Press Release
Harwood Hutton Celebrates 50 Years of Success
Beaconsfield-based chartered accountants and business advisers Harwood Hutton has celebrated its 50th anniversary by enjoying a trip down memory lane with the firm’s founding Partner, Harold Hernaman.
Harold, and his wife Gwen, attended birthday celebrations at the firm’s offices on 18 May, which gave today’s partners and staff the opportunity to thank them for the part they played in setting Harwood Hutton on the road to success.
Richard Hutton, Partner voiced the team’s feelings by saying, “We owe Harold a debt of gratitude for instilling into the Practice an ethos that focuses so strongly on forward thinking and customer satisfaction. Harold insisted on these from day one and both are as important to us today as they were to him back in 1957.”
Returning to civilian life after World War II, Harold Hernaman applied the disciplines honed as a member of the elite Pathfinder Squadron within Bomber Command to his vision for an accountancy practice that embraced teamwork, trust and excellent service. “Harold’s legacy has been an important factor in our success,” says Hutton.
In fact, Harwood Hutton has gone from strength to strength and today boasts a workforce of around 50, with eight partners, many of whom have industry backgrounds to compliment and reinforce their accountancy expertise.
Harwood Hutton has pioneered an industry-leading approach to the integration of computer technology into the discipline of accountancy and has nurtured a loyal and extensive customer base of individuals and SMEs across the Thames Valley. It was the first practice in the area to gain ISO 9001 accreditation and to be recognised as Investors in People. It has also been acknowledged by Accountancy Age as ‘Small Firm of the Year’.
Today it is focusing on finding new and better ways to deliver the best possible service to clients. The practice has already engaged an expert from the Big 4 to head up its private client team and reinforce its Inheritance Tax Planning capability - an area where demand for advice is currently very high - and offer a full range of services for SMEs looking to grow their businesses, as Partner Adam Stronach explains. “We have a wide range of services available for SMEs, and are finding that many of our SME clients are currently interested in buying or selling businesses. Our support ranges from helping clients to identify opportunities, to advising them on how to structure the deals so that they are tax efficient and helping solicitors with the drafting of the transfer documentation.”
In fact, for a medium-sized practice, Harwood Hutton has some big ideas. “The range of services we offer is equal to that of many of the larger firms,” says Stronach. “We combine this with our local presence, which means our clients enjoy the best of both worlds - full service capability and friendly on-the-doorstep service.”
It’s a formula that has worked extremely well for Harwood Hutton since Harold Hernaman engaged his first clients back in the 1950’s and one that today’s partners are committed to continuing as the practice looks to another 50 successful years of serving the people and businesses of the Thames Valley.
Harwood Hutton continue to be “Pathfinders” for their clients.
L-R: Peter Agius, Steve Wilson, Graham Corney, David Jones, Adam Stronach, John Brace, Harold Hernaman, Michael Harwood, Jon Cable, Richard Hutton
Harwood Hutton | 22 Wycombe End | Beaconsfield | HP9 1NB | 01494 739500 | inform@harwoodhutton.co.uk