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AAB announces sixth acquisition in just over a year

From left, Emer Hinphey, joint managing partner, Think People Consulting, Graeme Allan, chief executive, AAB, Lisa Thomson, CEO, Purpose HR, and Anne Douglas, joint managing partner, Think People Consulting.
From left, Emer Hinphey, joint managing partner, Think People Consulting, Graeme Allan, chief executive, AAB, Lisa Thomson, CEO, Purpose HR, and Anne Douglas, joint managing partner, Think People Consulting.

AAB has continued its spending spree by snapping up Irish business Think People Consulting (TPC) for an undisclosed sum.

The Aberdeen-based accountancy and business services group – formerly Anderson Anderson & Brown – said its latest acquisition expanded its human resources (HR) consultancy services offering.

TPC boasts an annual revenue of about £1.7 million and a team of 24 people across offices in Belfast and Dublin.

Established by Anne Dougan and Emer Hinphey in 2006, the firm provides a range of HR, and people and organisational development services to public and private sector clients.

Ms Dougan and Ms Hinphey are staying on to help grow the business as part of the AAB group.

They said they were looking forward to enjoying the benefits of AAB’s wider group support and range of services to “bring more value to our clients and help us realise our shared growth plans”.

AAB chief executive Graeme Allan said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to expand the range of HR consultancy services that we can deliver for our clients.”

Graeme Allan, chief executive, AAB.

The deal further strengthens AAB’s HR capability following its takeover of Edinburgh company Purpose HR last year.

It also comes just a few weeks after the group swooped to buy customs consultancy Charlton House, also for an undisclosed sum.

Charlton House, based in Horsham, West Sussex, works with a wide range of businesses on all aspects of the customs supply chain and has a particular focus on compliance services.

Deals on both sides of Irish Sea

In May AAB announced it had “merged” with FPM, based in Newry, Northern Ireland, but with operations on both sides of the Irish border. Financial terms for that deal were also undisclosed.

Purpose HR was one of three acquisitions by AAB last year. It followed the group’s takeover of Glasgow-based accountancy firm Hardie Caldwell, announced at the start of June 2021, in a strategic push into the central belt.

AAB later acquired Leeds-based independent accountancy firm Sagars to further expand its UK regional presence.

AAB also under new ownership

Last October it emerged London-based August Equity had taken a majority stake in AAB for an undisclosed sum.

AAB, based at Prime Four business park, in Kingswells, now boasts annual revenue of about £50 million and a 550-plus workforce, including 41 partners, across more than 10 offices in the UK and Ireland.

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