Accountancy firm celebrates 20th anniversary by strengthening team

A Coventry-based accountancy firm is celebrating its 20th anniversary – and is expecting to hit the 50-staff mark in 2024.

Spencer Gardner Dickins (SGD), which is based at the Coventry Innovation Village, was established in 2004 and specialises in tax support for businesses and individuals.

The company has announced a raft of new appointments and promotions at the tail-end of 2023 to take it to 43 members of the team and is looking to progress beyond 50 over the course of its anniversary year.

Paul Spencer, a Founding Director of the business, said: “I’d spent 15 to 16 years with one of the ‘big six’ accountancy firms but I could see that its commitment to Coventry and the business community here was diminishing.

“Myself and two colleagues Bryan Gardner and Paul Dickins spotted an opportunity to set up on our own with the aim of growing a business that could really support companies and individuals in Coventry and the wider Warwickshire area.

“Twenty years on, and we’re still here, we’re still serving our clients and we are offering great careers to over 40 people within the team.

“Also, we’re offering a great place to work that understands the pressures of modern life – whether that’s being a parent or a carer – and we have worked hard to be flexible and adaptable to make sure we get the best people.

“We had people working from home long before it became widespread with the pandemic because we could see that it was a great way of attracting and retaining talent.

“That said, we’ve made sure that we have maintained a great culture and team ethic within the business and the office and, again, we were ahead of the game from that point of view.

“It’s hard to believe that we have been in business for 20 years now. When you set up, you’re not sure how successful a practice like this is going to be but both clients and staff have bought into what we wanted to achieve.

“And I am so pleased we’ve been able to do it here in Coventry. The city has been good to us and, despite all of the challenges, I am delighted to see the improvements that have taken place over the years and still believe it is very much a city on the up.”