Homegrown accountant will lead firm’s North East head office

Mar 12 2008 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

A PROFESSIONAL services firm has appointed homegrown talent to lead its regional head office.

Newcastle-born Mick Thompson, 46, has spent most of his working life at KPMG’s offices in the city and has now been appointed its new senior partner.

He will take over the North East practice, which has 160 staff, from April 2, when Richard Bottomley steps down from the role in preparation for his retirement later in the year. Mr Thompson was born and bred in the North East and has progressed his 25 year career with KPMG largely in the region.

He was instrumental in the consolidation of its regional presence in their Quayside location, shortly before becoming a partner in 1997.

And he has worked with many of the North East’s most high profile private and public sector organisations, including Greggs, Bellway, Northgate, Hargreaves, Port of Tyne, and One NorthEast, as well as a wide range of owner managed businesses and AIM listed clients. He said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to head up KPMG’s practice in the North East. The private and public sector organisations based here represent ambitious, demanding – yet friendly – clients and I enjoy immensely the challenge of providing a broad range of first class professional services.

“KPMG’s success in this region lies in our ability to enhance our clients’ operations through the sharing of knowledge, leveraging on our global and sector specific expertise, delivered in a down-to-earth and pragmatic way by local professionals who are the backbone of our business and the reason why I have found my career to date so fulfilling.

“I am delighted to lead this talented and passionate team at KPMG in Newcastle. The office has grown to become a full service office in recent years, with M&A, restructuring, forensic and public sector advisory teams complementing our long established audit and tax service lines and I look forward to delivering further success and growth in the future, in line with our ambitious business plan.”

He was keen to praise the role Richard Bottomley has played in recent years saying: “Much of KPMG’s strength in the local market is down to the commitment and ambition of Richard who has been the office senior partner here for 11 years.

“I wish him a fulfilling retirement from the firm later in the year, but take comfort in the fact that he has every intention of continuing to work in the North East after his retirement from KPMG and add further value to the local business community.

“And, in particular, as the new President of the North East Chamber of Commerce, Richard will bring a great deal to this influential organisation.”