Accountancy firm reveals Birmingham expansion plans

Leading audit, accountancy, tax and advisory firm Bishop Fleming has announced plans to open a new office in Birmingham.

The firm, which currently has offices spanning from Worcester in the West Midlands to Truro in the South West will be adding Birmingham to its footprint from this month as part of an ambitious growth strategy.

The new Birmingham office, to be based in the Colmore Business District and announced in the coming weeks, will become Bishop Fleming’s ninth office and eventually one of its largest.

Bishop Fleming’s managing partner Andrew Sandiford said: “Our decision to open a Birmingham office is part of an exciting, bold vision to accelerate our growth as one of the leading mid-tier businesses in the UK.

“In 2023, we added our new Cheltenham office to strengthen our position in the M5 corridor along with our existing Worcester office – so our ambition to push further into the The Midlands has been planned for some time.

“But 2025 will see us accelerate those plans and rapidly too, to really drive our growth into a market we see real potential for our business.”

To deliver its Birmingham vision, Bishop Fleming has drafted in Mark Taylor as office lead of the new Birmingham office.

Mark was formerly Birmingham office lead and regional managing partner of RSM’s central region until March 2024.

Mark, who is also a former Chamber Council member and chaired the Business Commission West Midlands, added: “I’m delighted to be working with Bishop Fleming to build a fantastic new alternative in the accounting and advisory sector in Birmingham and across the Midlands.

“I’ve been hugely impressed by my interactions with the Bishop Fleming team over recent months and with their values and business ethos.

“I am looking forward to leading the business into this new market.”

The firm has already recruited its first senior hire from a Big Four firm in the city, who will be joining Bishop Fleming’s Birmingham office as a new audit partner.

It has plans to quickly establish full-service operations across all four of its core audit, accountancy, tax and advisory service lines.

Andrew added: “Our strategy for Birmingham is to scale up quickly through rewarding, organic growth.

“As such, we have every intention for Birmingham to become one of the largest offices on our portfolio within the next few years.

“That is ambitious, but at the same time, a fantastic opportunity for those looking for a fresh new challenge, or those looking to make their mark in leadership roles.

“But with roles across all service lines and seniority, including partner available, I encourage all talented individuals to contact us to find out more.”

Bishop Fleming has rolling 12-month fee income of over £50m, having grown by 100 per cent over the last five years.

With 40 partners and nearly 550 people, the business has plans to add several hundred more people to its headcount over the next few years, many of whom will be recruited into the new Birmingham office.

Last year, Bishop Fleming became only the second firm to roll out the full Workday HR and Finance ERP platform, putting it on a par with the largest businesses in the UK, and the first customer to deploy new integrated quoting functionality from Workday.

The firm has already outgrown its 10 Templeback office in Bristol and is now taking additional space from 2025 on an adjacent floor.

It is also to a new larger space in Exeter this year.

Pictured: Mark Taylor and Andrew Sandiford