Azets UK appoints Leeds Office Managing Director
Pictured Above – TAKING OFFICE 1: International accountancy and business advisory group Azets has appointed Jessica Lawrence as office managing partner in Leeds. Jessica is pictured right with regional managing director Claire Needham, left.
Highly-experienced Jessica Lawrence to lead office into next phase of growth
International accountancy and business advisory group Azets has appointed highly-experienced Jessica Lawrence as office managing partner in Leeds.
She takes charge of the UK top 10 firm’s 130-strong office in King Street at the heart of Leeds city centre and its vibrant financial and business district.
Audit partner Jessica, who is a ICAEW qualified chartered accountant, a chartered tax advisor and holds a Diploma in Charity Accounting, has spent 17 years with the business in Leeds and 27 years in accountancy in total in Yorkshire.
Leeds is one of Azets’ flagship offices – to which the firm relocated in March 2024 – reflecting the strength and strategic importance placed on the city and west Yorkshire. Several of its national service lines are based at the office.
Jessica, who joined the business in 2009 as an audit manager, said: “I feel very proud to become managing partner of the Leeds office.
“When I joined there were just 16 people and now we are up to 130 and have recently moved into a brand new office in the city’s financial district.
“Leeds is an economic powerhouse and one of the largest financial centres in England outside of London so we are in an incredibly positive place where so much is happening.
“We have a talented and ambitious team who are committed to delivering the highest standards across our specialist service lines for our valued client base and playing their part in the community.
“I look forward to building on the Leeds office’s growth trajectory and further expanding our reach across this vibrant and diverse city.”
Jessica is responsible for signing off ICAEW student training in the Leeds office and heads up its ‘Get Involved’ group which raises funds and supports local charities and good causes.
TAKING OFFICE 2: International accountancy and business advisory group Azets has appointed Jessica Lawrence as office managing partner in Leeds. Jessica is pictured left with regional managing director Claire Needham, right, in one of the break-out areas at its city centre office in King Street, Leeds.
This year Leeds and its partner offices in Bradford and York are supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Jessica has worked with a wide range of clients from owner-managed and start-up businesses to large corporate entities and charities.
She is committed to the not-for-profit sector. Half of her clients are charities and she is a trustee for a small charity called Our Angels.
Claire Needham, Azets’ regional managing director for Yorkshire, said: “Warmest congratulations to Jessica on her richly-deserved promotion to managing partner in Leeds.
“She is a highly-experienced and outstanding professional who knows Leeds inside out and brings a passion for the city, its businesses and people to her new role.”
Claire added: “This is another strategic, high-quality appointment that demonstrates the strength of our ambition to continue the growth of our business and positions Leeds for the next phase of its expansion.”
According to Leeds City Council’s Invest Leeds website, the city is the UK’s second largest for financial services with 30 national and international banks, 415 accountancy firms and a growing insurance sector.
According to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Leeds and West Yorkshire is home to over 18,000 business, financial, and professional services (BFPS) firms, employing 192,000 people and generating £15 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2023.
Key institutions such as the Financial Conduct Authority, the British Business Bank and the Bank of England use Leeds as their regional base for the north of the UK.
Based on latest official figures, there are 191,000 VAT and/or PAYE businesses in Yorkshire and The Humber.
Leeds is one of Azets’ three offices in Yorkshire. The others are in York and Bradford. In total it employs 335 people in the county.