JOHNSTON Carmichael, the independent accountancy and business advisory firm, is to appoint a new chief executive in a boardroom shake-up.
Andrew Walker will take over from Sandy Manson, who has held the role for 12 years, during which time the business has grown to become one of Scotland’s leading professional service firms with revenues growing from £18 million to £49m.
The firm now employs 800 people across 12 locations.
The change of leadership is part of the firm’s long-term succession plan which will also include the firm’s current chair, Andrew Shepherd, stepping down after eight years in the role and will see him continue with the firm in a client-facing role as well as supporting the development of the next generation of talent.
Mr Manson will become chair in his place and will also become Johnston Carmichael’s head of client service.
READ MORE: Accountancy firm seeks further growth in Dundee
Mr Walker is said to have played an important role in the leadership of the firm since joining the business in 2003 and later becoming managing partner of the Aberdeen office, having also been a member of the board for 11 years.
The firm said that in addition to his 23 years’ experience as a successful corporate financier, he also has a deep knowledge of owner-managed businesses.
As well as leading Johnston Carmichael’s digital strategy, Mr Walker took the lead on establishing the firm’s 12th office, launched earlier this month. The new office premises in Dundee was founded to support the city’s burgeoning technology and life sciences sector, worth over £200m to the economy.
Mr Walker said: “It is a great honour to
take over the role of chief executive from Sandy and build on Johnston Carmichael’s strong track record as Scotland’s leading independent accountancy firm.
"Our profession is going through a lot of change and we as a firm need to keep evolving, improving and investing to take advantage of the exciting 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 I am looking forward to harnessing that energy and expertise as we take the business to the next level.”
READ MORE: Glasgow jobs drive launched by finance firm
The firm said that as chief executive Mr Walker will be expected to "continue to grow and diversify the business, building on Mr Manson’s strong legacy", with a focus on developing Johnston Carmichael’s talent pipeline and embracing digital technology.
The accountancy and advisory firm, which was founded in 1936, It said focusing on those areas will ensure the firm is fit for the future, continuing to offer the best possible client solutions.
Mr Manson said: "It has been a huge privilege to serve such a talented and able team of people and the continued success of our firm is all down to our people and the energy and dedication they bring in delivering for our clients each and every day.
"What they have delivered over the last 12 years has surpassed my expectations at every turn.
"If today the Johnston Carmichael brand and what we stand for is more respected and recognised than ever before then that is a legacy I am very proud to have played my part in building.
"I have never been more positive and excited about the future of our firm and after 12 years now is the right time to hand on the baton to Andrew. With his considerable talents and experience, he will take this firm from strength to strength."
Mr Manson added: "I would also like to thank Andrew Shepherd for the immense contribution he has made to the growth and development of this firm in his eight years as chair."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here