PwC Scotland announces new Private Business/SME team

PwC Scotland is refocusing its commitment to the private business/SME market with the appointment of a new three-partner group to broaden and focus their joined-up Tax, Assurance and Deals offering to the Scottish private business market.

The move comes after a 20 per cent growth in PwC Scotland’s private business work in the year to June 2016 - particularly driven by growth in the Tax and Deals practice including some of Scotland’s highest profile transactions such as the recent deal between Matthew Algie and Tchibo.

The team will be run by partner Susie Simpson as overall Private Business lead for Scotland supported by Kenny Wilson, looking after Private Business Assurance, and Jon Shelley being responsible for private business deals in Scotland and the Aberdeen private business team.

The three partner group will be supported by specialist teams covering Aberdeen/North East, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Susie said: “In Scotland, Private Business is one of PwC’s largest service-lines and reflects the fact that privately owned and private-equity backed businesses are the lifeblood of the Scottish economy capable of providing a baseline of certainty and positive growth in the face of the current period of political and economic change.

“The growth in our Private Business practise in Scotland has bucked the trend even in areas such as the North East of Scotland.”

She added, “Bringing specialisms such as R&D, claims for innovations incentives/government grants and transaction services means that we can work with companies from start-up through life-cycle changes to succession and beyond.

“We have seen an impact on activity from private business clients since the EU Referendum but by no means has the work dried up. The key is just to be innovative and fleet of foot to cope with the changes of a brave new world - exactly what private businesses are good at.

“We’ve always had a strong focus on the private business market in Scotland and this new team will allow to not only offer more across the country but also ensure the businesses we are dealing with are getting strong cross-service knowledge.”