At Milton Keynes-based Ad Valorem, a school leaver can progress from trainee to director and shareholder. It is a story that captures what family-owned growth can look like: patient investment in people, opportunities shared more widely and success that strengthens the businesses around it.

When Nigel and Nikki Adams founded Ad Valorem in 2001 and 2002 respectively, they set out to build an accountancy and advisory business around people and relationships.

Over the past decade, that ambition has seen the business grow from a £1.5 million practice employing around 20 people into a group with turnover approaching £10 million, 95 direct employees and around ten local consultants.

But the most distinctive part of Ad Valorem’s story isn’t simply how much it has grown. It’s how the family has chosen to share that success.

Some of today’s directors and shareholders began their careers as trainees. School leavers can join through apprenticeships, gaining practical experience while working towards ACCA qualifications, with opportunities to progress into leadership and even ownership.

For the Adams family, developing people is a long-term commitment. Rather than recruiting solely to meet immediate needs, they have created opportunities for employees to build careers and take a genuine stake in the business they have helped grow.

That approach also extends to acquisitions, where employees from acquired firms have retained ownership stakes, preserving experience and relationships while bringing businesses together.

Growth that multiplies

Ad Valorem’s contribution to growth is not confined to the people on its own payroll. Accountants and advisors often see local economic pressures before they appear in headline statistics: whether entrepreneurs feel confident enough to recruit, whether growing companies can find finance, or whether owners are planning to invest or step back.

Every month, the group processes thousands of payslips and hundreds of accounts for businesses across the region, helping entrepreneurs make decisions about jobs, premises, equipment, finance and succession. When those businesses grow, the effects spread through local households, suppliers and commercial centres.

Having built their own company from the ground up, Nigel and Nikki understand the challenges those businesses face. Their long-standing relationships with clients mean they are invested in helping them succeed, not simply preparing their next set of accounts.

When a client grows, the benefits can spread through the local economy. An expanding business may take on more employees, place orders with nearby suppliers or invest in new premises. That makes the firm part of Milton Keynes’ local growth infrastructure.

That same commitment to the wider business community explains why the group invests time in bringing employers and policymakers together.

In September 2025, Ad Valorem hosted a roundtable with Chris Curtis MP and accounting software firm Xero to discuss the Government’s Small Business Plan, bringing together businesses employing between two and 150 people.

Through its work with ACCA, including Accounting Partner Days, the group also shares expertise with smaller accountancy practices, helping strengthen the support available to businesses elsewhere.

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The Adams family’s commitment to the future is reflected in the involvement of Nigel and Nikki’s sons, Luke and Connor.

Both are bringing fresh ideas to the business, including in sales, wealth management and data analytics, combining the experience of the founding generation with new perspectives.

But the family’s ambitions extend beyond the company itself. Ad Valorem provides reduced-cost services to charities, supports local schools and sports teams, and raises funds for causes including Sue Ryder. Nigel has also served as a trustee of Milton Keynes Museum.

These are different ways of contributing to a community whose success is closely connected to Ad Valorem’s own future.

As Nikki Adams explains:

“We want to share success, give the next generation room to bring their own ideas, and use our growth to make a positive difference.”

For Ad Valorem, that means building a business where young people can become owners, other businesses can flourish and success creates opportunities for the wider Milton Keynes economy.