Chiltern PLC restructures to focus on tax
Chiltern has announced that it has completed a programme of restructuring to focus on its core tax business. The final transaction, the merger of top 50 accounting firm MRIMR, formerly part owned by associates of Chiltern, with Mazars, one of the UK’s top 20, has removed any remaining potential conflicts with Chiltern’s clients.
Matthew Wickers, CEO at Chiltern said: “Chiltern has a great tax business, but for many years our message has been diluted by the activities of related companies. This transaction, which follows the disposal of our trust business, our wealth management and our property businesses, removes any ambiguity and gives a clear message to the market. If you want tax expertise, personal service and value for money, Chiltern is your natural destination. Think tax, think Chiltern”.
Chiltern’s tax business serves four key markets: companies, professional intermediaries, public sector organisations and high net worth private clients.
The rapid growth of Chiltern’s Corporate Business, which has doubled in size in the last four years, is in part a result of the more demanding regulatory environment in which companies are doing business. As an independent tax adviser, Chiltern does not undertake audit work, minimising the risk of conflicts of interest. This has been a key differentiator for Chiltern in competing with the tax departments of even the largest of the full-service accountancy firms.
In the professional intermediary market, Chiltern has the longest experience and best reputation for authoritative tax advice. The firm’s specialist “Tax Support for Professionals” team was founded 25 years ago when three former tax inspectors set up the UK’s first dedicated tax support service for accountants in practice. It is this team that is primarily responsible for Chiltern’s reputation as ‘the tax expert’s tax expert’.
As Chiltern’s growth continues and its client base expands, the firm has launched an active recruitment programme. Chiltern sees itself as the natural home for tax specialists and an attractive alternative to the Big Four for those committed to a career in tax and seeking early challenges and responsibility.
As an expression of the firm’s renewed focus on tax, Chiltern is also adopting a new set of brand guidelines and a new firm descriptor that will appear as part of its logo: Chiltern – Specialists in Tax.
Matthew Wickers concludes: “The sheer volume of tax legislation means that there is an increasing demand for objective, expert advice. Chiltern is the only independent tax business of scale in the market and we will leverage that to build on our reputation, recruiting the best people and growing our UK and international clientele over the coming years”.