Chris Beaumont
Partner
Partner Audit & Accounts
As a longstanding partner within the audit and accounts department, I advise our owner managed business clients across a range of sectors from education and solicitors to engineering and retail, providing practical advice to support their wider goals.
I also lead the ‘Not for Profit’ offering of the firm and my areas of special interest and expertise are the education, charity and legal sectors, where understanding the regulatory landscape is just as important as understanding the figures. I take time to understand each organisation and the specific set of challenges and opportunities it is facing, making complex requirements clearer and providing straightforward, commercially focused advice to help them achieve their goals.
Education has comprised a major part of my work for many years. I helped establish and develop our education sector specialism from the early days of the academies programme and have since supported academies, multi-academy trusts, schools and other education organisations through significant political, regulatory and structural change. That long-term perspective helps me understand the pressures education leaders face and provide advice grounded in the realities and strategic direction of the sector.
I also work extensively with charities and not-for-profit organisations, providing audit and independent examination services alongside wider accountancy and financial support. I understand the responsibilities placed on trustees and leadership teams and work with them to navigate their obligations while keeping sight of the organisation’s wider purpose.
For solicitors and law firms, my work includes statutory audit, accounts and reporting under the SRA Accounts Rules, together with broader business and financial advice. My approach is to help firms meet their regulatory obligations efficiently while understanding the commercial priorities behind the practice.
Having been with the firm for 29 years, I value the long-term relationships I have built with clients. I enjoy getting to know the people behind an organisation and being someone they feel comfortable talking to, whether that’s about an immediate issue, a future opportunity or simply getting a different perspective. I am also proud to use my expertise to support organisations in the communities we serve.
I work between our Darlington and Middlesbrough offices where I head up the team and am a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and hold the Diploma in Charity Accounting (DChA).
