Today, Cooper Parry (CP) completed the acquisition of UHY Hacker Young Manchester and Haines Watts Thames Valley/Reading.
The acquisitions are CP’s ninth and tenth since 2023, and as a group, we’ve now quadrupled in size since partnering with Waterland Private Equity in 2022.
The deals add 200 brilliant people, including 17 Partners, taking CP’s headcount to over 1,400.
The geographies of the deals are significant too. Both the Northwest powerhouse in Manchester and the UK’s ‘Silicon Valley’ around Reading are key locations for fast-growing entrepreneurial businesses and individuals.
The news comes hot on the heels of CP’s recent acquisition of fast-growing London-based Salesforce consultancy, Cloud Orca, the Cooper Parry Wealth’s acquisitions announced earlier in the year and the launch of ATLAST, the global professional services firms’ community CP co-founded.
The aim now is to build the UK’s next-gen professional services group, covering accountancy, wealth management, deals, tech and law.
Ade Cheatham, Cooper Parry CEO, commented:
“Two landmark deals over the last couple of days confirms our ambition to create the UK’s next gen professional services group. Acquiring UHY Hacker Young Manchester allows us to establish a powerful presence in the Northwest. In the same way, the Thames Valley deal accelerates our growth down the M4 to create the #1 advisory firm in the UK’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and Southwest.
Our presence at the centre of every key UK business powerhouse – as one iconic and rebellious brand – is key to supercharging the next phase of our expansion and market leadership.
What Dave Kendrick, Ben Loveday and their talented teams have created gives CP two perfect platforms from which to launch further UK acquisitions, strategic hires and specialist team lifts.”
Dave Kendrick, UHY Hacker Young Manchester CEO, said:
“I am hugely proud of what we have achieved over the last few years as a team and taking our amazing 160+ strong team into the Cooper Parry business feels the perfect fit. Our growth ambitions, culture, team ethic and industry specialisms feel very much aligned and we now have the platform to dominate the Northwest region as the leading advisory firm.”
Ben Loveday, Haines Watts Thames Valley Managing Partner, added:
“I’m really proud of what our team has been able to build here over the years. Looking ahead – and having seen the success of the recent Haines Watts London and Southeast integration – we see Cooper Parry as an ideal fit. Culturally and commercially, we’re perfectly aligned to take advantage of the enormous opportunity the Thames Valley presents.”
