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Now that KE Costs and Paramount Legal Costs have united to become Peak Costs, we’re taking a closer look at the people behind the merger, speaking to team members from both sides who’ve been collaborating to shape this new chapter. We’re shining a light on some of the individuals now part of Peak Costs, exploring what they believe sets the team apart, and what this evolution means for our colleagues and the clients we support.
For our second ‘meet the team’ feature, we chatted to Business Support Manager, Karen Walsh (formerly of Paramount Costs) and Director, Becky Fasting (formerly of KE Costs), to get to know them a bit better and learn more about what our firm’s culture and values mean to them.
We started by finding out where Karen and Becky’s journeys started in the industry and what working together means for them both.
Karen
I started in December 2010. I needed a job with flexibility and, at the time, Paramount were expanding and they needed somebody to help with admin, invoices and that sort of thing. As we grew, I took on more tasks like HR, marketing and more operational tasks.
As we grew further, I was able to focus on the HR and personnel side. I really enjoy getting people together as much as I can. Whilst I don't think people need to work in an office all the time, I do believe that you need a human connection, not just video calls. I try to find different ways of doing that, through activities like our altogether days or wellbeing walks. When you have that personal connection with someone, you have more opportunities to thrive.
I think Becky and I work really well together. We come at things from a very similar perspective, I really value her calm approach; it helps to keep us on track and make smart decisions.
Becky
I've been with KE from the very beginning. We've started in a tiny office, about 20 square metres. It’s been amazing to see how much we’ve grown over the years. Very similar to Karen, my role at KE was basically everything other than the work that’s getting done for our clients… basically everything else that you need to do to build a business. With the merger, I’ve been working closely with Karen, tapping into Paramount's expertise and their experience in building such a fantastic culture. They've got a really cracking team.
My role is evolving into something that I'm really proud of, which is the people side of things. That's always been my jam: recruitment and onboarding and looking at how we’re going to shape our team and raise our average.
What I’ve really enjoyed about working with Karen is having the support of someone in a similar role. Not only does that mean that we’re not isolated in the role, it also means we have twice the strength together! Because we worked so closely as a team at KE, I thought the relationship with the team in Carlisle might take some getting used to. In reality, it’s been a seamless transition, and we’ve been working really closely from day one.
One thing that's clear to us from day one is to maintain the strong cultures of both firms as we come together. This alignment has helped us hit the ground running as Peak Costs and we asked Karen and Becky why they think we’re working so well, so quickly.
Becky
I think it really is collaboration, and that forms an important part of our values. The amount of work that has gone into this merger, it is a true collaboration. And do you know what? I've loved every bit of it. I'm growing so much, it's not all easy, but it's coming so naturally because it's we do genuinely care.
Karen
I think we're all normal people! We don't have an ego. Both firms have come from a place where the people are important, so that’s key to everything that we do.
We make sure we look after our people as much as we can. It's important because we know that work is a big part of somebody's life. We don’t want to make it miserable; we want to make it a place that people want to come to and know they can thrive. Also, a place where you can have fun, where people are approachable. Martin (our MD) shares his contact details with everyone because he genuinely wants people to know that they can call him at any point to talk something over.
One thing that I’m most passionate about is I can see that there's so much we can achieve for people individually and that has been amplified by the merger. There’s now an ability to say, “This is what I want my career to look like, how are we going to do that?” Like Becky said, with collaboration, we can put in the steps to see what that looks like and how we can support it. We've got the room to move, grow and expand, which we didn't have before. Your career progression can be very much personalised to you. We're not going to keep you stuck in a channel, you’re empowered to forge your own pathway.
Becky
As the team’s grown significantly, it’s prompted a restructure and created new roles, which is really exciting. Most of the team are fee-earners, which can limit growth due to time constraints. What we’re seeing now is people expressing interest in new opportunities, like marketing, client engagement, business development, public speaking, and mentoring. It’s switched on people’s scope for potential, and we’re here for that.
For me, it's principles over personalities. I think that's why we're going from strength to strength. Because when we have been tested, especially in the last few months, I find that we're always able to come back to our core values. There's a very strong foundation, and it's getting stronger.
And speaking of values, we asked which of our Peak Costs values they would say is the most important to them, and why!
Karen
So I think I'd go with, ‘people like us keep it human.’
Everybody has good days, everybody has bad days. There’s always support here everyday as long as we all communicate and collaborate. We’re all human beings, just normal people normal people trying to create a space for other normal people to work and thrive. There are no secrets. There's no catch.
Becky
For me it’s ‘people like us collaborate always’. It’s a value we’ve got to live every day. Collaboration is where we came from and it’s what’s going to take us to the next level. It’s a huge part of why both teams wanted to come together in the first place, to create something new and exciting together. We’re open to expanding and growing too. Knowing that there are people on the horizon that can add value to Peak that we haven’t even met yet is really exciting to me.
From the very beginning, we’ve put people first. Whether that’s our clients or the brilliant team behind the scenes. We asked Karen and Becky why they would encourage others to join Peak Costs, and what the merger has brought to the table for both our people and the business as a whole.
Becky
Following on from what Karen said, we’re just ordinary people, but we’re creating extraordinary careers. Personally, I don’t think I could be in a better place than here at Peak. It's what I aspire for everyone who works with us currently, and everyone who joins us in the future.
I think extraordinary can be unique to the individual, too. I don’t think I could do my job without the support, understanding and backing of the team. It makes me realise how lucky I am. I'm proud of the work that I'm doing and I'm improving all the time. I think we can define what success looks like to each of us as individuals, and that’s what we aspire to for all of our team.
Karen
We believe in building strong, honest relationships with our clients. That means having real conversations, no sugarcoating, no games. We tell people what’s right for them, even when it’s not easy, because that’s how trust is built. At the heart of it, we’re more powerful when we’re being open, honest and true to ourselves, and we know our clients value that straightforward, genuine approach too.
Becky and Karen both provide vital services to what matters most here at Peak Costs: the people! We’ll be meeting more of our newly bonded team to find out their story and the fantastic things they bring to the firm.
If you’d like to find out more about Peak Costs and what we’ve been up to, check out our insights and events page on our new website. And if you want to find out more about working with us get in touch with the team on our contact page here.
