Mazars announces good 2019/20 results, confirming its strong position on the audit, tax and advisory market (9 February 2021)

• Global fee income increases 7.8% to €1.9 billion in 2019/20
• Looking ahead to next four-year strategy with a renewed, diverse governance
• Reaffirming importance of shaping the transformation of the audit profession

9 February 2021, Hong Kong: Mazars, the international audit, tax and advisory firm, today announces revenues of €1.9 billion in its 2019/2020 financial year (1 September 2019 – 31 August 2020), representing a 7.8% increase (excluding forex impact of -0.3%) compared to the previous financial year. The increase in fee income comprises strong organic growth (5.9%), complemented by positive external growth (1.8%).

Commenting on the firm’s financial performance, Hervé Hélias, CEO and Chairman of Mazars Group says: “For people, businesses and society, 2020 has been a year like no other. Amid a global pandemic, with our focus on keeping our people safe and continuing to deliver top quality services to our clients, Mazars has shown remarkable resilience achieving 7.8% growth, most of it organic. Our people’s remarkable efforts to continue serving our clients and carry out their assignments enabled us to do more than just weather the storm in 2020.”

Keeping a long-term perspective: strategic plan for the next four-years

Despite the crisis, Mazars continued to invest and plan for its future. Over 1,100 partners recently voted to approve the new strategic plan, ‘One24’, a title recognising the uniqueness of Mazars’ united partnership model. The plan articulates the group’s roadmap for the next four years, capitalising on Mazars’ strengths and distinctive attributes: quality services, cross-border operational integration, international consistency, dedication and care for clients and teams. The new plan seeks to continue the group’s transformation and to secure Mazars’ position as an international audit, tax and advisory leader, by continuously improving talent and client experience and innovating services and ways to work. Over the coming four-year period the firm will continue to focus on its priorities: client-centricity, quality and risk management, international growth, operational integration, talent development, and contributing to building a fair and prosperous world.

Looking ahead Hélias says: “The pandemic and related economic crisis certainly bring a challenging period, but we are looking beyond that, investing in our organisation and in our people to deliver what our clients need and what they expect from us. We have set a strategy that both secures our place in the market and continues to create the firm of the future, ensuring we attract and grow outstanding talent, deliver high-quality experiences to our clients of all types, and above all, build confidence and trust by acting in a responsible way.”

A renewed, diverse leadership team to implement strategic plan

To support the One24 programme, Mazars has reviewed and reinforced its governance structure, which comprises the Group Executive Board (GEB)[1] and Group Governance Council (GGC)[2]. The new governance team was elected during the firm’s virtual partner conference in December 2020.

Of the 23 elected members in the GEB and GGC,10 are female: this means 44% of Mazars’ governance positions are held by women, representing strong gender diversity in the firm’s leadership.

Hervé Hélias was re-elected as Chairman of the GEB and two new members were elected: Mark Kennedy, Managing Partner in Ireland since 2016 and Julie Laulusa, Co-Managing Partner in China since 2010. Laulusa and Kennedy join nine other re-elected GEB members: Hervé Hélias, Pascal Jauffret, Rudi Lang, Taibou Mbaye, Christoph Regierer, Veronique Ryckaert, Ton Tuinier, Phil Verity and Victor Wahba. Antonio Bover steps down after three terms (12 years) and Wenxian Shi transitions from member to permanent invitee.

The GGC now comprises Asa Andersson Eneberg, Gertrud Bergmann, Maria Cabodevilla, Frank Bournois, Kathryn Byrne, Juliette Decoux, Fabrice Demarigny, Denise Fletcher, Chris Fuggle, Tim Hudson (Chair), Michelle Olckers and Liwen Zhang.

“Having a long-term perspective is critical, as is having the right team to execute our strategy. As we look to implement our four-year plan, we have evolved our governance team to ensure it has the right leaders with a diversity of backgrounds and styles, to make our strategy happen” says Hélias.

In 2020 Mazars welcomed 78 new international partners from 30 countries. The new partners represent varied areas of services - audit (54%), tax (17%) and outsourcing (12%) – as well as regional diversity.

Mazars in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Mazars also performed well in 2019/2020. Jimmy Yip, Managing Director at Mazars in Hong Kong says: “Guided by our values, our experts are dedicated to deliver long-term profitable growth and create meaningful value for all our stakeholders. Leveraging global sources of expertise and experiences, We at Mazars in Hong Kong are in an excellent position to capitalize on the growth opportunities and increase market share in Asia.”

Committed to bringing a different perspective and shaping a healthier audit industry

In October 2020 Mazars launched its new brand identity which reaffirms its purpose and long-standing values of integrity, responsibility and accountability. It better reflects who Mazars is today, and the unique experience we strive to deliver to our people and our clients, empowering them to lead and thrive, and to always do what is right.

The rebrand celebrates how Mazars has transformed without compromising its culture, values or unique business model and how it brings choice and a different perspective to the audit, tax and advisory market. It also reaffirms a strong commitment to building a fair and prosperous world as well as a healthier industry. Because of its strong position on the PIE audit market, Mazars takes responsibility in ensuring auditors, who have a mission of public interest, can deliver against the expectations. Consistent with its brand purpose, the group wants to stand at the forefront of the audit debate, to promote significant changes in the profession and calls for a public debate involving all stakeholders.

Hélias concludes: “Our new four-year strategic plan outlines our intention to accelerate our transformation and further establish Mazars as an international leader. We want to continuously improve the way we serve our clients and develop our talent, making Mazars a knowledge-intensive firm and a school of excellence. Quality will remain the backbone of all our activities, and we want to continue to foster a true quality and risk management culture. Financial transparency and trust are the essence of a fair and prosperous economy, and auditors are a central piece of this ecosystem. It is time to collectively rethink how the profession operates. We believe it is our responsibility to help shape a healthier market and we will play our full part in this transformation in the coming years."

^{[1] The GEB is Mazars’ executive body. It is in charge of the operational management of the partnership with operational management of the partnership with regards to collectively defined key strategic objectives. It focuses first and foremost on pursuing and accelerating growth, while ensuring the quality and sustainability of the firm’s activities.}

^{[2] The GGC is the Group’s impartial and independent supervisory body. It has decision-making powers in three specific areas: the approval of partnership candidates and external growth operations, the compensation of the members of the GEB and the approval of disciplinary action decided but the latter.}