Andrew Griggs joined Spicer & Pegler – later Deloitte – as an accountant in 1986. He left Deloitte to work for Reeves & Neylan in Canterbury in 1992 as a corporate manager, becoming partner in 1996 and senior partner in January 2013. In February 2015, Reeves & Co rebranded to Kreston Reeves. Here, Andrew explains the reasons behind the decision to add the Kreston name…
1) To move forward with our clients.
An increasing number of our clients, both individuals and businesses, have activities outside the UK or wish to develop them. The renaming was intended to show that we are with them all the way.
The business world is becoming increasingly collaborative, complex and international, as well as digital, for many of our clients. We want to reflect these changes for them and us as we move into the next phase of our own journey.
We personally know the people we work with overseas. Kreston has as its strapline: ‘People do business with people they know, like and trust’. All Kreston firms in the UK get together regularly and geographical conferences are held every quarter in North and South America, Asia and Australia, and in June there was a European conference in Rome. I talk personally to many Kreston firms as freely as I do my own colleagues in Kreston Reeves and they respond as quickly as my own partners do.
2) To boost international links
Kreston is the 13th largest accounting network in the world. Being part of a global network bolsters your links with fast-growing global economies such as those of China and South America. It gives you international reach while allowing you to retain your local foundations. With so many entrepreneurial businesses trading internationally nowadays, being able to access a high quality global network is critical.
3) To harness the power of the brand
The quality control within the Kreston network – which spans 108 countries – is the root of its power. All Kreston firms must meet the same exacting standards.
Members of the network have a reputation to uphold, so each must comply with periodic reviews to ensure high standards are maintained across the world. This is different to an association, which is a far looser affiliation.
Being part of Kreston International forces each member firm to focus on its own culture, values and behaviours, and where necessary, bring them into line. Compliance reviews are carried out for each firm around the world on a rotational basis and every review is followed up with action points.
Having the right culture and behaviours in place are vital. A phone call or email to a fellow member firm must be followed up within 24 hours or a complaint can be lodged with the CEO. If change does not happen, the person responsible can be yellow and red carded.
By being part of a network like Kreston International, clients immediately know they are dealing with a high quality firm, with people who deliver.