December 2007

FREELANCE EURO TACKLES NEW LEGISLATION WITH SENIOR APPOINTMENT

Freelance Euro Contracting Limited, the north east’s leading accountancy, legal and business advisory company to the freelancer sector has significantly strengthened its service offering with the appointment of a new managing director.

Alasdair McGill, 38, has joined Freelance Euro, part of The Acumen Group, and will lead a team of more than 65 staff who provide specialist advice to contractors within the oil and gas, engineering and IT sectors. Mr McGill, who was previously a director at Interim Management experts, Grampian Highland Resource Ltd, has more than 15 years experience in senior management roles in industry, having qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant with Ernst and Young in 1993.

He joins Freelance Euro at a challenging time for the contracting sector. Over the last year the company has been concentrating its efforts on understanding and adapting to the Managed Service Company (MSC) legislation. This legislation was introduced in the 2007 Budget and was designed to prevent service providers from offering a one-size-fits-all service to those not genuinely in business for themselves.

Mr. McGill said: "I have been working closely with the Acumen Group for quite some time and I am thoroughly looking forward to building the Freelance Euro brand throughout the UK. The contracting sector is expected to dramatically grow during the next few years as the business sector moves towards more flexible working practices which are ideally suited to freelance workers.

"The new MSC legislation has caused a great deal of confusion in the market place and we have spent a considerable amount of time behind the scenes making sure that we comply with the regulations and are ideally placed to provide advice on this issue. Freelance Euro has an enviable position in the market place with no other company in the north east poised to provide such a comprehensive service. We have set ourselves some ambitious targets for the next 12 month which we are confident of achieving".

Freelance Euro has invested heavily over the past 12 months to ensure the companies it represents are compliant with this legislation. There have been, and always will be, legislative challenges for freelance contractors but Freelance Euro will continue to keep abreast of these changes and to offer the best advice to clients.

The firm provides advice to freelance contractors on trading methods, tax legislation, employment legislation, contracts, risk and wealth management. Its team of experts are able to provide advice to UK contractors working around the globe. Through its links to other services provided by the Acumen Group it is able to offer a comprehensive service, which considers all aspects of a contractor’s business and personal financial needs.

Sandy Robertson, Group Managing Director, said: "We are delighted that Alasdair has joined Freelance Euro. He brings with him a wealth of experience and is a fantastic asset to the team. This is a really exciting time for Freelance Euro and we are greatly looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this emerging sector".

The Acumen Group provides a wide range of business support including financial planning, accountancy, IT consultancy and payroll and bookkeeping.