January 2026 marks HaysMac LLP’s 25th anniversary, celebrating a quarter-century since the merger of Hays Allan and MacIntyre & Co on 1 January 2001. The milestone reflects not only the firm’s growth over the past 25 years, but also a professional heritage that can be traced back to 1866.
Victorian origins
From its origins in Victorian London, when George Broom founded Broom, Son & Hays, the firm evolved through generations of change. Known for much of the 20th century as Hays, Akers & Hays, it established itself as a respected London chartered accountancy practice before merging with Allan Charlesworth & Co in 1974 to form Hays Allan. In parallel, the firm that would become MacIntyre & Co was established in 1880 and was a founding member of the ICAEW . They demerged from a wider accountancy group in 1991, before joining forces with Hays Allan to form haysmacintyre in 2001.
The merger was driven by George Crowther and Bernie Watson, with Bernie becoming haysmacintyre’s first Managing Partner from 2001 to 2007. While the merger proved transformative, a defining early focus was establishing the culture of the newly merged firm – a principle that continues to shape HaysMac today.
As the dotcom era gathered pace, the firm entered a period of rapid expansion supported by a series of strategic office moves, that culminated in its relocation to its current home at Queen Street Place in 2017. As its client base evolved, the firm developed a laser focus on sector specialisation, identifying five core sectors in 2011: Creative, Media & Technology, Financial Services, Hospitality, Social Purpose, and Property.
Strategic success
The success of this sector-led approach drove sustained growth and reinforced the value of deep, relevant expertise. Building on this, HaysMac expanded its service, market and sector focus, developing specialist capabilities across Risk Assurance and Advisory Services, Transaction Services, and a broader range of sectors and markets including Equity Capital Markets, Private Equity, International, Private Wealth, Retail & eCommerce, Sports, Fintech, and Media, Marketing & Advertising, ensuring clients benefit from specialist knowledge across a broader range of high-growth markets.
This strategy has underpinned exceptional performance, delivering double-digit growth for a decade, more than 81% organic growth over the past five years, and expanding headcount from 175 in 2001 to over 650 in 2025, strengthening the firm’s ability to deliver specialist insight and exceptional service to clients across high-growth markets.
The firm’s continued progress has been shaped by strong and consistent leadership. Simon Wilks served as Managing Partner from 2007 to 2013, and he led the change to a sector focused strategy and an office move to Red Lion Square, Holborn. Simon handed the reins to Ian Cliffe, who led a period of continued expansion and investment, including the move into the City, to Queen Street Place and the firm’s transition to LLP status in 2019.
Later in 2019, Jeremy Beard built on this momentum, embedding new technology to enhance the quality of service delivery, strengthening the governance structure of the firm through recruiting two Independent Non-Executive Directors to reflect its growing size and complexity, and successfully navigating the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A new era in leadership
Today, the firm is proudly led by Natasha Frangos, the first female Managing Partner, who has ushered in a new chapter focused on reinforced culture, brand, growth, infrastructure and innovation.
Under her leadership, HaysMac has strengthened its brand presence through a major rebrand and increased market recognition, opened an office in Cape Town, South Africa, and continued to champion Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The firm has also made significant investment in technology and operational infrastructure, creating a strong and scalable foundation that enables HaysMac to pursue ambitious growth in a responsible and sustainable way, while continually investing in its people and leaders, and strategically expanding the team through the recruitment of lateral hires.
The firm’s commitment to continual improvement have been recognised through multiple accolades, including being named ‘DEI Champion of the Year’ at The Lloyd’s British Business Excellence Awards and featuring in The Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Work’ for the second consecutive year in 2025.
Reflecting on the anniversary, Natasha Frangos, Managing Partner at HaysMac, said: “Turning 25 is about far more than longevity – it’s about evolution with intent. Over the past quarter-century, HaysMac has grown by setting ourselves high expectations and ambitions, embracing a growth mindset which seeks continuous improvement, investing in exceptional people and building genuine depth in the sectors and markets we serve. That focus means we deliver consistently high-quality client experiences and advice, which create long-term value to our clients, built on trust, approachability, technical excellence and a deep understanding of their businesses.
Our 2024 rebrand to HaysMac was a defining moment. It reflected who we have become as a modern, evolving firm, while staying true to the values and heritage that underpin our work. It also reaffirmed our commitment: For Business. For People. For Good., supporting our clients’ ambitions, creating an inclusive and empowering environment for our people to thrive, and building a firm that is here to stay for decades to come.
As a partner-owned firm, we are focused on sustained organic growth through our commitment to excellent client service, the highest standards of quality and integrity, and an inclusive, rewarding culture that enables our people to perform at their best and be recognised appropriately for their contribution. We are incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, and even more excited about what lies ahead for our clients, our colleagues and the communities we serve.”
