James graduated in Business Law and then worked for several years in a major UK Accounting firm to manager level, before moving into the recruitment industry in London, specialising in recruitment for public practice firms.
His career has covered three decades, and many economic climates, from the boom of the Thatcher years to the recent GFC. Before moving to New Zealand over 15 years ago he owned his own consultancy in the UK working purely for public practice firms on business development. James has also held senior management roles for leading financial recruiters in New Zealand and the UK and worked for the practice advisory arm of the UK Institute of Chartered Accountants.
He is a past President of the New Zealand Division, and past Board Director, of the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association.
James currently chairs the Advisory Board for Accounting and Finance at UNITEC.In 2010 he set up Attwood Cozens whose services include recruitment, training, business development and practice merger and acquisition work
The business of providing professional advice has changed dramatically over the last decade and we need to revisit how we provide those services to clients . Do you know what differentiates your practice from others in the marketplace? By identifying your strengths and finding an edge, you can build your practice and focus on providing proactive assistance to clients that will actually help them successfully run and operate their businesses, rather than once a year completing and filing their tax returns.
This session will look at:
- The new challenges for business advisors
- Developing client-focused proactive services
- How you can distinguish yourself from your competitors
- Reinventing your approach to business development
- Raising your profile in a crowded market
- Establishing relationships with other professionals
- Increasing the loyalty of the clients to you by offering value added services
- The importance of recruiting, and retaining, the right people so your assets do not walk out of the door.
