At the recent UK & Ireland board meeting we discussed the value of membership and to that end I thought it would be timely to restate this. Internationally MGI membership brings access to trusted firms overseas when your clients need overseas assistance. Knowing your international colleagues should give you and your clients a lot of comfort. A consequence of this is that you are more likely to retain your international client who would otherwise go elsewhere for advice. In your local business community MGI membership adds to your credibility and makes you stand out from other independent firms who can only offer local services. It enables you to compete with members of other international networks on a level playing field. Indeed against much larger international networks the high level of local partner input to your clients along with international resources puts you at a distinct advantage to service the SME market.

In the UK & Ireland we have a long tradition of regional MGI membership giving rise to further valuable benefits. All the UK & Ireland forums, our conference and my visits to each member are all aimed at making MGI an integral part of your firm. The more peer groups we establish the more MGI will run through the blood stream of each firm. We offer a non competitive environment where like minded firms can share ideas and problems to make the most of new opportunities whilst avoiding recreating the wheel! The flow of emails between firms and often work itself is very encouraging. Indeed the openness with which financial data is shared in our inter firm comparison is testament to the trust we place in each other along with the opportunity to learn from each other. The tangible benefits arising from MGI include the Mercia manuals, discounts with Kaplan and Wolters Kluwer, access to Creditsafe, training with SWAT at reduced rates along with our strong relationship with Bluefin. More ways to create membership value are always being sought so you are all encouraged to share new opportunities for this that you come across