Consolidation in the accountancy sector is continuing apace with Kerry firms CSG Accountants & Advisors in Tralee and Killarney’s ORM Accountants starting the year with of a strategic merger.

The merger will see headcount rise to 70 across CSG offices in Tralee and Killarney, increasing the firm’s client base to over 2,250 in Kerry and the wider Munster region. It is the just the latest in a series of mergers for CSG, according to Corporate Finance Partner David Moran.

“The firm has grown out of a lot of mergers. Back in 2017, Casey & Co merged with EF Stephenson & Co to form CSG and, since then, we have merged with Paul Prendergast & Co and Philip J Manzor & Co,” Moran says.

“The merger with EF Stephenson trebled the size of the firm. Back then, Casey & Co had 10 staff and that went up to 30 following the merger. The merger with ORM is our first venture into Killarney and brings us up to 70 staff.”

ORM Accountants was established in 2017 by John O’Rourke, building on a practice he had founded in 1989.

The firm is known for its personal, accessible service and keen insight into the local market, providing accounting, tax, bookkeeping and advisory support to SMEs, family businesses and international clients based in Killarney and the surrounding region.

“John Mannix and Michael Brouder have built a very strong firm over the past number of years,” Moran says.

“ORM has a strong focus on digital optimisation and putting the two companies together was a good fit for both. Also, Killarney is such a vibrant town. It’s a big business town and it was a natural next step for us to merge with a firm like ORM.”

Strategic growth and personal service

The merger forms part of CSG’s broader strategy to build a strong network while maintaining a personal, relationship-driven service, he adds.

It also reflects increasing demand for integrated advisory support, blending technical excellence with accessible, hands-on service. The addition of ORM deepens the firm’s on-the-ground presence in Kerry and broadens its capacity to support clients, Moran says.

From the perspective of those clients, day-to-day relationships will remain exactly the same post-merger.

“Our clients will continue to be supported by the same trusted teams in Tralee and Killarney,” says Moran.

“What the merger does is strengthen our offering to clients who gain access to skilled specialists across tax, audit, accountancy and advisory services, wherever they need them, to support growth, succession and investment.”

This client base includes Irish corporate groups, family businesses, hospitality and tourism operators, retailers, professional services, agri-businesses and sole traders. “Where we are in Kerry, we have lots of hotels and tourism businesses and this is a very strong area for us,” Moran adds.

“We have a wide range of clients, including manufacturing businesses, supermarkets, convenience stores, owner managed and farm businesses, among others, in Kerry and the wider Munster region.”

Consolidation across sectors

Consolidation is an overarching trend in Irish business currently, according to Moran. “It’s not confined to the accountancy sector,” he points out.

“There is a lot of merger and acquisition activity in other areas like veterinary practices, pharmacies and insurance brokerages. We are seeing it in almost every sector. It’s the nature of the way business is going and the trend will continue.”

Within the accountancy sector, the benefits of scale and the need to remain competitive are key drivers with both firms and their clients having to contend with an increased regulatory burden coupled with the need to invest in new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

“Firms are very mindful about being left behind. They need to be able to invest in people and technology and stay up to date,” says Moran.

“The scale we’re at now allows us to departmentalise. We have specialist audit, tax, business advisory and corporate finance departments—all under one roof.

“WE INVEST HEAVILY IN OUR GRADUATE PROGRAMME, AND WE HAVE 12 GRADUATES WORKING HERE AT THE MOMENT. WE ARE VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS FOR THE FUTURE SUCCESS OF THE FIRM. WE WANT TO HIRE AND INVEST IN TALENTED PEOPLE”

“We offer a full suite of professional services to support our clients’ businesses, no matter what stage of the life cycle they are in. From accounting and audit to tax and advisory, our team is dedicated to providing excellent advice to clients in Kerry, the Munster region and nationally.”

Moran foresees further mergers for CSG in the future but stresses the importance of cultural fit.

“Any firm we merge with has to be a good cultural fit. If we see a merger opportunity that can add value to the firm and our clients, and is a good fit with our culture, we will always be interested,” he says.

And this activity will not be confined to Kerry. “As much as we love Kerry, we are always open to opportunities outside the county,” says Moran.

Technology drives changing trends

Advances in technology, including AI, are having a profound influence on the accountancy sector and Moran expects this trend to continue in the years ahead.

“Technology will play an increasingly significant role in the accountancy profession in the coming years. Clients are coming to us with questions relating to technology that are a lot further ahead and more complex than they were even five years ago.

“The Covid pandemic accelerated this. We have some clients who couldn’t use email before the pandemic but are now very tech savvy.”

ORM’s investment in best-in-class cloud technology and digital systems is particularly important in this regard, he continues.

“Eventually, everything will become automated. Everyone has access to much more data and a lot of advanced software,” Moran says.

“Digital expertise will become a competitive differentiator for accountancy firms in future. A lot of the big firms are hiring data analysts and computer specialists for this reason.”

Investing in the right talent will also become increasingly important. “We spend a lot of time making sure we have the right people in the right roles,” Moran says.

“We are very happy with the staff we have here at CSG. We have a great team. We will keep investing in our people so that we can continue to do right by our clients.”

This investment begins with recruitment. “We have a very strong graduate programme,” Moran says.

“We invest heavily in the programme, and we have 12 graduates working here at the moment. We are very conscious of the importance of this for the future success of the firm. We want to hire and invest in talented people.

“Automation means technology will be making a lot of decisions, but those decisions will always need to be reviewed by professionals.

“That’s why we are training and developing people to ensure they have the expertise to review those outputs from the technology, make the right decisions, and give the right advice to our clients. We have strong relationships with all of the major universities and have been able to hire great graduates over the years.”

Looking to the future, Moran says CSG’s strategy will be to keep growing, but in a measured fashion. “The quality of service we provide to our clients is vital,” he says.

“We want to continue to be a valued partner for our clients providing best in class services and support with a personal touch. Our role is to stand beside our clients as a long-term partner helping them navigate change, manage risk and plan for the future.

“Combining the strengths of CSG and ORM puts us in a great position to do exactly that. Our plan is to keep growing in Kerry and the wider Munster area and to be in top 20 accountancy firms nationally or even higher.”