Mid-tier accountancy firm Carter Backer Winter has announced its merger with accountants and tax specialists Blackstone Franks.

The newly created unit will trade as CBW Blackstone Franks but the firm as a whole will continue to be known as CBW, bringing CBW's complement to 16 partners and consultants and more than 100 staff.

The Blackstone Franks team has been advising UK and international clients for more than 40 years and includes Robert Maas, an acknowledged expert on property tax in the UK.

Peter Winter, CBW managing partner, said: 'CBW's strategy is to grow both organically and with the selective addition of highly regarded specialist practices. We are all about providing a firm that delivers the sort of expertise you would normally expect to find in a very large firm, but combined with a strong partnership ethos and hands-on partner involvement. We have known the team at Blackstone Franks for many years and look forward to working with them in the same partnership.

Other members of the newly merged business advisory team include Thomas Adcock, who is a former HMRC corporate tax inspector, Subhash Thakrar, the current chair of the London Chamber of Commerce, and Lance Blackstone, the joint senior partner at Blackstone Franks who is a corporate finance specialist.

The merger is CBW's second in 18 months, following its tie up with outsourced accounting firm Direct Control Ltd last year.