Clive Owen LLP announces new leadership team
Clive Owen LLP, which was founded in 1983, has appointed Simon Hook and Kevin Shotton as joint managing partners.
The pair will replace Gary Ellis, who has stepped down after four years in the role.
Mr Ellis will remain with the firm and continue to contribute as a member of the management committee.
He joined the firm in January 1996 and established the Durham office a year later.
He took on the role of managing partner in 2021.
During his tenure, the firm’s headcount grew from 100 to almost 150, and two new offices were launched in Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
Mr Ellis said: “Being part of this amazing firm and its evolution over the last 29 years has been a massive honour, and it has been an immeasurable privilege to lead our incredible team these past four years.
“Clive Owen LLP is a strong, independent practice which is recognised as one of the leading firms of chartered accountants and business advisors in the North, and I am immensely proud of everything that we have collectively achieved.
“The firm is in excellent hands with such a fantastic, vibrant partner group, who I am confident will continue to thrive under the stewardship of Simon and Kevin.”
Mr Hook has been with Clive Owen LLP for more than 20 years, starting as a trainee and qualifying with the firm in 2004 before becoming a partner in 2013.
He acts as the finance partner for the firm and is ‘heavily involved’ in the running of the business.
Mr Shotton was also a trainee and qualified with the practice in 2005, before spending some time at a Big Four firm, returning to Clive Owen LLP in 2012 as a director.
He became a partner in 2015 and has been responsible for the firm’s audit compliance.
Mr Hook and Mr Shotton said: “It is a great privilege and honour to have been appointed as joint managing partners of the firm, and we will strive to build on Gary’s legacy, who has led the firm through a hugely successful period.
“Joint managing partners are becoming increasingly common in professional services, reflecting a shift toward collaborative leadership in the modern workplace.
“By combining our diverse expertise and perspectives, together with the existing, experienced partnership group and management committee, the firm is well-positioned for continued success through a collective commitment to develop our people, drive forward our sustainability agenda as a certified Great Place to Work and deliver an excellent service to clients.
“Our people-first culture and values-led approach will stand us in good stead in this next chapter for Clive Owen LLP, and we are both excited by what the future holds for the firm.”
Under Mr Ellis’s leadership, the firm achieved several accreditations and fostered a people-first culture through the introduction of a series of initiatives to support and promote sustainability, employee wellbeing, and training and development.
These achievements included gaining Great Place to Work accreditation, securing Good Business Charter status, and being recognised as an Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) Climate Champion.
The firm also developed bespoke training programmes to support colleagues’ individual growth and career progression and introduced an innovative nine-day fortnight, where employees work slightly longer hours over nine days to have the tenth working day off.
The firm has grown from a small operation with just one partner into a dynamic firm with almost 150 colleagues.
It prides itself on ‘delivering multi-disciplinary expertise while maintaining a reputation for personal, client-focused service’.