Gees.

I explained that I’m only jealous.

Our table included Debbie Dobson from the Dakota Hotel and Dave Jones and Elizabeth Harrison from Reward Funding in Leeds.

Debbie and Liz are part of a new women’s only networking group group called MADE and when I asked whether I could join, Debbie said I would be very welcome…post op.

Given The Crypt Factor is held in Leeds and the majority of the audience work in property in the city, I didn’t hold out much hope for a singer from Hull-based property group Wykeland.

Wykeland MD Dominic Gibbons and director Jonathan Stubbs told me their colleague Chloe Conroy is a talented vocalist who writes a lot of her own songs.

I said I would definitely vote for her, but given there were nine other acts, all with plenty of support, I wasn’t hopeful for her chances of success.

But then she sang and I saw exactly what her colleagues were talking about.

The judges chose to put three other acts through to the final and there was an audience vote for the fourth, which was Chloe.

Her performance of Lost Without You was stunning and she won The Crypt Factor on pure talent, not just popularity.

Another highlight of the evening was seeing the usually shy and retiring property lawyer Nick Dyson performing with colleagues from Blacks Solicitors in a band called 5.5 who sang Keep on Moving by 5.

I don’t think managing partner Chris Allen will thank me for it, but I told Nick last night: forget the day job.

“You’ll regret wearing that Parky,” said one of the guests as I arrived at The Crypt Factor in my new Michelsberg jacket.

Given the temperature and 950 people packed into the event space at Elland Road, most male guests were in shirt sleeves and chinos, some even in shorts and polo shirts.

But standards must be maintained.

And my secret weapon was the wool, silk and linen jacket masterminded by Michelsberg.

I wore it all night without ever thinking about taking it off and slinging it over the back of my chair.

And I didn’t undo the top button of my shirt or loosen my tie either.

It’s called resilience.

You’ve either got it or you haven’t.

:::

ALTHOUGH that resilience will be tested tomorrow evening when I’m compering the Greens 2 Blue Charity Ball in Harrogate for lawyers turned ocean rowers Richard Larking and David Knaggs.

It is predicted to be the hottest night of the year but given that tailor James Michelsberg has a table and has donated a suit for the auction, I have to wear the purple velvet dinner jacket he made for me.

I will wear it all night, but when I do finally come off stage I think I’ll be like one of those racehorses that gets buckets of cold water chucked over them when they’ve finished the Grand National.

Have a great weekend.