Johnston Carmichael embarks on significant Glasgow expansion

Scots accountancy firm Johnston Carmichael has leased an extra floor at its Glasgow premises following a period of rapid growth in the Central Belt.

The firm, which has 11 offices across Scotland, has doubled its turnover in the last 10 years, breaking the £40 million barrier in 2016.

The company has taken over a further 3,000 sq. ft. at its West George Street office in the city’s Blythswood Square business district, amounting to a 50 per cent increase in floor space to accommodate its growing team.

New meeting rooms have been installed and the extra capacity will enable the firm to grow its range of networking events for clients and contacts.

Johnston Carmichael’s Glasgow office has increased the number of permanent staff it employs by more than a fifth over the past year, with 12 new appointments to establish a Business Solutions team in the city and strengthen its Audit, Tax and Restructuring services.

The firm has also strengthened its leadership team in Glasgow with the recent promotion of audit professional, Gavin Young, to audit partner.

Mr Young, who qualified as a chartered accountant almost 20 years ago, began his career at Johnston Carmichael in 2006 as a senior audit manager.

He is now a member of the firm’s audit consultation and advisory group, the role of which is to assist with the effective implementation of audit strategy, and works with a range of clients, from small owner-managed enterprises to international groups across a variety of industry sectors. His promotion brings the number of partners based in Glasgow to six.

To support and identify the next generation, in the last year the Glasgow office has recruited eight graduates to train as chartered accountants, and two school leavers have joined the team on a six-year programme to train as chartered accountants as part of the firm’s JC Futures programme.

Mark Houston, managing partner in Johnston Carmichael’s Glasgow office and member of the firm’s policy board, said: “Since opening a Glasgow office in 2004, we’ve seen fantastic growth; moving to our West George St premises in 2007 and now expanding onto a new floor.

“Despite the challenges thrown at businesses in Scotland, we still see so many opportunities for them, whether they are starting up, growing internationally, or sustaining their position in the market against headwinds.

“Our Glasgow team has experienced strong growth over the past year as we continue to expand and develop the range of services we provide. From financial planning, audit and tax to corporate finance and restructuring, we now have 67 staff based in our Glasgow office and we have ambitious plans to grow further now that we have extra office space.

“I am confident our investment in our Glasgow premises will deliver a boost for our clients in the Central Belt and across Scotland and, as part of the PKF network of independent firms operating across the globe, we are well placed to support firms as they grow.”

Johnston Carmichael has over 700 staff and partners.