Bishop Fleming appoints two partners to new Birmingham office

Bishop Fleming has appointed Lucy Fairclough and Muhammad Usman as its first two new partners to lead its recently opened Birmingham office, marking the start of a planned recruitment drive in the region.

The firm opened its Birmingham office earlier this year and plans further partner-level hires in the coming months.

Fairclough joins as financial reporting partner within the audit service line. She has held senior roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), KPMG and Azets, and began her career as an apprentice in PWC’s Birmingham office. At Bishop Fleming, she will focus on financial reporting, corporate restructuring and UK compliance.

Meanwhile, Usman has been appointed as audit partner following an 18-year career at KPMG. He has worked with owner-managed businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups and private equity-backed firms across sectors including manufacturing, construction, retail, telecoms and IT.

The appointments form part of Bishop Fleming’s ‘Better Growth’ strategy, aimed at doubling the size of the business. The firm expects to report fees of £48m this year, having doubled in size over the past five years.

Four internal partner promotions are also scheduled for June, bringing the total number of new partners this year to nine and taking the overall partnership to 47. A further 70 apprentices will join later in the year, increasing the headcount to more than 550.

Additionally, the firm also has expansion plans for its Bristol and Winslade Park offices, with significant recruitment planned across all locations.

Fairclough said: “I’m delighted to be joining Bishop Fleming at such an exciting time for the firm. I’ve long been impressed by the strength of its reputation and brand, and I’m particularly drawn to the opportunities offered as a founding member of the Birmingham office.”

Usman added: “The growth of Bishop Fleming’s Birmingham office presents a huge opportunity, and I’m thrilled to be joining the firm to help establish and grow our presence in such a dynamic market.”

Mark Taylor, Birmingham office lead at Bishop Fleming, concluded: “We’re thrilled to welcome Lucy and Usman to Bishop Fleming as the first leadership hires in our Birmingham office. They will build our presence in the city as we eye an ambitious goal of replicating an office the size of our Bristol base.”