Canterbury, U.K.-based Burgess Hodgson (BH), a leading provider of accounting and business advisory services to fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprises and individual clients, announced a strategic partnership with Boston-based private equity firm, Abry Partners.
Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Canterbury, BH has a longstanding history of delivering exceptional accounting and advisory services to more than 5,000 SME clients and their owner-managers. BH’s team of over 200 professionals provides a comprehensive suite of services, including audit, tax, accounts advisory, outsourced finance, payroll and corporate advisory solutions. With a senior-led client service model, deep regional roots, trusted brand and strong ties to local universities and business communities, BH has established itself as the advisor of choice for ambitious, high-growth businesses across London and Southeast England.
Abry’s investment marks a significant milestone in BH’s journey, providing strategic and financial support to accelerate growth, broaden its market presence, enhance digital capabilities, and pursue targeted M&A opportunities to transform BH into a super-regional advisory platform. The partnership between BH and Abry is rooted in a shared ambition to deepen BH’s longstanding commitment to its clients. With Abry’s support, BH will expand the breadth and sophistication of its service offering, enhancing its ability to meet the evolving needs of SMEs across the UK. BH’s leadership and broader partnership group will retain significant equity ownership in the business and are committed to steering the firm’s long-term strategic plan.
“This partnership represents an exciting opportunity for our firm,” said Richard Stewart, CEO of Burgess Hodgson. “We’ve built our business by focusing relentlessly on our clients, and Abry shares that ethos. Their track record of backing financial services firms, both in the UK and North America, gives us great confidence in our shared future. Together, we’re well-positioned to build on our legacy and pursue a new phase of growth.”
“Burgess Hodgson is a firm with a strong heritage and significant potential to scale in an attractive and growing sector,” said Vidur Khatri, principal at Abry Partners. “BH is the go-to advisor for SMEs across Southeast England, and we look forward to working closely with the team to invest in technology and thoughtfully pursue strategic partnerships.” Zaid Khanbozai, VP at Abry Partners, added, “BH represents exactly the kind of firm Abry seeks to back — entrepreneurial and client-focused. We are excited to support Richard and the broader BH partnership group to expand the firm’s reach and continue building a market-leading platform for SME advisory services.”
In connection with Abry’s investment, Mark Pacitti, a former global leader of Deloitte’s corporate finance advisory practice and past chairman of the ICAEW Corporate finance faculty, will join the board of Burgess Hodgson as non-executive chairman to support the firm’s strategic growth and operational development.
