Q&A: UHY Hacker Young Manchester reaches 100 years in business
The company looks back on the founding of the firm, its biggest achievements in the last 12 months, and its ambitious five-year plan
How was UHY Hacker Young founded 100 years ago?
The UHY Manchester office was originally formed from JC Allen and Co, later joining the Hacker Young Group and becoming a founder of the UHY International Network.
UHY Hacker Young was first started by Johnny Rubens and Mark Hacker, who were both sons of Jewish tradesmen and had been friends since their schooldays. In 1924, they each qualified as accountants; Rubens as a chartered accountant and Hacker as a certified accountant. In 1925, they rented an office in 123-124 Chancery Lane, London WC2, and founded Hacker Rubens and Co.
From the start, their aim was to help people with financial problems to get back on their feet. For the sum of £3 (at the time), they wrote up incomplete records and audited them for friends and contacts within the Jewish community. It was natural that they also specialised in insolvency matters.
What have been the firm’s biggest achievements in the last 12 months?
The firm successfully transitioned into a new leadership structure with the introduction of a new CEO, CFO and COO. The firm’s income also grew, as well as the expansion of our staff count, delivering year-on-year growth of 18%.
We also saw multiple awards nominations – Eleanor Driver, audit manager, won ‘Manager of the Year’ at MiMAs, Bailey Morgan was shortlisted for ‘Young Apprentice of the Year’, and our accounts and business advisory team for ‘Young Professional Team of the Year’ at the North West Young Professionals Awards.
The firm’s CEO, David Kendrick, was also shortlisted for ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ and the corporate finance team was shortlisted for ‘Mid-Market Corporate Finance Team of the Year’ at the upcoming North West Dealmakers Awards.
Can you tell us about your five-year plan for the firm?
The five-year plan is to double the size of the business, growing from approximately £9m in revenues to closer to £20m by 2027, with team members increasing from 100 to 200 during that period. This includes a key focus on culture, values and helping our staff prosper.
How does the firm choose its ‘Employee of the Year’ and what made administrator Faye Nolan stand out?
‘Employee of the Year’ is decided by our team members. We ask them to vote for a staff member and give their reasons as to why. The individual with the most votes is given ‘Employee of the Year’; Faye stood out as she’s extremely hard-working and a team player, and received over 40 staff votes!
Has the firm got anything new planned before the year’s end?
We are implementing a new AI platform to assist with client onboarding, data management and overall practice efficiency.
