Grant Hotson joins Smith & Williamson as group finance director

TOP 50 accountancy firm Smith & Williamson has named Grant Hotson as group finance director.

Hotson joins the main board of Smith & Williamson and will sit on the firm’s subsidiary boards relating to the tax and business services and the investment management and banking divisions.  He takes over from Jeremy Boadle who retires from Smith & Williamson later this year.

Hotson is a chartered accountant and brings over 18 years of experience in the financial services sector.  Previous roles include working as the chief financial officer and member of the executive team at Ignis Asset Management before it was acquired by Standard Life Investments.  Prior to that, he was head of finance at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership having spent some seven years at PwC.

Kevin Stopps, co-chief executive of Smith & Williamson, said: “We are delighted that Grant has become group finance director at Smith & Williamson and we very much look forward to working with him.  He brings a wealth of commercial experience in financial management with a background that includes both accountancy and asset management firms.”

The appointment arises as Jeremy Boadle will be retiring from Smith & Williamson after more than 30 years with the firm and 11 years on the main board.  He became a partner in 1986 and focused primarily on advising professional practices and businesses in the financial services sector.  He was subsequently appointed head of assurance and business services, then managing director of the tax and business services division in 2005 and, in 2010, group finance director.