AAB one of the leading independent firms of Chartered Accountants in Scotland, is delighted to announce that Sean McAuley, who heads up the firm’s Fraud Prevention & Investigation and independent Whistleblowing service lines, has successfully achieved the globally preferred Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential. This achievement is awarded by The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the world’s largest anti-fraud organisation and leading provider of anti-fraud training and education. In order to become a CFE, Sean has met a stringent set of criteria and passed a rigorous exam administered by the ACFE, and is now one of only a handful of CFEs in Scotland.

Sean has successfully met the ACFE’s character, experience and education requirements for the CFE credential, and has demonstrated knowledge in four areas critical to the fight against fraud: fraudulent financial transactions, fraud prevention and deterrence, legal elements of fraud and fraud investigation.

He joins the ranks of business and government professionals worldwide who have also earned the CFE certification. CFEs have the ability to: examine data and records to detect and trace fraudulent transactions; interview suspects to obtain information and confessions; write investigation reports; advise clients as to their findings; testify at trial; understand the law as it relates to fraud and fraud investigations; and identify the underlying factors that motivate individuals to commit fraud. A.E. Feldman, a leading executive search firm, states that the CFE “has emerged as the gold standard in the area of fraud.”

Upon receiving the credential Sean commented “I am delighted to now be CFE accredited and to be part of this global anti-fraud community, who are respected across the world. The CFE is an internationally established and recognised qualification which is very valuable as we work with clients all over the world. The recognition and knowledge gained from the CFE will assist us further in ensuring our clients have the correct procedures in place to expose fraud and prevent it from occurring in the first place.”

James Pirrie, Partner at AAB also added “This is a fantastic achievement for Sean, who is now recognised as a world-class anti-fraud expert. Since Sean joined the firm he has demonstrated that he is a leader and expert in the field of fraud prevention and investigation and this achievement recognises his commitment to proficiency and professional excellence. Our team is committed to tackling the global fraud issue by assisting clients to address today’s tough anti-fraud challenges whilst we anticipate the problems of tomorrow and advise them accordingly.”

About the ACFE

The ACFE is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Together with more than 75,000 members, the ACFE is reducing business fraud world-wide and inspiring public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the profession. For more information about the ACFE visit ACFE.com.

Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP, one of the leading independent firms of Chartered Accountants in Scotland, sponsors of The Robert Gordon University Best Final Year Student in Accounting and Finance BA (Hons), has awarded the 2016 prize to Jenny Robertson.

Jenny, who is from Aberdeen and enjoys keeping fit and cooking, achieved a first class honours degree at The Robert Gordon University and has started work in practice, with a view to gaining her CA Qualification.

John Black, Partner said “We have sponsored this award since its introduction in 1997, and continue to be impressed with the exceptionally high standard of candidates graduating from this course.”

Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP (AAB) has this week completed its move from 9 Queens Road to their new purpose built headquarters at the Prime Four Business Park in Kingswells.

Kingshill View will now provide AAB with the world-class platform required by the firm to help continue giving their clients the very best of service. Whilst 9 Queens Road is a fantastic office, the firm has outgrown the space, having only moved in August 2009.

A collaborative working environment was a key requirement for Kingshill View and the 45,000 square feet of office accommodation at the new HQ has capacity for over 350 staff, allowing plenty of room for growth of AAB’s current headcount (circa 240), set to increase by a further 20 when the firms student placement and graduate trainees join in August.

The layout of Kingshill View, along with the state-of-the-art technology, fantastic meeting spaces and the flexibility and openness of the building will enhance team working and operational improvement. The HQ will also assist everybody working in the 37 service areas of the firm to focus on innovation and be better placed to support their client’s ambitions by pioneering integrated advisory solutions in partnership with them.

Graeme Allan, Managing Partner at AAB commented “This outstanding development will allow us to continue to grow and develop our business and provide our staff with a contemporary and collaborative working environment which is second to none. Our thanks go to all of our development partners who have been involved in designing, building, furnishing and decorating the building, we are delighted with the outcome and extremely excited to call this fantastic building the home of AAB.”

AAB announced their plans to move to Prime Four business park back in October 2014 and work officially began on the site in Spring 2015.

We are delighted to announce that AAB has been shortlisted for the 2016 Scottish Accountancy & Finance Awards in the categories of ‘Tax Team of the Year’, which we won for the second consecutive year in 2015, and ‘Accountancy Firm of the Year’. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Glasgow on Thursday June 16.

These awards look to celebrate the vital ‘behind the scenes’ role that accountants play in ensuring the effectiveness of both companies and public sector organisations. The awards will once again be judged by an independent panel of experts with research for the awards being carried out by the Business School at Edinburgh Napier University.

Managing Partner Graeme Allan commented “It is hugely satisfying for our firm’s achievements to be viewed positively by independent bodies in this way. These awards have a particular focus on exceptional client service and employer responsibility, and at AAB we pride ourselves on the relationships which we have with our clients and our people and doing our best for them, so it is fantastic to be on the shortlist.

