North East accountancy firm thinking digital

North East accountancy practice Tait Walker has augmented plans to work closely with the region’s excelling digital industry.

The firm, which has offices in Gosforth, Morpeth and Stockton, has taken on two new recruits, having seen a staggering improvement in deals activity since the start of 2013.

The appointment of Wayne Ross and Michael Shipley has come at an important time for the Tait Walker’s corporate finance team, as the team set its sights on the booming North East digital and energy markets, having already assisted several companies from these sectors this year.

The corporate finance team has so far completed eight deals this year, with more set to complete in a matter of weeks.

In recent years the North East of England has seen more new technology company start-ups than any area of the UK outside London.

Wayne, 34 from Killingworth, joined the corporate finance team in June from an industry position at an energy firm and 28 year old Michael Shipley, from Newcastle, joined in July having worked in Tait Walker’s business services team since early 2012.

Tait Walker corporate finance partner Michael Smith said: “We are really pleased to have appointed two new people, each bringing very different experiences to the table.

“Wayne has come from an industry position at an energy firm and previously worked in corporate finance in London and the USA. His industry-side perspective in particular is invaluable, as the North East has seen its energy sector maintain steady growth throughout the recession.

“Michael is a qualified chartered accountant and worked in our business services team. This was an ideal place for him to become familiar with Tait Walker’s client base, which will be invaluable background for his new role.

“We are a local firm and we need to develop as our region develops. There is currently a lot of confidence in the market with more funding from banks, more grants available and people buying shares, as well as local enterprise partnerships pushing energy and digital sectors forward, so we needed to build our team to meet this requirement.”

Wayne said of the appointment: “Tait Walker has a great reputation so I’m really looking forward to contributing to this.

“It’s a really positive time for our economy with technology, oil and gas firms in particular beginning to really flourish, so I’m looking forward to getting involved in some interesting transactions in the very near future.”

And Michael added: “I’m really pleased to be joining one of the most highly regarded corporate finance teams in the North East, especially right at a time when the market is particularly strong for our services.”

Michael Smith concluded: “The skills and contacts we currently have, combined with the particular fields we are successfully operating in, means that we might be able to use these on a national basis, which would certainly be a nice thing to do in the future.”