Johnston Carmichael has launched a Dundee office as part of a strategic expansion of its operations.

The firm has established a new hub in the city to provide bespoke services to Dundee’s growing sectors including technology and life sciences. According to the Tech Nation 2018 report, Dundee’s digital technology sector was worth over £200 million to the economy in 2017 and supported over 2,500 jobs.

Its expert team will also support businesses from its other key sectors including food and drink and agriculture as they harness technology to boost their operations and grow.

Sir Pete Downes, former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Dundee  and a leading figure in the pharmaceutical industry, has been appointed as a senior adviser to the firm to support them in this expansion.

The Dundee team will be based in the landmark building set amid the Dundee Central Waterfront, Dundee One, and will include recently appointed Jenn Stewart, who joins Johnston Carmichael as a Restructuring Director. Jenn has been based in Dundee for the last 12 years and is a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner, accepting formal insolvency appointments. She has a wealth of experience across the corporate and personal insolvency field, with particular expertise in personal insolvency and debt advisory solutions.

Also based in the office will be innovations taxes senior manager Andrew McMillan and business advisory manager Ryan Milne. They will be supported by a mobile and highly experienced specialist team including Head of Entrepreneurial Taxes, Andrew Holloway and Head of Technology and Life Sciences for the firm, Shaun Millican.

Dundee is renowned as a centre of creativity and innovation, with its universities offering globally significant biomedical research and gaming and computer science courses that produce some of these industries’ most talented graduates and entrepreneurs.

It is UNESCO’s City of Design, home to the first V&A outside of London and was recently named as the best place to live in Scotland.

Sir Pete Downes said: “Johnston Carmichael is a highly ambitious firm with the experience and knowledge to help Dundee’s businesses to achieve their growth plans.

“We now have a world class attraction in the form of the V&A, but this is just the start of the journey for Dundee. I am pleased to be working in partnership with Johnston Carmichael as it seeks to harness the collective strength of the city and create a community that will generate economic opportunities for all.”

Andrew Walker, Board Member and Partner at Johnston Carmichael, who has led the establishment of the office, said:

“Dundee has an extraordinary technology community spanning gaming, life sciences and manufacturing with an exciting academia producing dynamic spin outs.

“Opening in Dundee is a very important and symbolic milestone in our Firm’s growth and development we have long harboured ambitions to build a strong presence in one of Scotland’s largest and most ambitious cities.

“We will be using our expertise and deep knowledge of the technology sector to support the city’s businesses at all stages of their growth journey from start-ups to scale-ups, helping them to prosper and progress.

“As a business we are also committed to supporting the communities in which we are located, and we look forward to engaging with local groups and helping them to flourish.”

Johnston Carmichael has a strong track record in advising technology businesses at all stages of their journey from start up to scale up, with clients including the highly successful healthcare tech firm, Current Health, and Intelligent Growth Solutions, responsible for the innovative design behind Scotland’s first vertical farm.

The Dundee office brings to 12 the number of offices operated by Johnston Carmichael across Scotland. Other local branches include its Forfar and Perth practices.