Top 10 Accountancy Firm Azets Opens Tunbridge Wells Office

Azets, a UK top 10 accountancy firm, has opened an office in Tunbridge Wells at Lonsdale Gate, in Lonsdale Gardens - complementing its existing base in Maidstone and giving the firm a second physical presence in West Kent.

The office is headed up by business advisory partner Dean Yorath and private client partner Nicola MacAulay, who between them bring more than three decades of local experience, having both previously worked for a regional accountancy firm in the town. It offers a full service and can also draw on hundreds of Azets specialists across Kent, London and the wider south east.

Dean Yorath, who joined Azets in 2023, said Tunbridge Wells and its surrounding area - Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Crowborough and the wider Wealden district - "host a robust mix of SMEs across a variety of sectors," pointing to around 6,500 businesses registered in the town. "Our research shows that most Tunbridge Wells businesses and entrepreneurs prefer financial advisers to be based locally," he said, adding that the firm already serves West Kent clients from Maidstone and that a local base would shorten response times and "create more touchpoints with the business community." He also pointed to strong local demand for personal tax and estate and inheritance tax planning in "an affluent area."

Eddi Taylor, Azets' south east regional managing partner, described the move as part of "our ambitious growth programme looking at West Kent and into Sussex, where we currently don't have a physical presence," saying the office would "strategically complement our existing Kent and London offices." Azets employs around 150 people across Kent, part of a national network of more than 70 offices. The firm will also be headline sponsor of the Tunbridge Wells Business Show on 5 November at the town's Assembly Hall.

Source: Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce