The specialist on-the-ground support available to the East Midlands’ 250,000 family-owned businesses from advisory network Families in Business (FiB) has been boosted by accountancy and business advisory firm Mazars, which has signed-up to the organisation as an Approved Adviser.
As an Approved Adviser, Mazars will provide accountancy and wealth advice to FiB’s family business members network in Nottingham, Leicester and across the wider East Midlands.
“It is vital family businesses have access to the very best, trusted advisers that truly understand the challenges faced by family firms,” comments Dani Saveker, CEO of FiB, “and the team at Mazars in Nottingham and throughout the East Midlands have an impressive track record of working with businesses in the sector. They represent an excellent addition to our growing network of advisers.
“A FiB survey of East Midlands’ family businesses carried out earlier this year revealed succession and growth as their greatest concerns. Planning and bringing in trusted advisers at an early stage is critical to support them in overcoming these issues. Mazars is a perfect fit for FiB and the East Midlands’ family firms, with their hands-on experience and understanding of issues such as shareholder agreements and how to help them future-proof the business for the next generation.
“FiB is focused on supporting business leaders and stakeholders within family businesses with the ‘nitty gritty’ of day to day life in and around their business,” says Dani, “it’s about our team and our Approved Advisers rolling sleeves up and understanding what matters most to them. Having known Alistair and his team for a number of years we are thrilled that he now brings his energy, passion for family owner businesses, and support to the wider FiB network as he leads the Midlands Mazars initiative.”
Alistair Wesson, Nottingham and East Midlands Managing Partner at Mazars, explains: ‘’Family businesses are the heartbeat of the local, regional and national economy. In the East Midlands we predominantly advise family owned businesses and take great pride in helping them develop their strategies and adding to their success.’’
“We know that 77 percent of privately-owned businesses in the East Midlands are family owned,” adds Dani, “and the high number of family firms need a community like FiB that connects them with tailored advice, consultancy, support and a trusted network, of which our advisers are an integral part.”
Mazars is set to become a FiB Approved Adviser in the North West next month, when FiB will launch in the region with an event in Liverpool for local family businesses and advisers.
FiB delivers focused consultancy, membership, events and tools tailored to the needs of family and owner managed businesses, and its national network of advisers is a vital component of its specialist support for the UK’s family business sector.
Family businesses account for two in every three of the UK’s private enterprises, with three million family businesses in the UK employing over nine million people that contribute almost a quarter of all GDP to the UK economy and have a combined annual turnover of £1.1 trillion.
