Double partner appointments fuel Midlands expansion

Bishop Fleming accelerates Midlands expansion with two partner hires. The firm has appointed Lucy Fairclough and Muhammad Usman as the first partners in its new Birmingham office, strengthening its audit and advisory services in the Midlands.

[L to R: Mark Taylor, Lucy Fairclough & Muhammad Usman]

The appointments will be the first of several planned partner-level hires into the new office this year. As the firm accelerates its growth in the Midlands market, it will be supported by a team of new people at all levels, including apprentices.
    
Lucy Fairclough, who will join as a Financial Reporting Partner with the Audit service line, brings a wealth of experience to the role, including nine years at PwC and a further nine years at KPMG. Having started her career as an apprentice with PwC in Birmingham, Lucy has progressed through the ranks and now joins from accounting and advisory firm Azets. At Bishop Fleming, Lucy will apply her technical expertise in financial reporting, corporate restructuring, and UK compliance and play an important role in the strategic growth of the service offering in Birmingham and supporting clients across the region.

Lucy Fairclough commented:

“I'm delighted to be joining Bishop Fleming at such an exciting time for the firm. I’ve long been impressed by the strength of its reputation and brand, and I’m particularly drawn to the opportunities offered as a founding member of the Birmingham office. The firm’s thoughtful, strategic approach to growth really stood out to me, and the infrastructure behind the business is impressive.

It’s also clear that Bishop Fleming invests in its people for the long term, most notably with its outstanding Ofsted rating that demonstrates a commitment to developing its workforce. That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident, and I’m excited to be part of a firm that aligns so strongly with my own values and ambitions."

Muhammad Usman, who joins as an Audit Partner, brings similar professional experience, having worked in KPMG’s audit team for over 18 years. Usman’s focus will be on mid-market and entrepreneurial businesses, having predominantly worked with owner-managed businesses, SMEs, startups, and private equity-backed businesses in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, construction, retail, professional services, media, telecoms and IT services.

Muhammad Usman adds:

“The growth of Bishop Fleming’s Birmingham office presents a huge opportunity, and I’m thrilled to be joining the firm to help establish and grow our presence in such a dynamic market. The Midlands boasts a diverse economy, a thriving middle market, and an exciting startup ecosystem, all underpinned by access to a highly skilled talent pool through some of the UK’s leading universities in the region. In exploring the firm, I was struck by its recent accolades, strong market reputation, and clear momentum. It’s a business with ambition and purpose, and I’m excited to be part of its next chapter.

With increasing government and infrastructure investment, and a strong presence of the Big Four, it’s clear there’s significant market potential here. I’m looking forward to helping clients in the region thrive and bringing Bishop Fleming’s trusted expertise to the heart of the Midlands.”

These two partner appointments are just the first of many lateral hires the firm is planning to make this year, as part of its Better Growth business strategy, which is designed to double the size of its business and transform its operations.

Focussed on sustainable growth, Bishop Fleming is on track to deliver fees of £48m this year, having grown by 100% over the last five years. With four internal partner promotions planned in June, Lucy and Usman’s appointments will take the number of new partners to nine this year alone, with the firm reaching 47 partners. A further 70 apprentices will join later this year, taking its headcount to over 550 people, and the business has plans to add hundreds more people to its headcount over the next few years. A significant number of these roles will be based in Birmingham; in the firm’s recently expanded Bristol office; and the firm’s fantastic new office in Winslade Park, Exeter, opened in April.

Birmingham Office Lead, Mark Taylor, said:

“We’re thrilled to welcome Lucy and Usman to Bishop Fleming as the first leadership hires in our Birmingham office. They will build our presence in the city as we eye an ambitious goal of replicating an office the size of our Bristol base, and a home to an eventual team of over 200 people.

Their appointments will bring the number of new Audit Partners this year to seven and come at a time of real momentum for our audit practice, which has achieved 20% year-on-year growth over the past few years. This growth reflects both the strength of our proposition and the scale of opportunity we see ahead, particularly in a city like Birmingham, with its vibrant economy and deep talent pool.

The matching ambitions of Lucy and Usman, paired with their passion for the region, make them a great combination that will offer an exemplary service for clients in The Midlands and deliver yet more growth for Bishop Fleming.” 

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