Rob Reynolds has been running the Ashford office of Wilkins Kennedy for a year but it is only now that his tenure is starting to feel like a new beginning for the firm.

The office’s long-running managing partner Hugh Summerfield retired at the end of last month, while the business unveiled a merger with Canterbury-based Lakin Clark last week.

“It has been challenging but it is all good,” said Mr Reynolds, who also oversees Wilkins Kennedy’s Orpington and Sandwich offices as it’s southern regional partner.

“It’s always a big thing when a major player moves on. We need to be as good as Hugh has been over the years.

“We have been using his expertise and knowledge and tapping into his goodwill. I have full respect for everything he has done and continues to contribute to the team.”

As Mr Summerfield departs, the company has entered a new era after the merger with accountancy Lakin Clark, announced on Tuesday.

The firm will add 18 staff, including two partners and a senior consultant, to the teams managed by Mr Reynolds. Wilkins Kennedy has 60 staff in its Ashford office, 50 in Orpington and three in Discovery Park in Sandwich.

“We are always looking to grow the firm through different service lines,” he said. “The opportunity for the merger just came up. Our office in Discovery Park has been growing organically but it is very difficult to grow from a standing start.

“We got to know the guys at Lakin Clark and the deal gives us critical mass in east Kent. It is something to really launch from.

“They are a quality firm of really nice people who fit with us.

“East Kent is an area with huge potential. Discovery Park has been particularly successful in attracting business.

“This is a natural extension of that. We want to be a big player in Kent.”

Mr Reynolds began his career in Orpington from 1987 to 1991 before he moved to London as a general manager. He was made a partner in 1999.

He moved to Ashford in 2008 to help with the integration of the newly-acquired Finn-Kelcey & Chapman, run by Mr Summerfield and fellow senior partner Mike Bushell, who retired in 2010.

“East Kent is an area with huge potential..." - Rob Reynolds, Wilkins Kennedy

Mr Summerfield had remained managing partner of Ashford after the merger, when the business changed its name to WK Finn-Kelcey. It changed to Wilkins Kennedy FKC in 2011.

“It is a lot more personal in Kent,” said Mr Reynolds. “In London, I was dealing with a lot of overseas stuff. Here the relationship is more personal.

“There is a lot of competition here compared to London too, which is quite tough but it is massive and there is plenty to go around.

“From a personal point of view, we have gone from a relatively small practice in Ashford to a big one and being a part of that is nice to see. We have some really talented young people coming through.”