THE largest independent accountancy firm in the North East Tait Walker has announced the opening of its fourth North East office, taking up residence in Durham city.
The new base will bridge the gap between its Newcastle, Morpeth and Teesside offices that are home to its 155 staff, giving full coverage of the region.
Tait Walker’s new office, situated at Salvus House in Aykley Heads, will provide the platform for the company to further its services to support existing clients and the scale up of the Durham business community. The team brings leading expertise in the manufacturing, construction and tech sectors in particular to the local area.
Heading up the company expansion is associate partner, Paul Shields, who will be supported by Michael Smith, the corporate finance team and other tax and wealth management specialists.
Michael Smith, who heads up the Corporate Finance team was recently named as Insider’s 2017 Dealmaker of the Year. In the last 10 years, Tait Walker has completed the most corporate deals in Durham out of any financial or accountancy firm.*
These include the Middlesbrough College acquisition of Durham-based NECC Training, the management buy-out of Tanfield Engineering in Consett, the acquisition of Blacks Autos in Darlington to Vertu Motors and management buy-out of JDP Contracting Services in Newton Aycliffe, to name a few.
Paul Shields, associate partner at Tait Walker, said:” We have been working with clients across Durham for many years, and continue to grow our offering in this area, especially in corporate finance and specialist tax. With the launch of new funds in the area, including the £20m Finance Durham Fund, it’s an exciting time for local businesses and an ideal time for Tait Walker to have a new Durham home.
“Our office is there to support our existing clients and to help businesses in County Durham to grow and succeed. Our experience can help companies to access funding and support and we are looking forward to meeting more ambitious business owners across County Durham.”
Andrew Moorby, managing partner at Tait Walker, said: “It’s a great opportunity for Paul and the team to build on our existing Durham client base. We work with some excellent County Durham businesses and this office opening is hopefully going to make us even more accessible and let local businesses know we are there to support them with every business stage.”
The new office coincides with Tait Walker’s 80th year celebrations and recent expansion of its head office in Gosforth, which has seen significant investment in increasing its space by more than 9,000 square feet and allowing for further recruitment in a new working environment.
Tait Walker offers large corporates, owner managed businesses and individuals a complete set of accountancy and advisory services from taxation to corporate finance. For more information visit www.taitwalker.co.uk.