Accountancy giant commits to East Midlands
The Nottingham head of accountancy giant Deloitte has told TheBusinessDesk.com that it is committed to staying in the city – but has bemoaned the lack of Grade A office space in the city centre.
Alistair Pritchard, office senior partner in Nottingham, said although Deloitte would like to move from its Mansfield Road offices, but that the office stock on offer simply isn’t good enough in Nottingham.
“We’ve been in this office a long time and have recently invested in upgrading our facilities here, but we’re looking around in the marketplace constantly. It’d be great if we saw new developments coming out of the ground, but that doesn’t look like happening.
“We go out and look at what’s on the market every couple of years, and some offices I’ve looked at two or three times now.
“We’re committed to staying in the East Midlands and Nottingham as it’s a very important marketplace for us.”
Pritchard said that staying in Nottingham city centre is important for Deloitte’s profile.
He added: “Our people want to be in the city centre, it gives them easy access for shopping and we often go out for a drink together on a Friday night. It’s a large part of our culture.”
Meanwhile, Deloitte has welcomed 16 new starters to its Nottingham practice this September, its highest annual intake in five years, including three through its apprenticeship scheme, BrightStart.
The announcement comes as the firm posts record financial results for year ending 31 May 2016 and Pritchard confirms his plans to attract and retain the brightest talent in and to the region.
Of the 13 university graduates, five are from the University of Nottingham with others joining from other universities across Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Liverpool, York and Sheffield. BrightStart apprentices join from Longfield Academy in Melton Mowbray and St Benedict’s and John Port School in Derby.
Pritchard said: “I have been an ardent supporter of BrightStart since the programme first launched in 2012. It is vital that we continue to try, by all means possible, to identify and attract future talent, regardless of what the ‘traditional’ channels, backgrounds or methods might be.”
