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If your audit drains time, energy and budget, you’re not alone. We’ve heard it from 300+ mid-market finance leaders. Discover how CP solves your pain points where the big firms can't.
The Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) latest Annual Review of Audit Quality confirmed what we’ve been hearing in conversations with over 300 finance leaders across the UK:
While some of the largest audit firms are showing signs of improvement, others continue to fall short. And ultimately, it’s their mid-market clients that are being left behind.
Auditors under pressure to meet new expectations for their Public Interest Entity (PIE) clients are redirecting time and resources, which could leave mid-market businesses facing higher fees, longer timelines, and reduced service quality.
At Cooper Parry, we’re built for the mid-market. It’s the area we specialise in. And our audit model is designed to be commercial, pragmatic and tailored to businesses like yours.
No over-engineering. No box-ticking. Just smart, efficient audits, delivered by people who genuinely understand your world.
From fast-growing to established industry leaders, we’ve delivered audits that are commercial, pragmatic, and built around their needs. Here are just a few of the mid-market businesses who’ve chosen Cooper Parry as their audit partner.
“As our business evolved, we recognised a need for a different kind of audit relationship. Our former auditors, one of the largest accounting firms, provided a thorough service, but we required greater flexibility to meet our group deadlines and more predictable fee structures. We decided to seek a new partner to build a long-term, consistent team relationship that offered a more continuous dialogue throughout the year.
Cooper Parry brought a completely different approach. They worked with us to understand our business and processes, helping us find the most practical way to gather audit evidence. Their friendly, collaborative style made a real difference.
Our first-year audit was completed more than two months earlier than the previous year and at a much better price. For year two, we’re working with virtually the same team, which gives us confidence that things will run even more smoothly – especially with group deadlines moving forward.”
Let’s make the whole process smoother, smarter, and tailored around your business. If you’d like to find out how, get in touch with Katie Warrington, Head of Audit at Cooper Parry.
At CP, we deliver right-sized, people-first audits for the mid-market – consistent teams, clear communication, transparent fees, and a tailored approach that cuts the complexity and keeps your business moving forward – find out how.
Tired of seeing a new audit team every year? So are your mid-market peers. Lack of continuity means repeated questions, wasted time, a shortage of historical insight, a greater burden on your team and fragmented reporting that makes year-on-year progress hard to track.
At CP, we plan our resourcing 12 months ahead and champion our culture and employee experience to retain the brightest talent and equip them to deliver exceptional work for our clients.
Tech should make your audit easier – not more confusing. Some firms rely on portals that feel like digital dumping grounds, with little human interaction. And if your auditor is hard to reach or slow to respond, you could be missing opportunities or slowing your decision-making.
We use Inflo to streamline data sharing, but we never lose the human touch. Our audits are backed by responsive, consistent communication – not just uploads and checklists.
Rising fees, falling service, hidden costs. We hear it all the time. Many finance leaders choose the cheapest audit, only to face surprise invoices, delays, and gaps uncovered before major events.
At CP, we build bottom-up budgets that reflect the real scope of work based on our deep expertise in the mid-market. No surprises. And a guarantee: get an unexpected invoice, and you won’t pay a penny.
Big firms often apply the same audit approach to every client – whether you’re a FTSE100 or a mid-market business. That’s not just inefficient, it’s irrelevant if you’re the latter. Those are two very different audits, and if yours isn’t tailored to your position, it can feel overly complicated and cumbersome.
We specialise in the mid-market at CP. That means right-sized audits that reflect your complexity, not someone else’s. No overkill. No under-service.
Mid-market businesses need auditors and advisers that really understand the journey they’re on – twists, turns, opportunities, challenges and all – and allocate resources and focus accordingly.
We’re not just advisers. We’re a fast-growing, PE-backed, entrepreneurial business ourselves. We understand scaling, the pressures of growth and M&A – because we’re living it too. We love sharing ideas with likeminded clients, and we’re here to free up your finance team to focus on your other growth priorities.
A proactive accountant doesn’t just respond to your queries but anticipates issues before they arise. They should be actively looking for ways to optimise your financial processes, minimise tax liabilities, and improve overall financial performance. Delivering audits to meet your timeframe and challenges. If your current accountant only reacts to problems after they occur, it might be time to seek someone who takes a more forward-thinking approach.
Stay ahead of the curve with insights that matter to mid-market businesses. From major regulatory changes to the real reasons companies switch advisers, here’s the latest from our experts.
Big changes are coming to FRS 102 from January 2026, with the FRC’s Periodic Review bringing greater alignment to international standards, more transparency, and new rules for presenting key metrics like EBITDA and cash flows. Part of the FRED 82 proposals, it’s the biggest shake-up in nearly a decade—so understanding the impact is crucial. Learn More
If your accountant feels slow, stale, or stuck in the past, you’re not alone. Many mid-market businesses are switching to firms that are proactive, personable, and built for growth. In this piece, we share the 10 most common reasons finance leaders decide it’s time for a change—and how Cooper Parry turns those frustrations into strengths. Learn More
Every CFO – and many other mid-market business leaders—will find the Financial Reporting Council’s latest Annual Review of Audit Quality hard to ignore. If you’re working with a Tier 1 auditor, the findings are especially pertinent: quality concerns emerging from the review may signal that your business is being deprioritised. In other words, it’s time to ask yourself: is your business still getting the attention it deserves? Learn More
At Cooper Parry, our audit leaders live and breathe the mid-market. With decades of combined experience and insights from hundreds of finance leader conversations, they know exactly where audits go wrong – and how to make them work for your business.
They’re commercial thinkers, straight talkers, and sleeves-rolled-up doers – here to cut through complexity, spark better ideas, and deliver audits that add real value.
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If your audit feels like a drain – on time, budget or energy – now’s the time to act. The FRC’s report is a wake-up call for mid-market businesses. And CP is a credible, compelling alternative.
Let’s talk about how we can deliver an audit that’s built for your business – not someone else’s.
