Senior leadership change at West Midlands firm as long-serving director starts transition towards retirement
Award-winning West Midlands accountancy practice Prime Accountants Group has announced Morgan Davies as its new managing director, succeeding the long-serving Kevin Johns.
Morgan formally takes over the role on September 1 as part of the firm’s advanced succession planning, which has been taking place behind the scenes for some time.
Kevin has worked for Prime, which has offices in Solihull, Birmingham and Coventry, for 31 years and has been its managing director since 2015.
As well as holding the positions of Solihull BID chairman and vice-president of the Solihull Chamber of Commerce, Kevin has spearheaded Prime’s fundraising efforts, which have seen the business raise tens of thousands of pounds for charities such as Solihull Life Opportunities (SoLO) and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Morgan is one of the four original founding partners of Prime from 2007 and steps up from his role as director overseeing the firm’s audit and accounts department.
While Kevin is stepping down as managing director, he will continue to work with his portfolio of clients and remains on the senior leadership team.
To facilitate Morgan taking on his new role, fellow directors Jeremy Kitson and Paul Guise will take over his responsibility for audit and accounts.
Kevin, who was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year’s Honours list in 2019 for services to Solihull, said: “I’ve planned to gradually retire over the next few years, so handing over to Morgan now means we will have a far more controlled and better transition.
“I’ll still be part of the leadership team, I’m still looking after my clients but I just won’t be leading on the day-to-day anymore.
“I said when we marked my 30th anniversary with Prime that I’ve been leaving for a long time! This is long-term succession planning and a natural progression in any business. I’m passing the baton to someone in Morgan who is exceptionally capable and well-positioned to keep the firm on exactly the right path.”
The promotion comes in a milestone year for Morgan, who has worked for the firm for 20 years and has been in practice for 30 years.
He said: “This is part of a succession plan we have worked hard on. I’ve been audit and accounts lead ever since I’ve been here at Prime, which is effectively half the firm, as well as being part of the senior leadership team.
“The experience that gives you is seeing every element of the business up close. It’s a natural fit, we work closely together and I have supported Kev for years.
“The culture of this company is to develop people and empower them to succeed and grow, and this demonstrates that with aplomb. As I move up to managing director, two very capable directors in Paul and Jeremy move up to audit and accounts – it’s good for everyone within the pyramid at Prime.”
For more information on Prime Accountants, visit https://primeaccountants.co.uk.