South West accountancy firm Old Mill has appointed a new chief operating officer.
The company, based in Yeovil, said the appointment of Adil Taha would expediate growth at the business and develop its operational infrastructure.
The accountancy firm is halfway through its five-year plan to double in size, and Mr Taha has been brought on board to work alongside chief executive Kevin Whitmarsh and the board to lead the business through the next three years of growth.
Mr Taha has experience in leading operations and executing strategy to achieve high growth within a range of sectors including private equity, legal and investment banking.
Read more: Accountancy firm Old Mill acquires commercial property pension specialist
He played an instrumental role in turning around London law firm Child & Child as its chief operating officer through a private equity strategy, before going on to launch a corporate boutique start-up law firm on behalf of Top 50 UK law firm Taylor Rose. Mr Taha then assisted the UK’s largest consultancy law firm, Gunnercooke LLP, with their launch in New York, and most recently, was commercial director at start-up law firm Mezzle where he led the strategic international expansion of the firm’s unique consultancy model.
Mr Taha's initial brief will be to complete a strategic review of Old Mill’s current operations, and then over the next 12 months, he will use his extensive knowledge and experience to help restructure the business to enable faster growth in line with current strategy set by Mr Whitmarsh and the rest of the senior team.
Mr Taha said: “Old Mill has the drive and growth ambitions of a corporate but with the ethos and culture of a people-centric local business. That combination is something that doesn’t come along very often, and from the moment I met the Board, and certainly Kevin, I could feel their passion for the business, and knew that, after a number of consultancy roles in an extensive portfolio career across three industries, I had found something I wanted to be a part of for the long term.
“Old Mill is now almost halfway through a strategic plan which commenced in 2021, and the growth so far has been hugely impressive, but if it is going to reach its true potential, and become one of the biggest – if not, the biggest – firm in the region, it needs a world-class operational structure to support high levels of growth.
“For many professional service firms, after a few years of strong growth, this is the point where things start to plateau due to closed mindsets and a reluctance to step out of the comfort zone. But Old Mill is full of ambitious people who are willing to embrace change, to be brave and bold, meaning the scope for success here is huge, and I am really excited to get started.”
Mr Whitmarsh added: “The recruitment process for this role was vigorous, and there were several hugely talented and experienced candidates in the running for COO. Adil impressed us all with his ambition, drive, and alignment to Old Mill’s values. I as well as the Board and Leadership Team are looking forward to welcoming him to Old Mill to support us to achieve our growth potential.”
Like this story? Why not sign up to get the latest South West business news straight to your inbox.