We look forward to the awards ceremony next month and wish all other finalists the very best of luck.”

Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP (AAB) became the first accountancy firm in Scotland to achieve the prestigious Investors in Young People Gold Award last year, as a result of the firm’s efforts in the recruitment, retention and development of young people. Since then AAB has actively participated in numerous youth employment and development activities including launching a paid summer internship programme, supporting the curriculum at primary schools, backing the P&J Apprentice 100 campaign and enhancing their relationship with local schools, all of these activities run alongside AAB’s annual placement and graduate trainee programmes.

AAB has also been working with ‘Career Ready’, which is a UK wide charity linking employers with schools and colleges to open up the world of work to young people (16-18 year olds) through a structured programme of learning that sits alongside students’ school or college curriculum. It is delivered by employer volunteers who provide masterclasses, mentoring, workplace visits and internships to help students develop their confidence, skills and networks to achieve their potential. Through volunteering for Career Ready employers get the chance to develop their own management skills and find the next generation of talented employees.

Through Career Ready, Jessica Middleton, HR Advisor at AAB, has been mentoring Oldmachar Academy, 5th year student Katie Youngson, who was set to undertake a five-week internship with AAB during Summer 2016. However, having already established a great relationship with AAB and knowing about the numerous training programmes the firm offers, Katie had also applied to AAB’s School Leaver Programme, to learn on the job and work towards achieving a professional accounting qualification. Having thoroughly impressed AAB with her dedication and hard work ethic, Katie was offered a school leaver position with AAB in the firm’s Accounting Services department to start this summer.

Katie commented “Career Ready has been a great opportunity for me and working with Jessica and learning more about AAB and the different options available ultimately helped me make the decision that a workplace training programme was the route I wanted to take to start my career. Through the AAB programme my training and ultimately professional qualification study route will be tailored and unique to me, and I will have the time to get to know the role and my department before my formal training plan commences, which is something that really appealed to me. The prospect of on-the-job training, working with clients from the get go and then in the future studying towards a recognised professional qualification is something I am hugely looking forward to.”

Jessica added “we are constantly looking for bright and enthusiastic individuals to join AAB and build progressive and successful careers with us. Our firm is recognised for providing learning, training and employment opportunities for young people and we are committed to developing the professionals of the future. We invest heavily in our various training programmes and are incredibly proud of the opportunities we offer.

Career Ready has been a fantastic initiative to be a part of and mentoring Katie has been hugely rewarding. She is a very bright young lady and I have no doubt that she will flourish in our school leaver programme. We look forward to welcoming Katie, and our other trainees joining us in internship, placement and graduate roles, to the firm in the summer and helping them all develop the skills required to achieved their ambitions.”

Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP (AAB) has been selected as a finalist in the 2016 cHeRries Awards in the Exemplary Employer of Choice category.

This award focuses on an organisation’s ability to clearly demonstrate that people are genuinely an essential part of their business strategy, and on how having a strong employee focussed culture within the organisation has helped employees feel valued.

Karen Stewart, Chief Human Resources Officer commented “We are delighted to be selected as finalists for this award and to have our employee engagement, retention and recognition initiatives recognised in this way. We know that exceptional people are our greatest asset and that’s why taking care of our great team and keeping us all together is our priority.

Through our unrelenting focus on innovation and operational improvement we constantly strive for creative ways to grow our talent and reward our staff through various communication, engagement and development opportunities.”

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 2 June 2016.

Anderson Anderson & Brown (AAB) are delighted to announce the launch of a bespoke travel app solution, the ‘AAB Trip Tracker’. We are proud to be one of the first accountants in Aberdeen, and indeed Scotland, to create and launch an app of this kind.

For clients who spend a significant amount of time travelling abroad with work or live outside the UK, maintaining an electronic diary or paper trail of their movements throughout the tax year can be time consuming and is often pulled together based on memory after the end of the tax year when UK and overseas tax returns require completion. The app provides an easy to use platform to record these travel details and its GPS functionality means that the calendar automatically updates with the country of presence, reducing manual input required. The app also allows clients to record whether it is a work or rest day and if the day was spent working on or offshore. AAB can then download this information and use it for the purposes of client’s UK tax returns or identifying any potential overseas tax issues.

In addition to this powerful tracking tool, the app also has a number of other helpful features for clients including tax calculators, mileage trackers, quick links to useful sections of the AAB website and contact details.

Graeme Allan, Managing Partner, commented “Communication is key to how we do business here at AAB. We see this app as a big investment in broadening our clients’ means of communicating with us in a way which is most convenient for them. We also spent time working with clients to develop the trip tracker section of the app to ensure that it has all of the features they will get the most benefit from.

Initial responses to the app have been very encouraging. We’ve had some great feedback from users, particularly on the ease of use of the app overall and that so much useful information is readily available.

As well as using the app, it is important to remember that, behind the scenes, our team at AAB are always on hand to provide professional, personal advice and guidance.”

