A new director has been appointed to lead a northern accountancy firm.

Victoria Bewley has been promoted to the role at Douglas Home and Company after 12 years at the firm.

The firm opened a new office in Penrith earlier this year, where Ms Bewley will be based.

Its first office was in Kelso, which remains its headquarters, and it now has eight offices in Scotland and Northern England, including its most recent opening in Edinburgh.

Douglas Home and Company started with 20 employees and now has more than 70, with six directors.

Ms Bewley has been a part of the advisory department for six years.

With a background in agriculture, her years of experience within the industry have led her to become an expert succession planner.

Acting as an advisor, Victoria works with family members to make sure they clearly understand the forthcoming transfer.

She also specialises in tax planning and claiming reliefs for research and development projects.

The Douglas Home and Co team have recently assisted clients with R&D interests across diverse fields such as construction and cosmetics.

She said: “Having strong relationships with our clients ensures that we fully understand how their business works which is at the heart of our company ethos.

“The director’s involvement in the day-to-day running of the business makes us stand apart from other accountancy firms.

“We are committed to training our staff to ensure a consistency of knowledge and customer service. This allows us to deliver work promptly and to a high standard.”