William Meadon launches boutique advisory firm Steppingstone

As businesses across the UK look for an alternative to the generalist offerings of the country’s largest professional services firms, William Meadon has founded a new consultancy. Steppingstone will see the veteran accountant look to build an affordable, flexible ‘one-stop shop’ for clients looking for bespoke advisory work.

A chartered accountant with more than 35 years of experience, William Meadon has previously served as a UK equity fund manager with both J.P. Morgan and Schroders. As he looks to help companies evaluate and strengthen their offering, he has decided to put that experience to use while founding his own consulting firm.

Steppingstone will work with private UK companies of all sizes, providing access to a flexible network of a broad range of professionals, each with experience at blue-chip companies across the industrial spectrum. This enables Steppingstone to go to market with a diverse offering, including legal and accounting, capital raising, and marketing and branding services.

Meanwhile, providing an antidote to what is often characterised as the ‘one-size-fits-all’ offering of the largest consulting firms, Steppingstone's professionals will be available “as and when needed” and “charge only for the time they are used”. This is something which Meadon believes will challenge the “expensive, out-dated and impersonal approach of larger firms”, while making top-tier advice affordable to small and mid-sized enterprises.

Meadon expanded, “Steppingstone has risen to the challenge of two unmet needs. Firstly, we have responded to the increasing demands of companies to have one port of call for all their professional services. Offering flexible access to a suite of more affordable advisors… Secondly, while our professional advisors thoroughly enjoy working in their areas of excellence, they increasingly want to do it away from the often debilitating nine-to-five corporate treadmill. The remarkable number and quality of experienced professionals who have already joined our network, bears witness to this.”

As the trend of professionals seeking a better work life balance accelerates, Meadon expects to “only see that number growing.” And with that, the degree to which Steppingstone can support new clients – and challenge established names in the sector – could also grow; something which could provide important services to Britain’s flagging mid-market.