The app is completely free and can be downloaded at the Apple App Store or Android Market Place (Google Play). We are delighted that our app will ease what can be a time consuming and sometimes frustrating task for our clients when tracking work across the globe, as well as enabling us to provide useful and up to date information to our clients whenever it is needed. If you have any questions or comments on the app please contact us.

The Partners of Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP (AAB) are delighted to announce two senior appointments – the promotion of two members of their Management Team to Senior Manager positions.

Simon Glazier, a Chartered Financial Planner, is Head of Wealth Services at AAB Wealth (AAB’s Wealth Management Division) where he is responsible for delivering a world-class holistic Wealth Management and Financial Planning service to clients, as well as managing the team on a day-to-day basis. Simon, a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, is on route to becoming a Certified Financial PlannerCM and has been with AAB Wealth since the firm was formed back in 2011. He was also named UK Chartered Financial Planner of the Year in 2015.

Amanda Ollason joined AAB as a graduate trainee in 2008, qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011 and was promoted to Tax Manager in 2014. Amanda is responsible for managing a large client portfolio focusing on Owner Managed Businesses together with the wide variety of specialist advisory and tax planning projects that comes with these types of clients, in addition to her involvement in Transaction Support working with our Corporate Finance team. Another key part of Amanda’s role is focusing on staff training and development within the tax department.

Graeme Allan, Managing Partner commented “we are committed to providing specialist advice and excellent service to our clients and we are confident that these promotions will further enhance our client service delivery.”

Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP (AAB) has announced three significant internal appointments, they are Douglas Martin as Head of Corporate Finance, and Steven Fraser and Brian McMurray as Directors.

Douglas joined AAB as a graduate trainee, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 2005 and becoming Partner in 2010. Douglas has significant Corporate Finance experience from involvement in over 150 deals. During his time at AAB he has contributed to the firm being named the top dealmakers in Scotland for the last 11 years, after being recognised by the Scottish Business Insider as the accountants having completed the most deals each year from 2005-2015. Douglas succeeds Mike Brown in this role and his appointment forms part of the firm’s succession plan.

Steven joined AAB in 2007 and is Head of AAB’s Integrated Employment Solutions Team, specialising in global employment tax and social security compliance matters. Steven helps businesses strike the balance between monitoring costs and managing risk associated with complex global reporting requirements. Steven is a member of The ICAEW’s tax faculty, enabling AAB to be at the forefront of HMRC change. The faculty’s main objective is to push and work with HMRC for a better tax system.

Brian joined AAB’s Corporate Finance team in 2007 after qualifying as a CA in 2006 with the firm’s Audit Services Department. He primarily acts as Lead Advisor in all areas of Corporate Finance deals with his particular expertise being delivery of acquisitions, disposals, MBO/I’s, debt/equity fund-raising and refinancing. He advises clients in a wide variety of sectors and has played a key role in executing a number of high profile deals in recent years.

Graeme Allan, Managing Partner, commented “These appointments expand our leadership team and further strengthen our ability to deliver only the very best of client service. Each of these promotions is well deserved and key to the succession development and continuing prosperity of the firm.”

Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP (AAB), one of the leading independent firms of Chartered Accountants in Scotland, is pleased to announce the launch of a new Management Consulting division to build on its existing strategy and business advisory services to clients.

AAB’s new Management Consulting services encompasses the following areas:

• Strategy – business planning, strategy reviews and long-term advisory support.
• Management Advisory – succession planning, board evaluation and talent management.
• Change Management – integration planning & management, culture change programmes and business rationalisation.
• Systems & Processes – systems review & assessment and process mapping & improvement.
• Governance – internal audit, contract compliance & audit, risk management and fraud prevention & investigation.

The new division shall initially comprise a 10 strong team which will be headed up by Alasdair Green as Head of Management Consulting. Alasdair has broad management consulting, board advisory, leadership assessment and integration planning experience from across a spectrum of organisations from listed global majors to state and privately owned businesses.

AAB’s Management Consulting team will provide clients with unique advisory services which advise and support business direction, long term business objectives and guides management through change, development and growth phases in the business life cycle. AAB’s multifunctional approach delivers across a matrix of skills and expertise, offering a powerful combination in management expertise and knowledge across finance, people and leadership, tax, business systems and processes and corporate governance.

Douglas Martin, Partner, commented “We are delighted to be launching a new Management Consulting division to be headed up by Alasdair. We have successfully been providing strategy and business advisory services to our clients for a number of years and by establishing and developing a broader and more complimentary range of Management Consulting services, this will enable us to provide a suite of more integrated services to our clients, ensuring that we are best placed to work in partnership with them and support their ambitions.”

Alasdair Green added “I am hugely excited at the prospect of leading AAB’s new Management Consulting unit and look forward to building our reputation in this space in the coming years. We are already working on a number of significant global projects and believe there is a strong demand for our pioneering approach to working with clients.”

AAB have over 250 people working in specialised teams across 37 different service lines, all focused on working in partnership with clients to understand and help deliver their ambitions.