Respect for local DNA
PIA Group is one of the front runners in the consolidation wave that is currently sweeping the accountancy sector. Now composed of over 70 branches and 2,000 staff in Belgium and the Netherlands, PIA Group sets itself apart from the competition through an approach that combines the best of two worlds. On the one hand, the PIA offices benefit from economies of scale, such as investments in ancillary services and advisory. On the other hand, PIA Group places maximum emphasis on the local character of its offices by not just preserving but reinforcing their individual character.
“Not just the customers but also the staff of every office have opted for a certain DNA”, says Steven Brouckaert, Executive Chairman of PIA Group International.” We find it essential to respect those local strengths. So every accountancy firm that joins PIA Group remains that familiar partner that both customers and staff have known for so many years.”
Nathalie Calle, CEO of PIA Group Belgium, adds: “We invest a great deal of effort in supporting the entrepreneurship of our partners in those areas that fall outside their core activities, such as HR and IT, etcetera so they can focus 100% on supporting their customers.”
Increasingly difficult to follow
For each of the joining agencies, preserving their identity was one of the main reasons to choose PIA Group. Jos Martens is in charge of the day-to-day operations of QPS, a prominent Limburg accounting office based in Hasselt and Genk with 50 staff who service over 1,000 subcontractors from a host of industries. He puts it as follows: “I was very much aware that the growing level of concentration in our sector would make it increasingly difficult for us to keep up. That is why I have always been open to discussions in recent years. For me it was essential that QPS could maintain its approach and that we could decide for ourselves which aspects of the support to emphasise. It quickly became clear that PIA Group and I were on the same page in that regard.”
The benefits of a group
Jan Paenhuysen of A&T Partners, an office with 32 staff and a reference in the Louvain region, points out the importance of the support PIA Group offers in critical areas: “As a partner you are fully aware of the challenges your firm is facing. Just think of AI. Finding the right people - and specifically senior profiles - is also an everyday concern. In our discussions, Steven Brouckaert gave very concrete examples of how PIA Group will help us navigate those obstacles.”
Rob Verschaeren of Verschaeren & Mertens from Mechelen, an office that targets SMEs of all types, not just through accountancy but also salary administration, points out another asset PIA Group can fall back on in the war for talent: “PIA Group offers additional career opportunities for our staff and that helps us position Verschaeren & Mertens as an attractive employer in the region.”
Working together for the future
Ivan Mermans of Factum Fiscalis, a 19-strong accountancy firm from Kapellen, cites another advantage of their collaboration with PIA Group: “There’s not just digitalisation and staff shortages. Constantly changing legislation continues to create new tasks for accountants. At a management level there is simply no time to think about the future. It’s quite a relief that we can now tackle those challenges as part of a greater whole.”
Katrin Bosmans of Bruges-based agency CBFin concurs wholeheartedly: “It was our ambition from the outset to set up a trailblazing accountancy agency but as we started expanding we encountered additional challenges that we had underestimated. That is why we are pleased that we can continue to fine-tune our concept as part of a larger organisation.
Erwin Grusenmeyer of Emendo, with branches in Kapellen, Lier and Lint, couldn’t agree more: “The opportunity to spar with colleagues that are not rivals is extremely valuable. What’s more, we can now expand our service with PIA Advisory.”
The importance of values
In Wallonia the supportive approach is also the deciding factor for agencies that opt for PIA Group. AGEFI, with branches in Mons, Zinnik and Seilles, expanded through strategic partnerships and acquisitions of other fiduciaries into an agency with a 75-year history, 35 staff and customers across the whole of French-speaking Belgium. “Three years ago we received an offer from a foreign international group”, partners Stéphane Bloquiau and Céline Quévy explain. “The financial aspect of the negotiations went very smoothly but we didn’t identify with the values of the counterparty. However, with PIA Group we immediately felt that Steven Brouckaert and his team grasped what we were doing. At AGEFI we are entrepreneurs to the core, something that PIA Group showed tremendous respect for.”
Steven Brouckaert confirms: “That is the essence of how PIA Group approaches acquisitions. Boosting the entrepreneurship of the partners is our top priority.”
Significant growth in Flanders and Wallonia
Benjamin Biesmans of Baltisse, the family office of Belgian top entrepreneur Filip Balcaen and the main investor in PIA Group, is pleased with PIA Group’s expansion. “With the addition of seven agencies at once, PIA Group consolidates its reputation as the fastest growing outfit in the market. What’s more, the quality of the branches that are joining today is remarkable. It is also heartening to see that PIA Group is increasingly becoming a national business. French-speaking Belgium is a key market for us. Across the region, from Liège to Luxembourg, the number of entrepreneurial initiatives is booming. It is our ambition to contribute to this trend through our accountancy and advisory services. With AGEFI we now have a presence in half the Walloon provinces.” Steven Brouckaert gets the last word: “It is our ambition to break the €400 million barrier in turnover this year. We’re certainly off to a flying start.”
About PIA Group
In a market of scale-ups PIA Group aims to develop into a leading player in accountancy and advisory services while preserving the personal connection between employee and customer. That is why our growth is based on a continuously expanding group of enterprising partners. Thanks to the mutual interaction between these partners and our teams of experts, entrepreneurs benefit from an individual up-to-date service in every PIA branch, as well as know-how that makes a genuine contribution to their professional success and personal happiness. PIA Group was founded in Belgium by Steven Brouckaert in 2012. The group is active in Belgium and the Netherlands and boasts more than 70 branches and close to 2,000 employees, realising a turnover across both countries of more than €250 million in 2024.
www.pia.be
www.agefi.be
www.atpartners.be
www.cbfin.be
www.emendo.eu
www.factumfiscalis.be
www.qps.be
www.verschaeren-mertens.be
For more details on this press release feel free to contact Stefan Knecht, stefan.k@pia.be, +32 495 54 60 82.
