National hat trick delight for local accountants

Whenit comes to counting awards, the Preston office of UK accountancy firm, Haines Watts, is leading the way with a prestigious hat-trick of national titles.

Haines Watts have been named Accountancy Firm of the Year – SMEs, at the FDs Excellence Awards. The latest recognition comes on the back of having won Auditor of the Year for the past two years.

The annual awards recognise the service providers that support Britain’s finance community using the results of an annual survey in which FDS and financial decision-makers recorded their opinions.

The glittering awards ceremony was held in Grosvenor Square, London and hosted by Real Business in association with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and supported by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Haines Watts beat off competition from other UK firms such as KPMG, Grant Thornton, BDO, Baker Tilly and Deloittes.

Gillian Isibor, director at the Leyland-based practice, said: “It’s great to see Haines Watts win such a prestigious award. This type of recognition really matters to us because it’s voted for by business people and not by an academic panel of experts.

“It’s fantastic that we are the first firm ever to have won an award in three consecutive years. We are proud of all our staff who do an outstanding job for our clients day to day. It’s a team effort, they have all contributed to this award.” With a hat-trick of titles in the bag, Gillian and team are already planning and working towards a ‘fantastic fourth’ in 2015.