Grant Allsopp, Chairman of Walker Wayland Australasia said the two mergers demonstrate the group’s strength of community.
“Our members are attracting other firms because of the culture of shared resources and co-operation across the network,” he said. “The future lies with networks such as ours that offer much more than client referral. It is a shared culture that our clients appreciate.”
Steve Stone, senior partner at Yates Baker McLean said his firm had researched the Bathurst market for some time before selecting a suitable partner.
“We set up an office in Bathurst about 12 months ago to learn more about the market,” he said. “But we were always eager to form an alliance with a local firm.
“Business culture is vital to us. We have spent some time with principal Lesley Bull and believe we can add significant value to the Bathurst community through her firm.”
He said that the primary objective for the merged firm was to continue the focus on the existing client base.
“Bathurst is a growth region and we believe we can grow best by helping current clients to increase their wealth.”
Lesley Bull said continuity was an important factor in the merger.
“We have a close relationship with our clients,” she said. “It is important that the contact continues. I was invited to a number of events and training days with the Yates Baker McLean team and could see that the partners care about their staff. Caring for clients flows on from these values.”
She said Bathurst businesses would gain from the merger through the greater size of the combined practices.
“A firm with six partners allows for a greater degree of specialisation,” she said. “We plan for two partners to be based in Bathurst, adding to the capabilities of our existing staff.”
She said Yates Baker McLean’s association with the Walker Wayland Australasia community was important in securing the merger.
“The ability to draw on resources from around Australasia was particularly attractive,” she said. “It also offers our staff opportunities for secondment to other Walker Wayland member firms to improve their skills.”
Yates Baker McLean is a member of Walker Wayland Australasia Limited, a community of 12 mid-tier accounting and business advisory firms across Australia and New Zealand.
The network was named Australia’s fastest-growing accounting organisation in the latest rankings of accounting firms by national business magazine BRW released last November. A 73 percent growth spurt in 2012 helped the network jump five places since last year to 27th in BRW’s annual Top 100 rankings.
For more information about Walker Wayland Australasia Limited, go to the Web site, https://wwaustralasia.com or call Chairman Grant Allsopp on +61 2 9951 5400.
For further details about Yates Baker McLean, call Steve Stone on +61 2 6363 1533. The firm’s web address is www.ybm.com.au