BDO South Africa and Grant Thornton Pretoria today announced that they will join forces to create a stronger Pretoria-based firm. The new combined firm will continue to operate under the BDO brand name and be associated with the international BDO network.
The merger will boost the number of partners and directors operating under the BDO name in Pretoria to 14 and the number of total staff to over 160, with seven (7) new partners joining BDO from Grant Thornton. According to John Spencer, the CEO of BDO in South Africa, “This merger provides us with the critical mass to solidify our position as the largest firm outside of the Big 4 in Gauteng, and the 4th largest firm in Pretoria”.
Johan Blignaut, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton Pretoria, comments “This exciting development marks a new era for us. BDO operates as a national firm with values very similar to our own. Servicing our clients’ needs has always been our number one priority, and the significant strategic alignment that exists between our firms will not only ensure seamless integration but enable us to use our combined skills to assist our clients to understand and overcome the challenges in the economy”.
“This merger is the result of a desire by both firms to create a bigger firm in Pretoria that will ultimately bring about clear benefits for clients and staff. The increased capacity, skills and resources will contribute to a more comprehensive service offering for clients, since a bigger firm means a greater ability to expand and invest in new and existing service lines. Similarly, our staff will benefit from new challenges and experiences which will result in exciting career opportunities”, he continues.
Roy Edge, BDO’s Managing Partner in Pretoria, says “Our enhanced size and resource base means we are more easily able to meet the demands and challenges of our expanding client base, as well as providing those companies that don’t currently use BDO with an attractive alternative. BDO has always been a proponent of greater choice in the marketplace, and the added strength to our existing practice in Pretoria means greater capacity for us and our clients. This enhanced capacity and the technical expertise we bring to the table means we are ideally equipped to service business owners and companies – both public and private – in the upper end of the market”.
“With this amalgamation, we are firmly on the way to ensuring that BDO is the leading challenger to the larger firms and a leader in our chosen market segments in the accounting profession in South Africa”, concludes Mr. Spencer.
Note to editors:
Service provision within the international BDO network of independent member firms (‘the BDO network’) is coordinated by Brussels Worldwide Services BVBA, a limited liability company incorporated in Belgium with its statutory seat in Brussels.
Each of BDO International Limited (the governing entity of the BDO network), Brussels Worldwide Services BVBA and the member firms is a separate legal entity and has no liability for another such entity’s acts or omissions. Nothing in the arrangements or rules of the BDO network shall constitute or imply an agency relationship or a partnership between BDO International Limited, Brussels Worldwide Services BVBA and/or the member firms of the BDO network.
BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO member firms. BDO is the world’s 5th largest accountancy network. The combined fee income of all the BDO Member Firms, including the members of their exclusive alliances, was $5.28 billion in 2010. The global network has over 1,100 offices in 127 countries and more than 46,000 people provide advisory services throughout the world.
Contacts:
Roy Edge
Managing Partner, Pretoria
BDO South Africa Incorporated
Tel: (012) 433 0160
Cell: 082 556 6222
E-mail:
redge@bdo.co.za
Russell Fox
Director: Marketing & Business Development
BDO Southern African Co-ordination (Pty) Ltd
Tel: (011) 488 1978
Cell: 082 896 9775
E-mail:
rfox@bdo.co.za