Azets

Azets Opco Limited, commonly referred to as ’’Azets", is a Jersey incorporated international accounting, tax, audit, advisory and business services group. The group was formed in 2016 through the merger of Visma BPO, Blick Rothenberg, and Baldwins. The group claims to be the largest provider of accountancy, payroll and tax services to SME customers in Northern Europe.

Azets

Trade name	Azets
Company type	private company limited by guarantee
Industry	Professional services
Founded	Sep 2016 (Sep 2016) in Jersey, Channel Islands
Founder	John Connolly and HgCapital
Headquarters	Jersey, Channel Islands
Area served	Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Sweden, UK
Key people	Melanie Richards (Chair Azets Opco) Chris Horne (CEO Azets Opco)
Services	Audit and Assurance Advisory Tax Payroll Accounting Technology and Business Services
Revenue	GB£505 million (2023)
Number of employees	8,200 (2023)
Website	www.azets.com

The business was founded by John Connolly, former Global Chairman of Deloitte and for 12 years CEO of the UK firm, partnering with HgCapital. The aim was to build a professional services network, initially by strategically purchasing smaller firms. Accountancy Age reported that the group and its private equity backers planned to challenge the dominance of the Big Four accounting firms. The group was originally known as the Cogital Group before rebranding to Azets in 2020.

At launch, the Azets Group had 3,200 employees based in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the UK, with a nearshore centre in Romania. Group revenue was circa £300 million.

In June 2023 PAI Partners succeeded in its bid to acquire a co-controlling stake in the group alongside Hg. A £1.5 billion bid fronted by John Connolly was rejected.

Blick Rothenberg

Blick Rothenberg is a tax, accounting, and advisory firm based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1945, the firm has established itself as a provider of professional services, offering a broad range of expertise to businesses, individuals, and organisations. The firm provides services including audit and assurance, tax planning and compliance, corporate finance, and business advisory.

Blick Rothenberg was acquired by HgCapital, a private equity firm, in 2016, as part of a strategy to build a broader professional services group. It was subsequently merged into the Azets group.

Blick Rothenberg have worked with the Independent and the Guardian to prepare Budget calculator, helping UK taxpayers to understand the impact of budget changes.

Campbell Dallas

Campbell Dallas

Company type	Accountants & Business Advisors
Industry	Professional services
Founded	1999 (1999)
Headquarters	Glasgow, Scotland
Area served	United Kingdom
Services	Accountants / Tax advice / Financial and business adviser, training provider, Corporate Finance
Number of employees	500+ (2017)
Parent	Azets
Website	www.campbelldallas.co.uk

Campbell Dallas is a firm of accountants & business advisors in Scotland.

Campbell Dallas was formed in 1999 with the merger of Campbell & Co of Bearsden & Paisley and Dallas Nicoll & Co of Paisley. More acquisitions followed: in 2003, they acquired Reeves & Neylan Chartered Accountants of Perth, in 2005 they acquired MacMillan Chartered Accountants of Glasgow, in 2006 MacPherson & Company of Aberdeen and Gordon Ferguson & Company of Stirling, and in 2016 W White & Co of Kilmarnock and Bell & Company of Perth. In 2017 they became part of Cogital and in 2020 the business rebranded to Azets.

The firm had over 500 staff including 50 partners, operating from 7 locations across Scotland; Aberdeen, Ayr, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth, and Stirling. The business now operates under the Azets brand in Scotland.

Awards

Campbell Dallas is Scotland's Accountancy Firm of the Year 2017, 2016 and 2015 and award holders of the Training Team of the Year. They are currently ranked as one of the Top Five Scottish Accountancy firms and scooped up Corporate Finance Team of the Year and Restructuring Team of the Year at the Scottish Accountancy and Finance Awards, 2016. They were a finalist in the mid-tier category at the British Accountancy Awards 2017, winners of Best Tax Practice in a Devolved Administration at the Tolley's Taxation Awards 2017 and Aileen Scott received a Scottish Women's Award for Services to Accountancy and Finance 2017.

Sustainability

In December 2015 the roof of their Glasgow office was kitted out with 300 solar panels to harness clean and renewable energy to help power the office. In April 2017 they acquired two electric cars which staff can use for business travel. The solar panels in one year produced enough green energy to drive a company BMW i3 nearly ten times around the world – or 250,000 miles. The investment in electric vehicles and solar panels is a core part of the firm's desire to place sustainability at the heart of its corporate culture.

Investing in people

Campbell Dallas is an ICAS approved training provider, an ACCA Platinum Level Accredited Training Firm and an AAT Accredited Employer. They hold the Investors in Young People Gold Accreditation, which recognises the importance the firm places on the recruitment, retention and development of young people.

Azets

In 2017, the firm became part of the international group Azets. and in September 2020 the business rebranded to Azets across the UK, Europe and Nordics.