Baker Tilly moves into Aberdeen with buyout

Accountancy firm Baker Tilly. Picture: Bill Henry

Simpson Forsyth, which was founded in 1990, currently employs 30 staff and three partners with all transferring over to Baker Tilly which also has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grangemouth, and Lerwick.

The practice will operate under the Baker Tilly brand from October.

No financial details have been provided on the terms of the deal, which will see Simpson Forsyth founder Andrew Forsyth become a partner of Baker Tilly and will continue to lead the Aberdeen office.

He said: “At Simpson Forsyth we have been providing clients with a wide range of accounting, audit and tax services, always with a focus on excellent client care. Our merger with Baker Tilly will enable us to maintain this ethos and take this proposition to another level for the benefit of our clients.

“Combining the complementary skill sets of partners and staff from both firms will give additional breadth and depth to our overall service offering.”

Baker Tilly is the seventh-largest chartered accountants in the UK with around 3,500 staff and partners and annual revenues of around £300m.

Robert Ross, managing partner of Baker Tilly in Scotland, said: “We have made no secret of our intention to enter the market in Aberdeen given its importance to Scotland’s economy and the increasing demand for our services in the area.

“Simpson Forsyth is a fantastic firm with great people who are highly respected in the  Aberdeen market, and the merger provides us with the perfect platform for further growth.”