Accountancy people moves: February 2024

Each month, Accountancy Age delivers a comprehensive update on the key people moves and promotions that have taken place among the UK accountancy market’s top 100 firms.

In March 2024, we unveil the final wave of activity among some of the largest firms and accounting bodies in the UK across the start of the year. Moore Kingston Smith welcomes a new managing partner as Maureen Penfold sets retirement date at the end of April. UNW, Johnston Carmichael, MHA and Armstrong Watson all make appointments to bolster their audit teams. ICAS begins it’s search for a new chair following  the resignation of Ken Thomson.

Mid-tier 

(February 2) – Evelyn Partners is pleased to announce that Edward Park will be joining the business in April 2024 as Chief Asset Management Officer. As part of the senior leadership team, he will also become a member of the Group Executive Committee.  Park joins from Brooks Macdonald, where he has worked for 15 years, latterly as Chief Investment Officer, and a member of the Executive Committee.

(February 5) – Evelyn Partners is pleased to announce the appointment of Declan Kirby as a Chartered Financial Planner in its Birmingham office. Before joining Evelyn Partners, Declan worked for Henwood Court Financial Planning as a Chartered Financial Planner, providing financial planning and wealth management advice to his clients.

(February 6) – Moore Kingston Smith announces the election of Matt Meadows as managing partner. As of 1 May 2024, Matt will take over from current managing partner Maureen Penfold who retires on 30 April 2024. Matt joined Moore Kingston Smith in 1998 as a trainee and was made a partner ten years later.

(February 7) – Cumbrian accountancy firm Saint and Co has increased its commitment to the ongoing learning and professional development of its staff by enlisting 17 new apprentices. The company has an annual apprenticeship programme, and this year widened its scope to provide more learning opportunities to a larger range of apprentices.

(February 7) – BDO has strengthened its Midlands team with the appointment of a new partner. Having previously worked at BDO between 2011 to 2018, Steve Round re-joins the firm as a tax partner in the East Midlands.  He specialises in transaction tax and advising owner-managed businesses

(February 8) –  RSM UK has appointed two business transformation partners, Mohi Khan and Ashley Barlow, to grow and strengthen its consulting team. Mohi holds more than 25 years’ experience as a strategic business transformation adviser, with previous roles at PwC, EY and PA Consulting. Ashley has over 25 years’ experience growing, reshaping and transforming businesses through technology as a chief information officer and chief technology officer, with previous roles at PA Consulting; and over a decade at EY.

(February 8) – Azets has announced the appointment of Melanie Richards CBE as the new Chair of our Board of Directors. Richards will work with Group Chief Executive Officer Chris Horne and the senior leadership team in delivering our next phase of growth. She was previously Deputy Chair of KPMG UK, with a focus on a broad set of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) topics including risk and reputation, culture and diversity and inclusion.

(February 8) – Magma Accountants has announced the appointment of Bethany Duffin as its new marketing manager.  Moving within the professional services industry, she has recently concluded a role focusing specifically on financial services. Alongside her role within Magma, Duffin is working towards her CIM Chartered Marketer status.

(February 12) – Cross-border border advisory firm Quantuma has appointed Ahmad Chit as managing director in its Middle East practice. Ahmad’s appointment adds further depth to the firm’s growing Investigations and Asset Recovery practice in the region. During the course of his career, Ahmad has led forensic accounting assignments across the MENA Region

February 12) – Evelyn Partners is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Lewis as an Investment Director in its Chelmsford office.  Lewis spent 22 years as an Investment Manager at Quilter Cheviot. He works with private clients to help them to preserve and grow their wealth, as well as working closely with the introducer community, including financial planners.

(February 12) – Newcastle-based independent chartered accountancy and business advisory firm UNW appoints Nicola Coleman as an audit partner. Having worked extensively with privately owned entrepreneurial businesses and not-for-profit entities within the ‘Big 4’ and for a regional independent firm, Nicola was recruited to support the firm’s ongoing growth.

(February 13) – Johnston Carmichael has made a significant addition to its growing Audit team with the appointment of Matt Kaye. He  joined from a Big Four audit team, bringing nearly two decades of extensive experience advising large owner managed business clients across a variety of sectors and leading key client accounts.

