Rising star joins Leathers the Accountants

A rising star of the cycling world who rides for the team established by legendary cyclist Dame Sarah Storey has taken a job with one of the team’s sponsors.

Anna Kay, the youngest member of Storey Racing at only 19 – who secured her first podium finish last weekend in the under 23s National Championships Road Race – has joined Leathers the Accountants in a part-time admin and marketing role, which gives her the flexibility to work around her demanding training and racing schedule.

Leathers, one of the North’s leading accountants with offices in Newcastle and Durham and a client base spanning the UK and around the world, is one of the sponsors of Storey Racing. The 12 rider team, established last year by Dame Sarah and her husband Barney, was founded to offer the very best in racing opportunities and mentoring to its cyclists. Dame Sarah is the most successful female British Paralympian of all time with 14 gold medals, as well as being six-time British national track champion.

The fast-growing accountancy firm has become known for its own cycling feats, with the Leathers team raising tens of thousands of pounds through taking part in challenges including Le Loop, which follows the exact course of the Tour de France and is one of the toughest courses in cycling.

Michael Leather, managing partner of Leathers, has completed Le Loop three times, and now often joins Storey Racing at their training camps. Dame Sarah has hailed him as an “inspiration”.

Anna, from Gateshead, said she is very pleased to join the Leathers team.

“Dame Sarah always encourages us to get to know our sponsors, and Leathers sounded like a really interesting business, plus they are based in the North East where I’m from. I met Michael during one of our training camps in Lanzarote and his commitment and drive is just fantastic. I thought Leathers is somewhere I would really like to work,” she said.

“I am really enjoying it here, the team is very friendly and I am learning all the time. It’s perfect for me as I am learning more about Leathers while doing a job I really like, with the extra benefit of being able to work it around my training. My rest days are now spent in Leathers, which I am enjoying very much.”

Michael Leather said: “Since I founded the business almost 30 years ago, offering opportunities to young ambitious people is something we have prided ourselves on. Anna, as well as being a fantastic cyclist and one of the rising stars of Storey Racing, is now also a valued part of the Leathers team. As a business which fully understands the demands of cycling, we are very pleased to support her by offering her a role which balances around her training schedule. She is doing a great job for us and we are delighted to have her here.”