Leeds-headquartered Northern Accountants has formed a new strategic advisory board, as the company embarks on a five-year plan to become a ‘top 100’ accountancy firm.
The move sees three non-executive directors join the business, to support the growth trajectory to £7.8m turnover.
With more than 20 years’ learning and development experience, Anna Masheter has been announced as Northern Accountants’ director of people and culture. She brings a wealth of experience in optimising the skills, capabilities, performance and engagement of talent, for multiple UK businesses large and small, and across a range of sectors.
She is joined by communications specialist Katie Mallinson, who sold and exited her own agency – Scriba PR – in 2023. Appointed as acting marketing director, her role is to elevate Northern Accountant’s brand position, and implement an enhanced marketing strategy that will drive new customer acquisition, retention, and the wider reputation of the business.
Nick Washbourne completes the NED line-up. With a 25-year career in sales and business development, he spent more than a decade as commercial director of Leeds-headquartered Force24. Now with the same title at Northern Accountants, his role is to build a world class, scalable business development model for this ambitious firm.
The advisory board also includes managing director Phil Ellerby who founded Northern Accountants in his garden shed in 2008, as well as the company’s existing operations director Ben Muncaster. Lean Six Sigma specialist Ben was appointed in 2018 to drive transformational change in the business, and the duo’s leadership – alongside the performance of the wider 36-strong team – has led Northern Accountants to where it is today.
However, as Phil explains, the journey is far from over.
“I’ve always believed in doing things differently,” he said. “But to say we’re not your traditional accountancy practice simply doesn’t cut it. We have invested heavily in technology over the years, to develop a slick and efficient business that empowers our people to ‘do their thing’, and liberates our clients in the process.
“I’m not saying we’ve always got everything right, but we’ve also worked hard to employ the best possible talent – colleagues who really have our clients’ backs. It’s our point of difference in a crowded, price-sensitive industry, and with so many mergers and acquisitions taking place in our industry, I think we can leverage our position even further.”
“But we also acknowledged that to maintain – if not further enhance – our customer service levels, we needed to free up our team to concentrate on what they do best,” Phil added. “We have four other phenomenal directors in the company, for instance, but they’re accountants who are far better focused on managing client matters – from critical compliance to more strategic advisory services that will unlock growth. That’s the reason the advisory board was formed – we sought experts in their field to support us on our bold journey.”
Having just recorded the best-performing quarter in Northern Accountants’ 17-year history, turnover currently stands at £3.3m, and the team – with offices in Leeds, Hull and a presence in Scotland – is already ranked in the top 300 accountancy practices in the UK. Nine additional new recruits are soon to be announced.
