Building people businesses that are suited to the public arena is notoriously difficult.

One of the biggest dangers is that acquisitions become addictive. Vantis, the accountancy and professional services group, appears to have avoided this pitfall. The company – which took over Numerica in May 2006, almost doubling its size – last made an acquisition 15 months ago, paying just £1.5m for a general practice accountancy partnership in London.