The managing partner of Tayside chartered acccountants EQ yesterday said it was “impossible” not to be excited about the future of Dundee.
David Cameron said the city had long hidden its light under a bushel but the £1 billion waterfront project was finally putting Dundee on the ecoomic map.
Mr Cameron, who works out of EQ’s City Quay office just yards from the riverfront development zone, said the city was undergoing a huge transformation which would provide benefits for everyone living and working in the city.
“What’s going on in Dundee isn’t a make-over – this is major surgery and, while it has caused a degree of disruption, we all appear focused on the future benefits we can secure,” Mr Cameron said.
“It is nothing short of visionary and the people driving this are to be applauded.
“I think there are opportunities for some larger players to come in and take advantage of what’s going on here.
“Dundee has hid its light under a bushel for a long time. The V&A has now got a lot of people talking about the city, not just here in Dundee but further afield.
“I think what Dundee is doing well at the moment is that everybody is working collectively and playing a part in this. Everybody is facing in the same direction and that must continue.
“Of course, all of this coincides with an improvement in general economic conditions, and business banking returning close to pre-recession support levels.
“It’s impossible not to be optimistic about the future of Dundee and, for many of us who have known this for a long time, it is a great place to live and do business.”
Mr Cameron was speaking as EQ – which was formed out of a merger between Reeves & Neylan and JLM – celebrated its 10th anniversary by laying out plans for further expansion.
The companyas grown to become a top 25 Scottish chartered accountancy practice with more than 1,600 clients on its books and more than 70 employees – almost double what it started with in 2004.
Mr Cameron said the firm was now on the recruitment trail again in order to support ambitious expansion plans over the next 12 months.
“We have some very exciting growth plans in the pipeline which will see us extend our geographical reach,” Mr Cameron said.
“In order to support our ambitions and bring them to fruition, it will be necessary to recruit into a number of different roles within the organisation and we very much look forward to boosting local employment as a result.”
Mr Cameron said many of EQ’s clients were also pushign ahead with new-found confidence.
He said: “The region’s economy has improved fairly significantly in the last 18 months or so and our clients are echoing that, with most finding life a lot easier than during the recessionary period.
“A number of those clients are going on to kick-start expansion projects which were previously in the planning stage.
“Of course, that’s a general impact of the economy further afield but I do think there is a feel good factor in Dundee because of everything that is going on.”