Key Points
- Six accountancy and consulting firms across the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain are joining forces to create Auren, a new pan-European professional-services group.
- The combined group is expected to generate more than €1 billion in annual revenues.
- The UK business involved is Moore Kingston Smith, which will operate under the Auren brand from 2027.
- The other firms are Moore Ireland, Moore DRV and MKW in the Netherlands, Auren in Spain, Intaria in Germany and Moore Belgium.
- The new group is backed by Waterland Private Equity, which began investing in Moore’s Belgian business in 2020.
- Waterland has supported more than 100 acquisitions over six years, including almost three dozen transactions during the past two years.
- The new Auren organisation will provide audit, accountancy, tax, legal, corporate finance, technology and management consulting services.
- Auren will focus primarily on entrepreneurs, SMEs and mid-market businesses while retaining strong local operations in its six existing European markets.
- Peter Verschelden, Chairman of Auren, said the new brand reflects the firms’ development into one international group with local roots and growing cross-border capabilities.
- Matthias Geyssens, a partner at Waterland, described the creation of Auren as an important step in the private equity firm’s buy-and-build strategy.
- Auren will remain an independent member of Moore Global, the international network of accounting and advisory firms.
- The group is expected to expand its cross-border operations and potentially enter additional European markets in the future.
Six accountancy and consulting firms spanning six European countries are joining forces to create Auren, a new pan-European professional-services group with annual revenues of more than €1 billion. The combination brings together Moore Kingston Smith in the UK, Moore Ireland, Moore DRV and MKW in the Netherlands, Auren in Spain, Intaria in Germany and Moore Belgium, with Waterland Private Equity supporting the expansion strategy. The firms are expected to begin operating under the Auren name from 2027, creating a larger platform for cross-border services while maintaining their local market presence.
What is the new Auren group?
According to Consultancy.eu, the six firms are combining to establish Auren as a new pan-European accountancy and consulting group. Consultancy.eu reported on 8 October 2026 that the combined organisation will have revenues exceeding €1 billion.
The firms involved are Moore Kingston Smith in the United Kingdom, Moore Ireland, Moore DRV and MKW in the Netherlands, Auren in Spain, Intaria in Germany and Moore Belgium. Together, they will form a single organisation operating across six European markets.
The development represents a major consolidation in the European professional-services sector, bringing established national businesses together under one identity. Rather than creating a completely new business from separate companies with no existing relationship, the Auren structure builds on a series of investments, acquisitions and increasing cooperation between firms backed by Waterland Private Equity.
Waterland’s own announcement, dated 7 October 2026, similarly described the combination as an integrated pan-European accountancy and consulting group with annual revenues above €1 billion. The private equity firm said the organisation will serve entrepreneurs, SMEs and mid-market companies across its six European markets.
Which UK firm is joining the Auren group?
The UK firm involved in the combination is Moore Kingston Smith, a professional-services business with a significant presence in London and elsewhere in the UK.
Moore Kingston Smith has separately confirmed that it will formally become Auren in March 2027. The firm said the rebrand forms part of the creation of the new pan-European professional-services group and represents the next stage of its long-term growth strategy.
Moore Kingston Smith has also said that the change will not mean that clients suddenly receive services from an entirely different organisation. The firm’s existing business, teams and client relationships will remain in place, while the company adopts the Auren identity as part of the wider European group.
The UK presence gives the new group an important connection to the British professional-services market. Moore Kingston Smith is a long-standing member of the Moore network and provides accounting, audit and business-advisory services to businesses and other clients.
The firm’s transition to Auren is therefore not simply a name change. It forms part of a wider restructuring designed to present the businesses as one integrated European platform while retaining their established local operations.
Why is Waterland Private Equity backing Auren?
Waterland Private Equity is playing a central role in the development of the new group.
As reported by Consultancy.eu, Waterland initially invested in Moore’s Belgian business in 2020. Since then, the private equity firm has expanded its presence across Europe through deals involving businesses in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany.
More than 100 acquisitions were completed during the six-year period, with close to three dozen of those transactions taking place during the last two years. The acquisitions and investments have helped create the group of firms that will now operate under the Auren name.
Waterland’s own announcement described the strategy as a means of building a larger professional-services organisation capable of combining local expertise with international reach. The firm said the group has developed a significant presence across six European markets and will serve entrepreneurs, SMEs and mid-market businesses.
The approach is consistent with a buy-and-build model, in which a financial investor supports the expansion of a platform by bringing together complementary businesses. In the case of Auren, that process has involved firms with established positions in individual European markets.
What did Peter Verschelden say about the creation of Auren?
Peter Verschelden, Chairman of Auren, said the launch represented an important milestone in the group’s development.
As reported by Consultancy.eu, Verschelden said the firms had been brought together over recent years because they shared a common culture, an entrepreneurial approach and a commitment to client service. He said the new Auren identity reflects the development of the businesses into one international group while retaining strong local roots and expanding their cross-border capabilities.
Verschelden also highlighted the increasing cooperation that had already developed between the participating firms.
