Andrew Moss interview

From client hospitality to community values, DSG’s Andrew Moss explains why one of the North West’s leading accountancy and advisory firms continues to back the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament.

What attracted DSG to Liverpool Tennis, compared with other sponsorship opportunities?

The Liverpool International Tennis Tournament is a bit different. It’s now a well recognised event, and they’ve had some big names involved. It’s a nice event to be associated with and a good opportunity to entertain clients.

How has your partnership with the event evolved?

It’s evolved in the sense that we now take three tables at the tournament. We also get to present a trophy to one of the winners or do the coin toss at the start of a match, so it’s a nice bit of profile for us.

For anyone unfamiliar with DSG, what do you do?

We’re independent Chartered Accountants that typically act as advisors to owner-managed businesses. We like to think of ourselves as the finance director that companies don’t have – or support to the finance directors that they do have – helping businesses make key decisions for growth, protect value (both of the business and for the owners), and mitigate tax in a compliant way. We’re a key business partner for our clients.

Why is LITT a good fit with your brand?

It’s a nice event to take people to. We have clients who play tennis and others who enjoy watching it, and it’s a way of thanking them for their loyalty to DSG or for coming on board with us. We also send staff members to enjoy the hospitality on the Thursday, which is a great way of saying thanks to them as well.

LITT places a big emphasis on accessibility and inspiring the next generation. What part of that community aspect resonates most with DSG?

We do quite a lot with the community. We look after a lot of charities from a compliance perspective, and we give our staff members an annual charity day – every member of staff can take a day out to help a charity of their choosing. We also encourage apprenticeships, and we hire school leavers aged over 18.

So seeing people being given chances to get involved in the sport fits with our belief of giving people opportunities.

Liverpool Tennis is very accessible, and it brings some big names, past and future, to the city. People like to watch good sport, especially when you’re so close to the action.

What LITT moments have stood out for you over the years?

Emma Raducanu winning the junior tournament was good to see – not that we knew then how successful she would be. It’s also nice to look back at the names they’ve had. Even the likes of John McEnroe have made an appearance, so we’ve seen some good players.

What does the tournament bring to the city, beyond sport?

It’s an opportunity for Liverpool businesses to showcase themselves, reward staff, reward clients, and say thank you. And, it’s a good day out.

Does the tournament help DSG with brand visibility?

It provides an opportunity for social media awareness around the tournament – we can promote our involvement through our own channels too. That builds awareness and people do comment on it. People also get to see our branding at the event, which boosts visibility.

How important is it for DSG to be involved in local partnerships like this?

It’s very important. We are Liverpool based and Liverpool originated. The firm’s been around for coming up 140 years. Currently in our sector, fewer firms are staying independent – and we’re very proud of our independence and our roots in Liverpool. Supporting something like the tournament that originated in Liverpool is key.

What would success look like for your partnership with Liverpool Tennis over the next few years?

It’s about keeping the partnership going, maintaining the brand awareness we get from our involvement, and having the opportunity to say thank you to our staff and clients.