RSM, HLB Mann Judd, Accru and Lucas & Co win client awards

Now into its seventeenth year, the Client Choice Awards has announced its winners for 2022, with RSM, HLB Mann Judd, Accru and Lucas & Co taking home the top awards in the ‘Best Accounting & Consulting Services Firm’ category.

Capping off the week of its centenary celebrations, accounting and consulting network RSM has beaten out Grant Thornton and BDO to claim its fourth consecutive Client Choice Award in the Best Accounting & Consulting Services Firm category for those generating upwards of $200 million in revenues.

HLB Mann Judd meanwhile won the mid-sized bracket, while smaller networks Accru and Lucas & Co took home the awards in the smaller categories.

The client choice awards are determined via a survey conducted by market research firm Beaton Research + Consulting, with more than 350,000 responses from consulting and accounting buyers as to 650-plus Australian and New Zealand providers having been canvassed since the awards’ inception in 2005. The Victorian Government, Standards Australia and NAB were among this year’s major partners.

RSM has now taken home its Client Choice sixth award, including its fourth Best Accounting and Consulting Services Firm award in the band for providers with over $200 million in revenues. “We are truly humbled by the loyalty and ongoing support of our clients,” the firm stated. “Many have been with us for significant parts of that journey and we wouldn't be where we are today without them.”

Ranked just outside Australia’s top ten largest accounting and consulting networks with combined revenues of around $100 million, HLB Mann Judd has likewise been on a roll, winning its third consecutive Best Accounting & Consulting award in the $50-$200 million revenue bracket. It’s the eighth time HLB has taken the award since 2013, while earning more than a dozen awards across other Client Choice categories over that time.

“Our goal is always to provide innovative yet practical solutions for our clients, and winning this award based on the feedback of clients is very pleasing,” said HLB’s Australasian Association chair Tony Fittler. “The client experience has become an increasing priority for us, as well as for the industry, and I am proud to work with a team of people who genuinely care about their clients and always seek new ways to improve.”

Other finalists in the $50-$200 million category were McGrathNicol, PKF, and SW Accountants & Advisors.

Accru won the top prize in the $30-$50 million revenue bracket, beating out Vincents. According to figures from the AFR, Accru generated $42 million in its last financial year, generated by a nation-wide headcount of around 250.

“Once again, Accru has been recognised in key categories of the Client Choice Awards,” said National Chair and Hobart partner Tim Lane. “This has been achieved through our continued focus on helping our clients through a very challenging period. I would like to thank all clients, partners and staff who have worked collaboratively to achieve this outcome consistently across our network for more than seven years.”  

Meanwhile, Lucas & Co, a boutique tax-focused accounting firm with offices in Brisbane, Mount Gravatt and Surfers Paradise, won the award in the bracket for firms with less than $30 million in revenues. Other finalists were AIM S Australia, Allan Hall Business Advisors, AstuteMed, and Tilenni Stiles & Associates.