AA Awards 2008: Large Firm of the Year

An expansion into offshore financial services, a flurry of cross-border deals and strong growth in audit and tax practices is set to make 2008 a record year for Mazars and has carried the firm to success as the Large Firm of the Year Award winner.

The firm, which has offices in 46 countries, grew revenue by 19% to £86m in the year to 31 August 2007 in the UK, helped by a contribution from MRI Moores Rowland, which was acquired in April last year.

Mazars is confident it can maintain this impressive growth, predicting revenue for 2007/08 to exceed £100m.
Over the past year Mazars, formed by the merger with Neville Russell in 1998, has opened an office in Jersey and has already secured three big clients. It has also opened an office in Belfast and moved its UK headquarters to Tower Bridge House in London.

Its London office has boosted revenues by expanding its business in cross-border fundraising and transactions, also acting as reporting accountants for 11% of the foreign companies listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market. The firm has also acted as reporting accountants on 18 IPOs in London since 2007.

Mazars’ core services of audit and tax managed strong growth in a competitive market, with the fast-growing tax practice among the UK’s top 20 firms in the Accountancy Age top 50 survey.

The firm is also helping shape debate about the future of the accountancy profession through its membership of the Financial Reporting Council’s Market Participants Group and the Audit Firm Governance Working Group.

The combination of expansion and innovation impressed the judges, who said: ‘The firm has shown a terrific performance and has moved into a new space through acquisition. The firm makes a huge contribution to the profession and has won some very impressive work. There’s clearly innovation under way and this was an entry that just could not be ignored.’

Mission statement

‘We are independent, integrated and international. We are also one of Europe’s largest accounting firms with a huge global presence, working with a wide range of clients across many sectors.

Our team has one common goal – to focus on our client’s agendas and deliver value through a personal touch backed by big experience.’