Growing Scottish financial advisory firm Hutcheon Mearns has launched its first English regional hub in East Anglia.

The firm said it is expanding to meet increased demand for business advice and intends to become a UK national business within five years. It has already conducted business in Suffolk and Norfolk.

The continued national growth of Hutcheon Mearns marks a record year for the firm, with it already having expanded from its headquarters in Aberdeen into Dundee and Angus in the east of Scotland.

Key to the new business hub will be Tina Maguire, the firm’s resourcing consultant, who was a business director with a national agency and helped niche financial recruiters in Norwich.

Ms Maguire said: “As our exciting year of growth continues to gather pace, this is the right time for Hutcheon Mearns to build upon its reputation with a presence in Norwich.

“I know the area very well, having spent 20 years here during my career to date, and I’m excited to bring our full service offering to existing and new clients in the region.”

The opening of this new service hub is a cornerstone of Hutcheon Mearns’ ambition to expand its full service offering across the UK in the next five years.

Managing director Craig Hutcheon, said the firm had been operating in the region for some time and that it had already built up an active client base.

He said: “Tina’s expertise and historically strong professional ties to the region as a recruiter and regular attendee of industry events leave Hutcheon Mearns well-placed to deliver on our ambition to transform finance.”

The firm’s finance business advisory offering includes strategic advice, planning and mergers and acquisition and it also offers specialist recruitment services.

Leyton Williams of Retreat East, the eco-luxurious Spa resort in mid-Suffolk. said: “Hutcheon Mearns recruited a key finance position for us at a challenging time for the leisure sector.

“Tina made sure she fully understood the role and the company. Her consultative approach offered an innovative solution, and we hired a great candidate.”

The new office will be located at The Union Building, 51-59 Rose Lane, Norwich