Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent accountancy firm, has appointed a new office head to lead its team in Aberdeen.
Audit partner David Wilson will head up the Aberdeen office, with responsibility for driving forward the firm’s national strategy in the local market, leading and engaging the local team in a collaborative way and connecting their client base to the talent in the firm that best suits their needs, bringing the firm’s sector experience and knowledge to the fore.
David is one of three new office heads appointed as part of the firm’s long term succession plan; with business advisory partner Rosalind Catto heading up the firm’s Inverness office and business advisory partner Louise Peters becoming office head in Forfar.
In a year when a global pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people do business, one outcome of working remotely, is that it has broken down geographical barriers between cities and regions.
A UK top 20 firm and Scotland’s largest independent accountancy and business advisory firm, Johnston Carmichael has 800 staff and partners across the UK who are able to provide specialist support to clients no matter where they are located. However, the business, which was founded in Moray more than 80 years ago, remains committed to supporting its local markets with a deep knowledge and understanding of local issues and sectors as well as a continued commitment to supporting the communities in which they live and work.
David, who specialises in providing audit and assurance services to growing corporate and larger owner-managed or private equity backed businesses, takes over from business advisory partner Niall Farquharson, as part of ongoing succession plans. Under Niall’s leadership, the Aberdeen office has grown to over 140 staff and partners, expanding their office space and achieving double digit growth in revenues in recent years.
David said: “The oil and gas sector remains core to our business, with construction and property, food and drink, engineering, infrastructure and renewables and technology and life sciences also thriving in the North-east, and our sector experience is key to helping clients navigate these challenging times.
“Whatever the future brings, attracting, nurturing and retaining the best talent is vital to our future success. There is no doubt that the way we work has changed and, at a time when we continue to work from home, team engagement is critically important. Our entire team has done a fantastic job through CV19, for example we recently welcomed 10 new graduates to the Aberdeen team and have been impressed by their positivity and willingness to learn in what are truly exceptional circumstances.”
“We want to ensure Johnston Carmichael continues to provide varied career opportunities in Aberdeen and the North-east. We are a people business, and our growth is dependent on having staff with the expertise, enthusiasm and knowledge to deliver best-in-class services to our existing and new clients.”
Andrew Walker, chief executive officer, Johnston Carmichael, said: “David, Rosalind and Louise are highly experienced business advisers and people leaders, with the skills and knowledge to drive forward our business as we continue to navigate the pandemic and plan for post-lockdown.
“Supporting our clients through these difficult times has been our key focus and we want to continue to provide them with a full range of services to help them achieve their objectives.
“In this digital age where businesses have access to data 24/7, they’re looking for more than an accountant. They’re looking for data driven business advisers that can operate in real-time, to help them make informed business decisions when it counts.
“Our profession is going through a lot of change and we as a firm need to continue evolving, improving and investing to take advantage of the opportunities which exist for a leading independent firm of our national scale.
“Our talent pipeline is stronger than ever because of our long-term focus on succession planning and investing in the skills of the future, and I’m confident that our Office Heads will make an important contribution not only to their local communities but also to our business as part of our senior leadership team.”