Leeds-based chartered accountancy and business advisory firm Sagars Accountants Ltd, an AAB Group company, is enhancing its leadership team with four key appointments.  Joel Topham, James Hunt, Helen Daniels and Gunhild Dam have been promoted to the newly created Director position.

Joel, James and Helen provide audit, accountancy, taxation and business advisory services and Gunhild is a private client specialist.

As recognised family business advisers, Sagars are also well versed in supporting family business owners across generations, to navigate the best course for their businesses.

Joel plays a leading role within the company to support family businesses of all shapes and sizes, assisting with forecasting, improving the production of management information and providing solutions to a range of business management issues.  Joel has also worked closely with The Family Business Network over the past twelve months, participating in the Advisory Board and Peer Group family business programmes.

Joel said, “In my position as Business Advisory Director, I work with family businesses across a wide range of sectors to help them find solutions to their challenges, fulfil their potential and achieve success.  This is exactly the same support that I provide to the family business owners that I meet through The Family Business Network’s Business Advisory Board and Yorkshire 10 peer group programmes.

“What is special about family businesses is that often there are lots of interesting elements at play,  making them unique and fascinating to work with.”

James is experienced in leading audits for a variety of different businesses, ranging from law firms and manufacturing companies to larger international groups. He is also a senior member of the firm’s virtual finance team, with expertise in helping clients maximise the benefits of tech solutions, using apps and cloud accounting to greatly speed up transaction processing, better integrate their financial systems and improve the quality and relevance of management information.

Helen has significant experience working closely with charities and not-for-profit organisations. She supports them in preparing monthly management accounts and cashflow forecasts, and assists clients with a range of business management issues.

Gunhild provides specialist tax advice to high net worth individuals and their families, trusts, trustees and beneficiaries, as well as business owners and entrepreneurs. She also supports non-UK resident and non-UK domiciled individuals. Focussing on wealth preservation and managing the main taxes, Gunhild is particularly experienced in the taxation of family and owner-managed businesses.

Chris Jones, managing partner at Sagars, said: “These appointments are richly deserved, recognising not only the skill and expertise of each individual, but the contributions they have made to their respective teams.

“One of the driving factors behind our recent merger with AAB was to provide great opportunities for our team. The introduction of the Director role is one of the first steps in ensuring that we can deliver on this commitment, while also aligning our approach with that of the wider AAB group.

“Going forward, our strong and diverse leadership team will not only support the growth aspirations of our business, but also strengthen our ability to deliver the very best client service across a changing market in the UK.”

Sagars and AAB announced they had merged in November 2021 with a clear growth strategy in place to deliver £70 million revenue in 2026, fuelled by recent investment from August Equity.

Image: From L-R, ‘Sagars’ managing partner, Chris Jones, with new Directors; Gunhild Dam, James Hunt, Helen Daniels and Joel Topham’ –  Credit: Jonathan Pow.