Azets’ Regional CEO eyes quadruple growth

Paul Clifford is celebrating 12 months in post

Azets, the UK’s largest regional accountancy and business advisor to SMEs, with 14 offices across the Midlands, Shropshire, and the Welsh Borders, is targeting quadruple growth in the region within the next five years as part of ambitious plans set out by Regional CEO Paul Clifford.

Paul is celebrating 12 months in the role having been handed overall responsibility for Azets’ Central region at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, Azets has continued to invest in people, technology, and infrastructure, and has significantly expanded its regional presence and expertise under Paul’s leadership.

This year, Azets has celebrated a record level of activity in its tax and corporate finance teams, employed 40 graduates and school leavers, and announced 100 new roles in the Midlands, available over the next 12 months, as Azets aims to increase national revenue by 50% by 2026.

Earlier in July, Azets, which rebranded and launched in September 2020, was named Accountancy Firm of the Year 2021 at the prestigious City of Birmingham Business Awards (COBBA) for its accelerated growth and regional impact.

Paul Clifford, Regional CEO with Azets, said: “I’m immensely proud to have led Azets’ in the region for one year, during which time we’ve overcome significant challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, brought a new top 10 accountancy firm to the market, and rebalanced our regional presence to position the business for continued growth. Our strategy now is to quadruple in size within the next five years, both organically and acquisitively.

“I was honoured to be given the role of Regional CEO last year whilst working from home, and I’d like to thank both the Azets’ senior leadership team and my teams across the region for all their support. We’ve welcomed some talented new people into the business, including several graduates and school leavers, and created a fully digitised, mobile-enabled hybrid working environment, enabling staff more choice and the flexibility and encouragement to work from anywhere.

“We’re in the middle of a national recruitment drive, with 100 new roles available in our Central region in the next 12 months, and we’re also proactively looking to expand our regional footprint in to areas where Azets is not currently represented. It is an exciting time for Azets, and I am looking forward to leading the team through the next phases of our regional growth strategy.”