Partner Article

Andrew Wilson from unw talks talented employees with bdaily

“There is a really diverse bunch of people working at unw, lots of different backgrounds, specialisms, ages – even Sunderland supporters!” Says Andrew Wilson, one of the managing partners at unw.

unw is an independent firm of chartered accountants, and despite being based in the North East, the company regularly competes on the same platforms as the international service firms. “We have a real depth of experience in transactions, disposals and acquisitions, and bigger PLCs are increasingly beginning to recognise our capabilities,” explains Andrew.

While many of unw’s clients are larger businesses, Andrew was also keen to stress that the business continues to work with SMEs and start-ups, and is dedicated to promoting their success.

“We work with a lot of successful entrepreneurs who have responded to challenges in a declining marketplace to win a market share.

“It is truly commendable that some business have not been deterred by declining markets, and have instead just got up and got on with it.”

Andrew attributes the success of unw to three differentials – expertise, service and value - but the former seems to be of particular importance to Andrew.

’We recently took on Julie Gilhespie and Paul Kaiser, both of whom bring with them a wealth of experience to the firm. However, we are also dedicated to nurturing new talent, and will be taking on two graduates this September.“

The firm has also reaped the benefits of its apprenticeship scheme, after taking on four talented youngsters earlier in the year.

“Due to the changes in university funding, lots of people don’t aspire to go on to further education, aspiring instead to go into the workplace.

“Employing four was a bold mission statement for the business, but we’ve managed to catch some really good quality people at that level. Having young enthusiastic people in the office also creates a fresh outlook on things - which can only be positive for the business.”

While Andrew is immensely proud of everything the business has achieved, he continues to look forward to other opportunities for unw: “We’re constantly searching for new business and considering what other services we can provide.

“We don’t see ourselves as individual offerings here at unw – we work in a team and are always keen to extend this mentality to our relationships with clients.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .