We are delighted to have assisted Fortus, a full-service firm of accountants and business advisors, on securing investment from LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group, to support its ambitious growth plans.

Headquartered in York with offices in Leeds and Scarborough, Fortus has a 115-strong team of specialists across accountancy, audit, tax, and other advisory services. It supports over 4,500 SMEs across the region, helping clients to navigate a complex and ever evolving regulatory landscape.

LDC is backing founder and CEO Craig Herbert, COO Andy Northern and CMO Rich Burnett, all of whom will remain in their respective roles to lead the next phase.

The partnership with LDC will support continued investment into people and systems to enable the business to expand the breadth of service it provides, as well as continuing to support its buy-and-build strategy targeting further geographical and service expansion to complement the firm’s existing presence across the region.

Founded in 2020, Fortus is an independent and founder-led organisation with a clear focus on client relationships, service levels and internal team culture. It has built a strong, multidisciplinary team who consistently deliver high quality, pragmatic advice and support to its clients. The business has a market leading track record of growth, both organically and in-organically, having completed five successful acquisitions over the past five years.

Andrew Jackson Solicitors’ legal team led by corporate partner Susie Mortonson, who was supported by Dan Burton, Grace Hanson, Benn Shilleto and Timothy Cheung in the corporate team, alongside team members from other departments across the firm.

Susie Mortonson said:- “This investment from LDC represents an exciting opportunity for Fortus as it continues to build on its impressive growth story. It has been a pleasure working with Craig Herbert, Andy Northern and the wider Fortus team on this milestone, and we wish them every success as they embark on the next stage of their journey with LDC.”

Craig Herbert, founder and CEO of Fortus, said:- “This is an exciting new chapter for Fortus. We believe we have built something special here in Yorkshire – a firm that genuinely understands its clients’ needs and delivers real value through personal relationships and deep expertise, via a team full of passionate and dedicated professionals across an array of service line and sector specialisms.

“This partnership is a culmination of a relationship we have developed with LDC over a number of years. The team at LDC understands what we’re trying to do and is backing our ambition to build the leading regional firm of accountants and business advisors rooted firmly here in Yorkshire.”

Dan Smith, partner and head of Yorkshire at LDC, added: – “Craig, Andy and Rich, along with the wider SLT, have built an exceptional business with genuine momentum and a clear strategy for the next phase. They’ve proved they can integrate acquisitions and drive organic growth – and we’re excited to be backing them to continue that journey whilst continuing to deliver high quality, advisory-led services to their client base.”