Founded in the West Midlands town of Walsall by the seasoned duo of David Baldwin and Shaun Knight, BK Plus has focused primarily on start-ups, entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses and SMEs. It’s fitting then that the company itself reflects that spirit of enterprise, posting steady organic growth and turning heads with a recent acquisition spree. Strengthened by investment from Palatine Private Equity, BK Plus has this year alone acquired Abrams Ashton in the north-west, KJ Watkin & Co in the Midlands, Atkins Ferrie in Cornwall and Andorran in Gloucestershire. In less than a decade, Baldwin and Knight have built a team of 300 people across a network of 15 offices with an annual turnover of around £30m.

National Head of Audit, Chris Hession CA, puts this growth down to BK Plus hitting a sweet spot in a changing marketplace. With its focus on young and growing businesses, he believes the firm is benefiting from a post-pandemic bounce in entrepreneurialism, with additional opportunities emerging from the ramping up of compliance in the audit sector.

“We’re seeing a lot of new start-ups and a lot of activity,” says Hession. “It feels like firms are coming out of hibernation since Covid. I think a big part of our appeal for clients is that we’re very responsive. The strategy of the business was to create a strong presence in every area in which we have an office and for clients to know that, whenever they need us, we’re there to help quickly – often within 10 to 15 minutes. We also offer all the services they need under one roof and provide a huge amount of expertise.

“On top of that, with regulations being tightened, opportunities in audit have developed in three ways. Firstly, there’s a trickle down from clients from the top 10 looking for better value. Secondly, we’ve seen an increase in accountancy partners looking to exit and we’ve been able to bring them in under the BK Plus banner. And thirdly, a number of firms are now dropping their audit licences because of the levels of compliance required. We’re then able to help by providing their audit function, leaving them to focus on their core work.” 

Start from scratch

Hession joined the business in May 2021 with the remit to spearhead the firm’s audit work. That was music to the ears of a talented saxophonist who had originally dreamt of becoming a professional musician. “Dave and Shaun afforded me a rare opportunity to pretty much create an audit department from scratch,” he says. “It’s been really exciting and my role has changed a lot as we’ve grown. We now have offices stretching from Cornwall to Newcastle, and we’re working hard to ensure the experience of our clients is positive wherever we are.”

It was only while studying business management at the University of Birmingham that Hession turned his attention towards accountancy. “I was better at the finance aspects of the course than other areas, such as marketing, so that changed my thinking. I was then fortunate to get a placement with EY, which I really enjoyed,” he says.

That became a full-time job after Hession graduated in 2014. “EY recommended the ICAS route for my qualifications due to the flexibility of the courses and the technical support they provide after you qualify,” he says. “I’m glad they did. I’ve learnt an incredible amount from my clients, but the technical foundation that comes through the ICAS training should always be front of mind, and probably more so in audit than anything else – it continues to be really important to me.

“Audit is seen by some as quite monotonous, but every client does things differently, every engagement has its own quirks and that was what I missed”

“It’s also given me opportunities to do things such as join the ICAS Charities Panel, which I’ve been an active member of since 2021. Through that I’ve seen more of the internal workings and the people at ICAS, which has given me massive respect for what they do behind the scenes.”

After five years at EY, Hession was keen to try life on the client side of things – and was excited to join Huddersfield Town FC as a management accountant during the club’s last adventure in the English Premier League (2017–19). “It was fantastic,” says Hession, a Wolverhampton Wanderers fan. “I enjoyed it, but also realised it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term. I missed the variety of clients and work. The audit process is seen by some as quite monotonous, but every client does things differently, every engagement has its own quirks and that was what I missed. It also helped me to realise that I preferred working with SMEs than with the big corporations.”

Hession returned to the West Midlands to join Walsall-based Baldwins, which later became Azets, bringing him together with Baldwin and Knight in what would become BK Plus. The foundations were already in place. Baldwin had 20 years’ experience of running his own practice, while Knight had a background in banking and corporate finance before becoming CEO at Azets.

What challenges does Hession foresee now for this rapidly growing firm? “Compliance is obviously an area that’s becoming increasingly stringent, so that is a big focus for us, but we’re also ensuring that we move with the times in terms of new technology,” he says. “AI is affecting every industry, and accountancy and audit aren’t immune to that. The challenge is to ensure we understand what’s available and implement new technologies uniformly across our offices in a way that enhances the service to our clients.”

Having recently become a father for the second time, Hession has his hands full outside work – although, when time allows, he still reaches for his saxophone. Nonetheless, you sense he relishes being busy. “Every week for me at BK Plus is different,” he says. “I can be in Helston one day, then Cheltenham, then St Helens. And all our clients face different challenges. Helping them is exciting.”

bkplus.co.uk

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