DJH Derby plans future expansion as it marks 20 years of growth

DJH Derby has announced plans to expand its team to 100 people, as it celebrates two decades of growth at its Pride Park offices in Derby.

Since moving to its current location, the East Midlands accountancy group has increased its turnover from £2m to £7m while doubling its workforce to more than 90.

The firm, previously known as Ashgates, said it hopes to build on this growth by capitalising on new opportunities with SMEs and owner managed businesses.

DJH is celebrating senior management members David Newborough and Steve Martin for leading its expansion, as well as fellow directors Arron Anderson, Ian Johnson, Jonathan Williamson and Gavin Booth for 20 years of service to the firm.

Their experience and dedication, the firm said, has helped build its reputation for offering accountancy, tax and business advisory support, along with managed IT services through DJH Tech Partners, an independent business operation led by Managing Director Jon Woliter.

DJH Derby celebrated its milestone with an event at its Prospect Place offices, attended by over 60 people from the region’s professional services community.

Ashgates joined DJH in July 2024 and became DJH Derby the following year.

DJH has 16 offices across the UK and Ireland and 750 employees.

Backed by private equity specialists Tenzing, DJH is eyeing further expansion in the East Midlands, both via organic growth and the possible acquisition of firms in Leicester and Nottingham.

David Newborough, DJH Derby director, said: “The move to Pride Park in Derby was a massive moment for us and provided the platform we needed to accelerate our expansion – both in taking on new clients and attracting the very best talent.”

“And we haven’t looked back, growing the team and ensuring that we continue to support businesses in East Midlands and across the UK with accountancy and auditing requirements, not to mention a dedicated IT offer that was launched in 2017 and now
generates £1.4m in annual revenue.”

He added: “A lot of our current client base has been with us since the move…many are second generation of ownership and others are moving into the third. Our ability to work closely with owner managers to understand their businesses and personal circumstances is one of our greatest strengths. And the biggest compliment is they keep turning to us for advice.”

Director Steve Martin said: “The marketplace was crying out for additional services and more resource, which made the decision to embrace the benefits of being part of a larger organisation a lot easier. This includes access to specialist in-house service lines, including corporate finance and HR, the development of best-in-class IT platforms and adoption of AI in a responsible and managed way.

“Now we have this platform for growth, we are setting our sights on delivering our personal approach to many more businesses across the East Midlands. The larger group is also much better for our team, with more varied career options, the opportunity to work across offices and lots of employee-centred benefits, such as a company car scheme and a charitable volunteering scheme.”

He added: “It was fantastic to have lots of people at Pride Park to look back at the memories and celebrate where we’ve come from. Here’s to the next 20 years and the further growth this will bring our team and our clients!”