HCW on growth path after awards glory

ACCOUNTANCY firm Horwath Clark Whitehill is aiming to double the size of its North West practice.

The firm led in the region, by high-flyer, 36-year-old Michael Jayson, is already riding high this year having won a clutch of awards, the most recent being mid-tier ‘Auditor of the Year’ at the Real Business/CBI FDs’ Excellence Awards.

Mr Jayson, one of the youngest managing partners in the country, said he is looking at acquisition opportunities as well as key appointments from other firms.

“We are seeing a few people approach us from other mid tier and larger firms, and if we were going to do an acquisition it would have to be a larger regional firm, and it’s something I’m considering.”

A former partner with Ernst & Young, Mr Jayson, who in his spare time is company secretary of Share Liverpool FC, an industrial and provident society advancing fan ownership of Liverpool FC, joined HCW two years ago.

“In my last role with E&Y I was increasingly having to spend more time in London, and then the opportunity came up to come here and grow this business and it was a really attractive.”

He says the firm can offer high quality work at much lower prices than the bigger firms.

While the bulk of the firms clients are small and medium-sized businesses, HCW’s specialist teams on pensions and not-for-profit organisations, represent some of the biggest businesses in Europe.

Looking ahead, Mr Jayson says: “We have had an excellent start to the year on the awards front which is particularly pleasing as they are voted for by our clients and should help us achieve our growth plans across the North West.”

As well as the mid-tier audit award, Horwath Clark Whitehill, which has five partners at its Manchester office and 50 staff, was recently voted best firm for charity expertise by the readers of Charity Finance Magazine and was also high commended in the 2009 Pension Accountant of the Year awards.