After two years dominated by lockdowns brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, 2022 has been the first year in a while that’s felt close to business as usual - although we all wish the journey towards recovery could be a little less bumpy.
Here at Duncan & Toplis, it has certainly been a year of progress and looking ahead, beyond the immediate economic turbulence.
Soon, we’ll be opening our new office for the Louth area, which we’ll be sharing with solicitors, Wilkin Chapman. The new 10,000-square-foot office development represents the continued growth of both companies and is due to complete early in 2023.
Since we acquired our Louth office in 2007, we’ve supported hundreds of businesses in the area and our team members in the town have helped many more clients across the region and beyond. This new office is a major investment which underlines our dedication to the Lincolnshire Wolds and it will create a better, more modern working environment for our team members. We can’t wait to welcome clients and contacts from across the area.
As well as our company growing, we’re proud of the successes of our team members. We’ve relaunched our popular training scheme and supported new accountants and business advisers as they begin their careers, and we’ve made some exciting senior promotions with six new directors and three new associates, as well as more than fifty other promotions throughout our organisation. This includes colleagues who have been promoted to manager roles and team members being promoted within grade bands, every one of whom should be congratulated.
Recently, we launched a new talent management programme which we hope will result in even greater opportunities for team members across the company for talented and ambitious individuals to thrive here. We have also recruited our largest-ever student intake and increased our overall headcount to almost 500 people.
At Duncan & Toplis we have a long history of supporting charities and community groups in the local areas we work in. This year, we confirmed our commitment by launching The Duncan & Toplis Foundation to support local good causes. This organisation will serve as the philanthropic arm of Duncan & Toplis, leading new fundraising initiatives and increasing the impact of the team’s charitable activities.
Every year, I’m amazed by the generosity and good spirit of groups and individuals throughout our team who go the extra mile for good causes locally and internationally. With the foundation behind them, we can make greater use of our resources and connections across the region to better direct, organise and raise awareness of the team’s charitable giving and volunteering. With the Duncan & Toplis Foundation, we can now take things to another level by getting the whole Duncan & Toplis group behind each activity we get involved in. I know it will help our team members, our clients, and supporters to make a huge difference in our communities.
The economic landscape in the UK has certainly been a tricky one in 2022. With some infamous shocks to the economy during the year.
While things may have settled in the last few months, 2023 is still looking uncertain and economic figures give little encouragement as we struggle to recover from the pandemic and adjust to our new place in the world following Brexit. The soaring cost of energy shows no signs of slowing down and Russia’s war with Ukraine casts a shadow across the continent. But if recent years have taught us anything, it’s that UK businesses are resilient. We have all needed to adapt, evolve and adjust in recent times, and no doubt these will continue to be key traits in the years to come.
Whatever the next year brings, I would urge organisations of all sizes to continue to show the resilience they have showcased so brilliantly over the last few years. Don’t forget that, whenever you need us, we are here to support you.
