As part of the firm’s long term succession plan, audit partner David Wilson will lead the Aberdeen office, business advisory partner Rosalind Catto heads up the firm’s Inverness office and Business Advisory partner Louise Peters becomes office head in Forfar.

Each will be responsible for driving forward the firm’s national strategy in their local market, leading and engaging the local team in a collaborative way and connecting their client bases to the talent in the firm that best suits their needs, bringing the firm’s sector experience and knowledge to the fore.

In a year when a global pandemic has fundamentally changed the way people do business, one outcome of working remotely, is that it has broken down geographical barriers between cities and regions.

A UK top 20 firm and Scotland’s largest independent accountancy and business advisory firm, Johnston Carmichael has 800 staff and partners across the UK who are able to provide specialist support to clients no matter where they are located.

However, the business, which was founded in Moray more than 80 years ago, remains committed to supporting its local markets with a deep knowledge and understanding of local issues and sectors as well as a continued commitment to supporting the communities in which they live and work.

Mr Wilson, who specialises in providing audit and assurance services to growing corporate and larger owner-managed or private equity backed businesses, takes over from business advisory partner Niall Farquharson, as part of ongoing succession plans. Under Mr Farquharson’s leadership, the Aberdeen office has grown to over 140 staff and partners, expanding their office space and achieving double digit growth in revenues in recent years. David’s sector experience spans a range of sectors from Oil & Gas to Food & Drink.

Ms Catto, who has been at Johnston Carmichael since 2009 and became partner in 2017, has taken on the Inverness leadership role from Craig MacPherson who still has responsibility for leading the local market in Elgin. She works across a large and varied portfolio of clients. Having taken a break from working in practice, Ms Catto spent three years working in industry meaning she is able to provide commercial and practical advice to businesses. She is also highly experienced in working with hotel and leisure operators to help monitor and improve performance.

Ms Peters, who joined Johnston Carmichael in 2004, deals with a wide portfolio of clients both local to Forfar and across the North East, particularly specialising in medical and healthcare, construction and property, and hospitality sectors. She is among the few AISMA (Association of Independent Specialist Medical Accountants) members in the North East. Ms Peters takes over from Roddy Anderson in the local market who will be focused on growing the firm’s presence further in the agricultural and dental sectors across the firm.

Andrew Walker, CEO, Johnston Carmichael, said: “David, Rosalind and Louise are highly experienced business advisers and people leaders, with the skills and knowledge to drive forward our business as we continue to navigate the pandemic and plan for post-lockdown.

“Supporting our clients through these difficult times has been our key focus and we want to continue to provide them with a full range of services to help them achieve their objectives.

“In this digital age where businesses have access to data 24/7, they’re looking for more than an accountant. They’re looking for data driven business advisers that can operate in real-time, to help them make informed business decisions when it counts.”

He added: “Our profession is going through a lot of change and we as a firm need to continue evolving, improving and investing to take advantage of the opportunities which exist for a leading independent firm of our national scale.

“Our talent pipeline is stronger than ever because of our long-term focus on succession planning and investing in the skills of the future, and I’m confident that our Office Heads will make an important contribution not only to their local communities but also to our business as part of our senior leadership team.”