Record-Breaking Growth For The IT Solutions Team At PFK Cooper Parry

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 21 November 2016

The IT Solutions team at PKF Cooper Parry has reinforced its position as the Midlands’ leading provider of IT services and support after a phenomenal 12 months, which has seen staffing numbers double and turnover increase by more than 300%.

L-R: Brett Critchley, partner, Paul Hayes, director and Victoria Playford, partner of the IT Solutions team.

The IT team, which is based at the firm’s East Midlands Airport headquarters and headed-up by award-winning entrepreneur Brett Critchley, has enjoyed unparalleled growth over the past 12 months. Turnover has increased from £1.5m to £3.6m and is on target to hit the £6m mark by 2017, making it one of the fastest growing IT businesses in the Midlands.

Already this year, the team has generated new business to the tune of more than £2.5m. New client wins include household names such as Donington Park, Marks & Spencer, Sandicliffe Motors, Hoar Cross Hall and Arthur Price Cutlery amongst many others.

A new IT solutions team has been established in Birmingham following PKF Cooper Parry’s merger with accountants Clement Keys. This will enable it to expand its Microsoft cloud offering, infrastructure and IT outsourcing services across the Midlands.

Staffing numbers have increased from 20 to 46, with recruitment across all levels of the business, from business analysts and engineers to help desk operators and support staff. This includes the appointment of new director of IT services, Paul Hayes, who was previously managing director of IT support company GCI.

In order to preserve its dedicated service model, the helpdesk team has tripled in size and the IT team as a whole is on target to double in size again within 24 months.

Another major achievement for the IT solutions team is its recent approval as a Microsoft Tier 1 Cloud Service Provider (CSP), a status normally restricted to the largest vendors.

The Microsoft CSP programme is extended to partners that have the capabilities to manage the customer life cycle with Microsoft Cloud Services, including ownership of billing, provisioning and customer support.

The IT Solutions team has been awarded the highly coveted Tier 1 CSP status as a result of its continued success with NAV and Office 365. The firm currently boasts more than 6,000 seats operating Office 365 and is the second fastest growing NAV partner in the country.

As a result of this accreditation, customers are now able to buy directly from PKF Cooper Parry rather than having to deal through Microsoft, which will result in faster response times.

The PKF Cooper Parry IT Solutions team now supplies a range of accounting software, IT products and support, data cabling and services to more than 180 companies - from small start-up business to large corporates.

Much of its continued growth can be attributed to its client-focused approach and unique position as professional business advisors, which enable it to implement IT business systems that are aligned to a company’s long term strategy and business plan.

It is the only firm of business advisors with Microsoft ERP Gold partner status, which gives clients access to the best business software solution, along with the best advice, delivery and support teams. This also ensures that clients benefit from reliable, future-proof systems that will drive their business forward.

It is also the only firm in its league to be a Gold Dynamics NAV Advisor and is a Microsoft Cloud Accelerate partner and Datto Elite Partner.

An exciting few months lie ahead for the IT team with the launch a new datacentre at its Castle Donington HQ. Hosting the datacentre alongside the support team will enable it to give even greater support to its clients’ infrastructure.

Commenting on the expansion of the IT Solutions team, partner Victoria Playford, said:

“We are delighted with our rapid growth and have exciting plans for the future, particularly in Birmingham, where there is a clear gap in the market for a firm which can offer a high level of IT and business advisory support.

“We have a very different skill set to traditional IT support companies - our accounting background makes us stand out from our competitors and gives us real business knowledge when developing complex IT systems for our clients.

“This is supported by our highly skilled team of business analysts, who get to know the way a business runs, re-engineer it and make it more efficient.

“We build long term relationships with our clients and in many cases take over the role of IT director or work alongside existing IT teams.

This involves taking a long term view and helping businesses plan their IT strategies for the next five – 10 years, streamlining the business process, heightening productivity and saving money in the process,” added Victoria.

PKF Cooper Parry is one of the largest independent firms of business advisers in the Midlands with an established track record of helping local businesses and private clients in the UK and internationally.

The firm acts for more locally owned private businesses in the Midlands with a turnover in excess of £5 million than any other accounting, tax and advisory firm.

The merger with Clement Keys has created a £30m turnover group with a 410 strong workforce spanning the East and West Midlands.

It is the fastest growing top 100 accountancy and business advisory firm in the UK. Its aim is to double turnover in the next two years, with the creation of up to 100 new jobs.

For further information, contact the IT team on 01332 411163.  

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