Partner and Cheltenham office lead, David Butler discusses Bishop Fleming’s growth plans into the Gloucestershire region, and the opportunities it presents for clients and employees.
Can you share with us your career journey and role at Bishop Fleming?
I have been an audit partner at Bishop Fleming for 10 years. Prior to that I trained and worked with a number of top 10 firms and consequently I have a very broad range of experience. The clients I most like working with are owner managed business and charities, and given that these are core for Bishop Fleming, was one of the main attractions to me when I joined the firm.
What was the motivation to open a new office in Cheltenham and what opportunities does it present for Bishop Fleming?
It had been a strategic aim of the firm for a number of years to have an office between our Bristol and Worcester offices, and Cheltenham was the obvious choice. We had an opportunity to acquire a local practice where there was a very good cultural and professional fit, and we took it.
Having a presence in Cheltenham gives us better access to the Gloucestershire market, which is a dynamic business environment, and gives us access to a wider pool of talented people.
How will Bishop Fleming’s established reputation and expertise in the accounting industry benefit clients and employees in the Cheltenham/Gloucestershire region?
The Gloucestershire market has been underserved by the accounting profession. There are few large and medium sized practices that can offer the breadth of services, or provide the level of expertise that organisations in Bristol or Birmingham can expect. We aim to provide the market with more choice and a different outlook.
This is also a great opportunity for our staff. As we offer more services to the local market, this will give our staff the chance to work with interesting clients, to develop professionally and to progress.
What are your future growth plans in Cheltenham?
We want the Cheltenham office to grow rapidly, and double in size in the next 3 years. To enable us to do this we are moving into a brand new office that is in the process of being fitted out. The office is twice the size of the current site and so will give us space to expand. The new office will also be an ultra-modern workspace, offering both staff and clients a much improved environment that will encourage collaboration.
What kind of talent are you looking to recruit for the new office, and what opportunities and career prospects can potential employees expect?
To meet our growth plans we need to recruit a lot of talented people over the next few years. Cheltenham will be a full-service office and therefore we need to recruit an audit team and a corporate finance team. We are also looking to grow our tax offering and so are recruiting tax specialists, for both the corporate and personal tax teams.
If we asked you to describe Bishop Fleming as a place to work in 3 words, what would those 3 words be?
Dynamic, collaborative and supportive