Dorset Chamber has strengthened the ranks of its platinum business partners with a leading international audit, tax and advisory firm.

Mazars – which has an office with 70 employees at Merck House in Poole town centre – is a global partnership with a strong local presence which supports individuals and businesses of all sizes and sectors from SMEs through to PLCs.

Dorset Chamber’s business partner programme is for members which wish to make a greater contribution to the organisation and the business community.

Dorset Chamber chief executive Ian Girling said: “Mazars and its team have been incredibly supportive over many years.

“They are a perfect fit for the chamber with a global profile combined with a strong and active local office which provides invaluable expertise for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

“I am sure Mazars will help the chamber to continue to grow, develop and help businesses in Dorset drive the local economy.”

Mazars can trace its history – and membership of the chamber – back to 1986 in Poole.

One of its partners, Stephen Mills, is the chamber’s honorary treasurer and longest serving board member with service dating to 2004.

Other partners in the Poole include office managing partner Lesley Fox and UK head of SME Lara Brennan.

Lesley said: “Mazars and its team have always been active members of the chamber.

“Becoming a business partner is a way to give back even more to the organisation and local business community.

“Mazars is not just a network of firms, we are a united partnership, we work as one integrated team, leveraging expertise, scale and cultural understanding to deliver exceptional and tailored services in audit and accounting, as well as tax, financial advisory outsourcing and consulting.”

Dorset Chamber – the county’s voice of business – has about 700 members with 37,000 employees.

Business partners are in the top tier of the chamber’s membership programme. It has two Premier Business Partners: AFC Bournemouth and OnBuy.com.

Its Platinum Business Partners are: A-One Insurance Group, Blue Sky Financial Planning, Bournemouth Airport, the Bournemouth and Poole College, Bournemouth University (BU), Crystal Clear Telecom (CCT), Deep South Media, Digital Storm, the Dolphin Centre, Dorset Echo/Daily Echo/LocaliQ, ESET, Field International, Greendale Construction, Hendy, Image Republic, JP Morgan, Lester Aldridge, Mazars, More Excelsior, Mploy, REIDsteel, Savills and Sunseeker and Vizst Technology. 

Visit www.dcci.co.uk for more details.

PICTURE: PLATINUM: Mazars has become a Platinum Business Partner with Dorset Chamber. Pictured front near the desk are fourth left Poole office managing partner Lesley Fox (dark hair, dark dress), then UK head of SME Lara Brennan (green dress), Dorset Chamber chief executive Ian Girling (grey jacket, blue shirt) and partner Stephen Mills (white short, dark jacket) with Mazars staff at Poole office.