SBP recently projected a 20% increase in its client base by the end of the year following strong client growth, strategic talent investment, and expansion across its regional offices.

John Hannah, owner and managing partner, told The Press and Journal that it was now among “very few firms in the county sector that have remained independent”, which he sees as a key differentiator for SBP.

“Private equity has come in over the last maybe five-plus years and, to be perfectly honest, I have been offered absolutely silly money”, he said.

“But I won’t take it because I believe, when private equity comes in, your fees go up, your staff get overworked and your staff aren’t happy.

“I’m going to sell the business down to the people I’ve trained below me because they have helped me make the money.

“I’ll actually end up with a lot less money [than] if I sold it to private equity – but it’s the right thing for me, the right thing for my clients and the right thing for my staff.”

SBP operates in Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Banff and has grown its headcount by 11 per cent over the past six months.