Biography of Tony Handford

Tony qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1984. For the next twenty years he worked in practice (from 1990 as a partner in a Liverpool based firm), providing advice to a range of predominantly SME clients.

In 2004 Tony joined one of his long standing clients, Carlton Fuels Limited, as Finance Director, taking an equity share in the company as a member of a management buy out / buy in team.

Along with his two fellow executive directors, Tony managed the development of the company. In the two years from the date of the management buy out Carlton Fuels successfully expanded its operations through the opening of new depots and diversification. During that period sales by volume, staff numbers and site locations all near doubled whilst profits increased threefold.

In 2006 Carlton Fuels Limited was acquired for £12 million by DCC plc, an Irish company listed on the UK stock market. At that time Carlton Fuels employed some 130 staff and enjoyed an annual turnover of in excess of £300 million.

Since 2007 Tony has worked with Howard Hackney, initially as a member of Grant Thornton’s Special Projects team in Liverpool and more recently as an associate of Howard Hackney LLP.