Say hello to...

This quarter we're pleased to shine a light on our Managing Director, Ross Murray, who joined the Acumen family in 2008.

Can you tell us about your background?

After Qualifying with ACCA, I moved into a finance role with Aberdeen airport which was great fun and really interesting. I then became group accountant of the then Acumen Group, and after a year or so, completed a management buyout of Acumen Accountants and Advisors along with our previous MD, Steven McKenzie. I took a bit of a left turn into the world of residential property management for five years, while still having a lesser involvement with Acumen. When I left the property management business, I came back into Acumen full time because the world of accountancy was changing fast with advancing technology, and we needed to move with it or risk being left behind. I was tasked with bringing these ever-evolving technologies into the business, and positioning us at the forefront where we can offer our customers the best service possible using the latest tools available. In October 2022, after a second management buyout, I became the MD of Acumen to take the business onto the next stage of its journey.

What do you hope to achieve as MD at Acumen?

Three things.

First, I want to look after our team and give them every opportunity to succeed in their roles and advance in their careers. They are the lifeblood of the business. We have a fantastic team – we all know what we're trying to achieve as a business, and how we want to be perceived by our customers. There's always room for improvement but having everyone aligned and pulling in the same direction makes the job so much easier.

Second, I want to ensure the business is profitable and achieves all our goals.

Third, I want to help our clients achieve their business goals, from financial growth through to stepping back or selling up.

What challenges does Acumen face?

The current economic outlook and recent rise in interest rates will hurt some clients, so making sure that we can support them through a tough period will be our biggest challenge in 2023. We have a great team so I’m confident we’ll rise to the challenge.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

So many things. Recently I've really enjoyed seeing various staff progress into more senior roles within the business. I like it when clients are all over their numbers, seek advice from us and really run with it. When that goes well, it’s an exciting process to play a part in.

What are you most commonly asked by clients, and what’s your response?

How can I pay no tax! But if you're consistently paying no tax you're doing something wrong. Our job is to help clients mitigate their tax bills as much as possible – ultimately if they’re successful and profitable they're going to pay some tax, and rightly so!