New Birmingham office for finance firm
Midlands accounting and advisory firm PKF Smith Cooper has embarked on a new chapter in Birmingham with an office move to Grade A-specified Cornerblock on Cornwall Street to accommodate the firm’s ongoing expansion plans.
The Birmingham team move into the new premises, which are situated in the commercial heart of the city, on Tuesday 22nd October. The building’s state-of-the-art amenities include an on-site gym and the largest private roof terrace in Birmingham.
It has already been a busy year for PKF Smith Cooper’s Birmingham team, which has welcomed 19 new hires since January 2024 including an audit director, Corporate Finance team expansion, Employment Tax director, Business Development senior manager and most recently a Corporate Tax manager. The office move will help support further team growth as part of the company’s ambitious plans to double in size.
Darren Hodson, Corporate Finance partner at PKF Smith Cooper, commented: “Expanding capacity and capability across our core locations in the Midlands is central to our strategy. Investment in Birmingham is a key part of this as we bring in more like-minded clients and team members.
“We provide first class services to our clients and we want to do that in an appealing environment to maximise opportunities for those clients, our partners and the team.
“Investment in Birmingham demonstrates our commitment to the region and will hope it will benefit the whole community. Developing our regional presence is an important part of our growth plans having previously invested in our Derby and Nottingham office space. Many team members enjoy our hybrid working but supplementing this with attractive office space ensures we provide compelling working environments, in every office, that are fully equipped to meet our employee needs and facilitate collaboration.”
Adam Rollason, Partner at PKF Smith Cooper, added: “Birmingham has always been a key location for PKF Smith Cooper, from which we have developed a reputation for industry-leading accounting and advisory services in the West Midlands.
“The leadership team remain focused on delivering continued year on year growth in the region, and to do this we need to attract the best talent in the market. We firmly believe that our new home will give us the best opportunity to do this, we are therefore delighted to be joining the Bruntwood community.
“I’d also like to thank Liz and her team at CBRE for advising us on our move and helping to source the perfect new home for our Birmingham team.”
Liz Bailey, head of Office Occupier in CBRE’s Office Agency Team in Birmingham, advised PKF Smith Cooper.
She said: "It can be difficult for businesses when deciding whether to stay in their existing office or relocate to a new one, especially with different stakeholders having varied opinions.
“In this instance, Bruntwood's newly refurbished Cornerblock building, with its excellent on-site amenities, including outdoor roof terrace, sealed the deal in favour of relocating.
“I am certain it will make a truly exceptional workplace for the PKF Birmingham team to do business."
Legal advice on the office move was provided by Andrew Stokes, Commercial Property partner at Clarke Willmott.
Pictured (L-R): Adam Rollason, Nick Lee, Darren Hodson and Stephen Newman (PKF partners in Birmingham)
