Managing partners in leading Accountancy & Business Advisory practices discuss activity, in-demand service lines, and the business outlook

ACTIVITY

Over the past year we’ve continued to record strong growth across the firm, including in the areas of FDI, tax and advisory.

Our audit teams continue to win new work, particularly among owner-managed businesses and international companies operating in Ireland.

We have invested heavily in our people and digital transformation and continue to drive talent development to benefit our team and our clients.

Walsh O’Brien Harnett is committed to remaining independent and serving our clients’ needs by continuing to develop longterm relationships.

We are constantly looking at ways to improve our service offering and continue to invest in our IT infrastructure and the latest developments and software, including various AI and digital products.

We have increased headcount significantly over the past few years and continue to drive talent development within our team.

Our innovation team meets regularly to drive new processes and initiatives within the firm that will benefit our clients and our team.

TRUMP EFFECT

It appears from president Trump’s initial few weeks in office that his second term will have a big impact on business and trade across the world.

As a major trading partner with the US, it’s important that Ireland continues to have strong relations with the US and keeps open communication channels to ensure that business interests are protected.

Irish companies are large employers in the US and the relationship has worked well for both sides.

Ireland is heavily reliant on US firms in the tech, pharma and finance sectors so it’s vital that we protect our interests during president Trump’s term in office and beyond.

Clients are very agile and have shown over the past number of years that they can adapt and adjust to situations at they arise in their business.

The US position will be no different.

Clients will look at alternative markets, new suppliers and developing relations with different customers around the globe while they continue to work with US companies.

Attracting talent is still a major issue for our clients in 2025. Infrastructure and access to housing continue to cause issues for their teams.

Increases in costs are proving more difficult for businesses to pass on and this is affecting their margins.

How clients can benefit from the use of AI and the impact of this on their business is a major discussion point going forward.

On top of this, additional reporting requirements such as CSRD require extra resources to help develop robust frameworks within organisations.

OUTLOOK

Despite the geopolitical factors around the world, we are confident that the outlook for Ireland and our clients remains solid.

Businesses are continuing to perform well in certain sectors despite the issues affecting them and the Irish economy is projected to grow again in 2025, but at a slower rate than the past few years.