Mazars opens doors of new Glasgow office, appoints Scottish Managing Partner

Mazars has become the latest consultancy to move into a new office in Glasgow. The firm also announced it had appointed a new Managing Partner, with Laura Clarkson now tasked with heading up the firm’s Scottish operations.

Following a year of expansion, which saw around 200 trainees add to the firm’s headcount, international professional services group Mazars has moved into new offices at 100 Queen Street, as the firm looks to grow its client base in Scotland’s most populous city. The 70 staff from Mazars’ previous Glasweigian location have all made the move to Queen Street, which is centrally located in one of Glasgow’s most prestigious business areas.

In line with new office spaces across the consulting industry, which increasingly are expected to offer the apex in environmental efficiency, and spatial innovation, the office is newly renovated and offers capacity for true agile working. The new Glasgow location is the latest in an extensive programme of Mazars office upgrades and moves across the UK, pursuing agile environments as a goal, as the organisation seeks to deliver on its vision of a modern firm.

Mazars is the latest in a succession of firms to open up new spaces in Glasgow. Both BJSS and Waterstons arrived in Scotland at the end of 2017, to open for business North of Hadrian’s Wall. Scotland is currently seen as offering up major new consulting opportunities, as businesses in the region – which will be particularly hard hit by Brexit, according to leaked government figures – bid to prepare for an uncertain economic future.

New Managing Partner

Coinciding with the opening of the new location, Mazars also announced the promotion of Laura Clarkson as the firm’s new Managing Partner for Scotland. Clarkson will operate from the Glasgow office, but Mazars’ Scottish wing also comprises of offices in Edinburgh, Perth and Glasgow offices. Last year, Clarkson was one of hundreds of Mazars staff to participate in a 1000 mile relay bicycling event in aid of UK charity, Sense.

Laura Clarkson has been a partner at Mazars for five years, with particular expertise in advisory services for the legal and healthcare sectors. Her new role will continue to be heavily client-focused, with additional responsibility for growth, business development and client satisfaction in Scotland. She succeeds Margaret Laidlaw, who vacates the Managing Director role to take responsibility for building on Mazars’ solution for SMEs, elev8, across the UK.  

The new Scotland office managing partner, commented on the new space for Mazars, “This move is a real statement of intent and a sign of our commitment to growing our presence in Glasgow. With state of the art technology in place, and a modern layout, 100 Queen Street reflects our contemporary approach to work. We are looking forward to welcoming clients through the doors over the coming weeks.” Remarking on her appointment, Clarkson added, “I’m delighted to be at the helm during this exciting move: in recent years, we have grown significantly in Scotland and this move shows that we’re ready to build on that momentum”.

Phil Verity, Mazars UK Senior Partner, meanwhile stated, “Laura’s deep business expertise, relentless focus on clients and affinity with the Scottish market make her the ideal office managing partner. The move to our new Glasgow office is a clear sign of our commitment to serving clients both locally and nationally and I look forward to growing our business further under Laura’s leadership.”