Dains has launched its brand in Scotland at an event for clients and professional connections, formally presenting the group’s Scottish business under a single name for the first time.

Group chief executive Richard McNeilly praised the Glasgow team at the launch, saying it is the fastest growing business across the whole group.

The event, held at the SVS event and conference, brought together accountants, solicitors, bankers and other advisers who work with the firm. Graeme Bryson, regional management partner for Scotland, opened the evening, telling guests the launch was not simply about introducing a new name.

He described it as an evolution of the independent Scottish firms that joined the Birmingham-based group in October 2022, and said it was about presenting the strength, ambition, capability and culture behind the Dains brand.

Bryson said the legacy firms, William Duncan, Condies and Consilium, had built their reputations on strong teams and a commitment to serving clients, and that those qualities had attracted Dains.

He said early discussions with the group showed a shared mindset and culture, which he described as essential when identifying firms to join. He said Dains would continue to grow in Scotland through acquisitions and further investment.

He stressed to clients that they would see the same people working under the new name, now with access to a wider pool of knowledge and resource, along with specialist services that the legacy firms could not offer alone. He said the move would also create opportunities for staff, with more structured support for training, development and career progression in a competitive recruitment market.

Bryson said: “During our earlier discussions it quickly became clear that we shared a similar mindset and culture. Together was a belief that joining forces would create something positive for our people and our clients and our wider network. This event is not simply about introducing a new name.

“We don’t see a new firm. We see an evolution of our original firms. It is about presenting the strength, ambition and culture behind what we have under the Dains Brand. Dains has built its reputation as a forward-looking accountancy and advisory group with a clear vision to bring together high-quality firms, talented people and genuinely client focused approach.

“Our greatest asset is of course our team and the move creates new opportunities for them. It brings more structured support for training development and career progression.”

He said relationships between accountants, solicitors, bankers and other advisers often help clients make decisions at pivotal moments, such as restructuring, investing or planning for the future, and thanked guests for their support over the years.

McNeilly told the audience that Dains works with people who share similar beliefs, and that the group had been keen to bring the Scottish businesses in on that basis.

He said the aim when Dains came together with William Duncan in October 2022 was to build a challenger business with £20m in revenue operating around the Central Belt of Scotland, and credited the “vision of the team” who made that happen through organic growth and acquisitions.

He said the accountancy sector is dominated by a small number of large firms, and described Dains as a group of regional businesses in which local management makes decisions on how the business is run.

He added: “Brilliant business with brilliant people means I shouldn’t be here what we’re aiming to do as a group is bringing in brilliant businesses and giving them permission and opportunity to thrive. Our fastest growing business across the whole group is right here in Glasgow. Our business building regional businesses of real quality where the management locally runs business day-to-day and make the big decisions on what we and how we plan for it.”