Irish accountancy firm Ecovis Ireland has appointed Paul McCann, former managing partner of Grant Thornton Ireland, as its chief executive, as the BGF-backed firm pursues an acquisition-led growth strategy targeting consolidation within the Irish accountancy sector.

The Irish Times reported that McCann spent 22 years with Grant Thornton, where he was a high-profile insolvency practitioner, including being appointed joint administrator of Quinn Insurance Ltd in 2010. He subsequently served as interim chief financial officer at PTSB before leading Irish IT solutions company Ergo for four and a half years until its sale to Presidio in January, in a deal reportedly valued at €100m.

McCann had already established a connection with Ecovis Ireland, having served as non-executive chairman of the firm since the middle of last year. Ecovis Ireland is part of the international Ecovis network and was formerly known as DCA Accountants.

BGF, which is backed by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, took a stake in the firm last year with a stated ambition to drive consolidation among Irish accounting firms and scale the business rapidly.

Declan Dolan, founding partner of Ecovis, said: "Paul's appointment and our transition to Ecovis Ireland marks a significant step forward for the firm. His leadership experience combined with his deep understanding of the business positions us strongly for continued growth and supports our goal to acquire firms with a similar culture to our own."

McCann said: "As an Irish-owned and -managed business, I believe Ecovis Ireland can become a focal point for consolidation among Irish firms and as an alternative to the UK-owned consolidators."

The firm said McCann would focus on scaling operations, strengthening its advisory offering, and supporting strategic growth both organically and through acquisition.

Read the full report on Paul McCann's appointment at Ecovis Ireland.