Xeinadin Strengthens Manchester with Senior Hires to Tackle SME Audit and Insolvency Headwinds

Xeinadin, the integrated business advisory and accountancy group, has cemented its commitment to the UK’s crucial SME sector with two high-profile appointments in its Manchester office. Ranked 18th among the UK’s largest accountancy firms and serving over 100,000 clients across 130 offices, Xeinadin’s core strategy centres on providing a full suite of services, from compliance to corporate finance, with a strong local focus.

The latest moves—bringing in Candice Beynon as Partner for audit and Jessica Barker as Associate Director and Licensed Insolvency Practitioner—underscore a proactive response to the increasingly acute financial pressures and compliance demands facing North West owner-managed businesses.

Responding to Local Market Needs: The North West Imperative

The Manchester hub is a vital cog in Xeinadin’s nine-regional hub structure, and the firm’s decision to deepen capability in both audit and corporate recovery signals where the current pain points lie for the region’s small and medium-sized enterprises.

• The Audit Focus: Expertise for Complexity Candice Beynon’s arrival as Audit Partner, bringing almost 30 years of experience with owner-managed businesses across sectors including property, manufacturing, and not-for-profit, is a clear investment in compliance strength. Beyond managing a significant client portfolio, her role will encompass team development and driving audit efficiencies. As the regulatory environment tightens, her focus on embedding a “high-standard culture” and mentoring junior staff is crucial for maintaining audit quality and technical delivery.
• The Insolvency Crux: Timely Intervention is Key The appointment of Jessica Barker as a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner (IP) is perhaps the most visible indicator of market distress. Corporate insolvency in the UK remains significantly elevated, driven largely by Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidations (CVLs) as businesses, drained of resilience by inflation and high interest rates, finally succumb. In the 12 months leading up to Q3 2025, official data showed an overall increase in company insolvencies, highlighting the widespread need for specialist restructuring and recovery advice. Ms. Barker will lead corporate insolvency appointments and provide essential early-stage advice to company directors and stakeholders, where timing and judgement are critical to maximising outcomes.

Alex White, Managing Partner for Xeinadin in the North West, highlighted this dual mandate, stating, “The demand for audit and restructuring support here is growing, and clients are looking for relationships they can trust. Candice and Jessica bring technical strength and clarity to two areas that are core to our Manchester office.”

A Model of Integrated Local and National Scale

The firm, formed in 2019 through the merger of over 100 independent accountancy practices, has consistently championed a model of providing bespoke, local advice backed by the resources of a large national firm. This strategy is proving highly relevant in the current economic climate.

As Ms. Beynon noted, “What stood out to me was ambition. This is a practice that wants to grow with purpose, and it puts its people at the centre.” Similarly, Ms. Barker commented on the benefit of Xeinadin offering “the kind of scale and support that helps you develop, while staying close to the work that matters.”

Investment in Specialist Expertise

The decision to strengthen the Manchester hub is a calculated move aligned with Xeinadin’s position as one of the UK and Ireland’s largest accountancy practices. Investment in senior, specialist capability is often a precursor to market-share expansion, especially in a competitive region like the North West.

These appointments reinforce the competitive shift among accountancy firms: success in the SME market now requires not just technical compliance, but accessible, senior-level expertise ready to guide clients through both periods of high growth and financial difficulty. Xeinadin’s investment in the Manchester hub signals that it is positioning itself firmly at the centre of the North West’s resilience and recovery efforts.