Greg Stapley, who joined the growing firm as a senior audit manager in January 2022, has been promoted to the role of audit Responsible Individual (RI) partner.

Originally qualified through the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Mr Stapley became a reciprocal member of ICAS in 2016, leveraging his 15 years of practice experience to secure RI status in Scotland.

The appointment at EQ comes after chief executive Craig Nicol revealed plans to treble turnover from £11 million to £33m by 2029.

It also sees Mr Stapley fulfil a childhood ambition he set at the age of just 12 to reach it to the top of the accountancy ladder.

“This is something I wanted to do since I started secondary school,” said Mr Stapley. “When I was 12 I did a career profile builder on the computer and it came back saying my No. 1 job was accountancy.

“That backed up what I already had in my head. It cemented my goal and I spoke to careers advisors to work out what I needed to do to get there. I had linear focus on that goal because I could see the benefits of getting a job like this.

“We had a family friend who was an accountant and I always looked up to him. He seemed to have a steady job, he was lucky enough to work with numbers and he drove a Porsche.

“Becoming a partner is a long-term ambition and EQ has helped me fulfil it. When I first joined EQ it was the plan all along with a target date of April 2024. It was dependent on us both working towards that goal and, thankfully, I’ve achieved it.”

Mr Nicol said: “Greg’s promotion is a testament to his exceptional talent and dedication. His journey from senior audit manager to partner embodies our commitment to fostering growth and recognising outstanding achievement within our team.

“Greg’s leadership will play a pivotal role in driving our firm forward as we pursue our ambitious ‘triple growth’ plans. His expertise and vision will not only strengthen our auditing arm but also enhance our ability to meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

Mr Stapley, who works out of EQ’s Glenrothes branch office, added: “The audit market has become niche. Some firms are moving out of it, some are coming out of charity audit and some switching off from pension audit.

“But we are doubling down as the requirement for an audit isn’t going away and we can provide experience and expertise to a wide range of our clients on best audit practices.”