According to Consultancy.eu, he said the firms had progressively worked more closely across national borders, including through operational and commercial relationships. Bringing the businesses together under one brand, he explained, makes that existing relationship more visible to clients, employees and potential future partners.
The Auren chairman also pointed to the potential for greater collaboration in areas such as technology, specialist expertise and cross-border services. This means the combination is intended to provide more than a common visual identity, with the group seeking to develop shared capabilities across its European operations.
What services will Auren provide?
Auren will operate across several professional-services disciplines.
According to Consultancy.eu, the group will provide services including audit, accountancy, tax, legal services, corporate finance, technology and management consulting.
The breadth of those services reflects the type of support required by the group’s intended client base. Auren will focus on the mid-market, including SMEs and entrepreneurial businesses that may require specialist professional advice as they grow, enter new markets or become more international.
The combination could also allow clients to access expertise in multiple jurisdictions through a single wider organisation. This is particularly relevant for businesses that operate across borders and require accounting, tax, legal, financial or consulting support in more than one European market.
The group nevertheless intends to maintain the local expertise of its individual member firms rather than replacing national operations with a completely centralised structure.
Will Auren remain focused on local European markets?
Yes. Although Auren intends to increase its cross-border activities, the participating firms are expected to remain deeply rooted in their respective local markets.
Matthias Geyssens, Waterland partner, said the creation of Auren represented a significant step in the execution of Waterland’s buy-and-build strategy.
As reported by Consultancy.eu, Geyssens said the group’s model was based on the view that clients increasingly require both local expertise and international reach. He added that combining entrepreneurial local leadership with scale, shared technology and cross-border expertise would position Auren to support SMEs and mid-market companies as they expand internationally.
Waterland’s announcement also said the group has established a presence across six European markets while retaining its focus on entrepreneurs, SMEs and mid-market companies.
This balance between local operations and international coordination is central to the structure of the new group. The individual firms bring established relationships and knowledge of their domestic markets, while the combined Auren organisation is intended to provide a broader European platform.
When will the firms begin operating under the Auren name?
The firms are expected to begin operating under the Auren brand from 2027.
Consultancy.eu reported that the new identity draws on the Spanish Auren firm’s established heritage. The Spanish business has developed Auren as an established brand in its domestic professional-services market, and that identity will now be used across the six-country organisation.
For the UK specifically, Moore Kingston Smith has confirmed that its formal transition to Auren is scheduled for March 2027. The firm has said that clients will continue working with the same teams and contacts and that its legal entities and client commitments will remain unchanged.
The transition will therefore take place over the coming months as the participating firms prepare their operations and external communications for the new identity.
What does the Auren combination mean for European professional services?
The formation of Auren creates a larger professional-services platform operating across six major European markets.
Its more than €1 billion revenue base places the organisation among the larger independent professional-services groups serving the European mid-market. The combination also gives the group a broader geographic footprint than any one of the participating national firms could provide independently.
For businesses expanding internationally, the group intends to combine local advisers with access to expertise in other European jurisdictions. Its service offering spans financial and advisory disciplines, including accountancy, audit, tax, legal services, corporate finance, technology and management consulting.
The development also demonstrates how private equity-backed consolidation can reshape professional-services businesses. Waterland’s investment programme has brought together firms through more than 100 acquisitions over six years, ultimately creating the foundation for the Auren structure.
For professionals working across Management and Leadership, the development also highlights the organisational challenges associated with integrating businesses across multiple countries, aligning leadership structures and developing a common operating approach while maintaining local decision-making.
Will Auren remain part of Moore Global?
Yes. Auren will remain an independent member of Moore Global, the international network of accounting and advisory firms.
Consultancy.eu reported that Moore Global has approximately 37,000 professionals across more than 100 countries. Auren’s membership means that the newly formed group will continue to have access to the wider Moore Global network while operating under its own Auren identity.
Moore Kingston Smith has likewise confirmed that, following its transition to Auren, it will remain part of the Moore Global network. The firm said clients will continue to benefit from those international relationships alongside the broader capabilities being developed through Auren.
The structure therefore separates the new Auren operating identity from its continuing relationship with the wider Moore Global network.
What is next for Auren?
The immediate priority will be the transition of the six national businesses to the Auren brand during 2027.
Beyond the rebranding process, the group expects to increase cross-border collaboration and develop shared capabilities in areas such as technology and specialist expertise. Consultancy.eu reported that Auren also expects to expand beyond its existing six European markets over time.
The combination gives the group a platform from which it can pursue further growth while retaining the local relationships of its existing firms. For Waterland, it represents the latest stage of a six-year investment and acquisition programme that has progressively connected professional-services businesses across Europe.
For the participating firms, meanwhile, Auren establishes a common identity intended to make their existing collaboration more visible to clients, employees and future partners.
The new group will therefore enter its next phase in 2027 with operations across the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, more than €1 billion in annual revenues and a stated focus on entrepreneurs, SMEs and mid-market businesses. Its development will be closely watched as European professional-services firms continue to seek scale while maintaining strong local expertise.
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