Manchester is among the UK’s fastest-growing local economies – and accountancy firm S&W’s regional operation is expanding right alongside it.
The city has made headlines this year as the home to Number 10 North, thanks to the rise of former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to Prime Minister, and has a booming digital and tech cluster.
Meanwhile, S&W was launched last year to build on the strength and heritage of Smith & Williamson, founded in 1881, and aims to bring the “personal touch” to professional services for businesses across Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle – building on successful operations in Birmingham, Bristol and London, among others.
Gary Fenemore-Schenk, a tax director, spent 10 years at Mazars before joining Alvarez & Marsal and then, soon afterwards, the fledgling S&W business.
“The North, and Manchester in particular, is seen as a real target for the business,” he tells BusinessCloud.
“Everyone within S&W recognises that the growth of Manchester’s economy and ecosystem is outstripping everywhere across the UK. It is fair to say that it’s a city that is getting maximum attention at the moment.”
Growing fast
Fenemore-Schenk says the Manchester operation has grown from 45, when he joined, to almost 100 today. The team is now based in Bruntwood SciTech’s modern Pall Mall building in Pollen Square.
“We’ve translated our talk of ambition for what we want to do in Manchester into action. We’re building at such a pace that we moved offices in April, and we may have to knock down some walls soon to accommodate the next wave of talent,” he jokes.
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“There’s still more growth on the horizon. We’ve got more senior hires lined up, with impressive CVs and backgrounds coming in – ambitious leaders with good networks and specialisms. We will continue to build out the team and people over the next year.
“We’re ambitious, have made real progress, and will continue to do so. The ambition isn’t growth for the sake of growth. We want to build the scale and range of expertise necessary to be the leading advisers to mid-market businesses across the North.
“At the moment, we have what I would call local relationships with a mix of local and national depth. Long-term, I want to be able to say we’ve got local relationships and local depth full stop – everything available in-house in Manchester, not just within S&W nationally.
“We ultimately want our Manchester office to have all of the capabilities that our offices, in London or Birmingham, for example, possess. As we continue to build out these capabilities, we will continue to embed ourselves further into the Manchester ecosystem.”
The FUEL business breakfast
Fenemore-Schenk will be speaking on the breakfast panel at our FUEL Manchester 2026 event, sponsored by S&W, on 28th October. You can register to attend using the link below.
“It’s a very collegiate and collaborative event,” says Fenemore-Schenk, who also spoke last year. “Everyone in the room really cares – it’s not just a tick box. It’s one of my favourite events.
“You have some really interesting businesses with open ears and the ambition to grow, and that’s what makes Manchester special.”
He adds: “I’ve been in Manchester for 15 years now, and it responds to commitment. When you meet business leaders and owners, they want to know that you’re here for the long term and for the right reasons, and that you’re genuinely invested in them and what they’re trying to achieve.
“We want everyone to know that we’re committed to the region, developing the right relationships over a sustained period and trying to work in the right way – even if it means doubling up and talking at an event on Budget day!”