(February 13) – Moore Kingston Smith announces the appointment of Alex Horton as a partner in its media team. Horton brings over 12 years’ experience in guiding individuals and owner-managed businesses in the entertainment industry. He advises clients across film, TV and theatre regarding technical tax issues such as creative industry tax relief claims and a variety of HMRC tax inquiries.

(February 12) – RSM UK has appointed Angela Keery as director to grow and develop its regional tax offering with specific focus in Northern Ireland. Keery is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor with over 30 years’ experience, working with businesses of varying sizes and in many sectors. She will lead RSM’s Belfast team to develop its tax services across Northern Ireland. Prior to joining RSM, Keery was tax director at Baker Tilly Moore.

February 14) – Albert Goodman has bolstered its specialist wealth management team with the appointment of Matthew Potter as financial planning consultant. Potter will utilise his 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry and five years in property management, for a broad mix of clients.

(February 20) – Evelyn Partners has appointed Stephen Drew as regional managing partner to lead its professional services team in Cambridge. Drew has been with Evelyn Partners for 25 years.  As Regional Managing Partner, he is also responsible for leading the professional services team in the firm’s Birmingham office.

(February 22) – Armstrong Watson has bolstered its Yorkshire audit team with the appointment of Steve Williams as Audit and Assurance partner. Williams has joined after ten years with TC Group (previously Murray Harcourt), where he was an audit partner, and, prior to that, worked for RSM and KPMG. Having worked in audit and assurance for more than 20 years, Williams’ experience ranges from audits of FTSE 100 PLCs to family, owner-managed and private equity-backed businesses.

(February 22) – Grant Thornton has announced the appointment of Maureen Paul and Joel Strange as economic consulting directors within its rapidly expanding Economics Consulting Team. Paul is a former Senior Civil Servant with significant analytical and policy experience in economic regulation, gained working with UK regulators. Strange is an economist specialising in infrastructure and international trade. He regularly supports corporates, regulators, governments and their legal advisors.

(February 22) – BKL appointments a new Trust Director, Ryan Bevan. His expertise covers all areas of trusts, with specialisms in offshore trusts, non-UK trustees, landed estates, employment related trusts and the HMRC Trust Registration Service. Bevan joins BKL from Deloitte, with over a decade of experience advising high net worth individuals, large multinational trustees and families.

(February 26) – MHA has announced the appointment of Dianne Azoor Hughes, Mark Goodey and Tim Davies as independent non-executives (INEs).The three INEs, who take up their responsibilities with immediate effect, will attend the MHA oversight committee, the public interest committee and the audit quality board which have direct responsibility for overseeing our audit practice and ensuring its quality and independence.

(February 27) – Grant Thornton UK has further strengthened its international Business Process Solutions practice through the appointment of Varun Dewan and Erica King. Dewan joins the firm as Partner with over twenty years’ experience advising clients across a broad range of sectors. He specialises in advising clients on managed services and has extensive experience in implementing process outsourcing solutions within the UK and Indian markets.  King joins the firm as Director, with over twenty years’ professional services experience, both within industry and practice. She has significant expertise in business process improvement and change management and has led several outsourcing implementation projects for mid-sized businesses.  

(February 29 – Dow Schofield Watts (DSW) has expanded its North West corporate finance team with the appointment of Jack Keoghan. He joins from Deloitte in Liverpool where he has spent the last six years in its Audit team with his last role as a Manager working across the retail, finance and hospitality sectors.

(February 29) – Chartered accountants and business adviser BKL has announced the appointment of Neill Ryder as its new chief financial officer. Ryder comes to BKL with over two decades of experience in finance including 15 years as CFO at Away Resorts. During this time he led the business’ multisite growth through mergers and acquisitions, product innovation and private equity investment.

Big Four

(February 2) – Mark Clephan has been named the new EY UK & Ireland Corporate Finance Leader. Mark joined EY in 2001 and is an M&A Partner based in the EY Manchester office, where he also leads the North Corporate Finance team. He brings 25 years’ experience, having worked with a wide variety of Private Equity houses, listed and private companies as well as many entrepreneurs.

Trade bodies

(February 2) – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) has announced Ken Thomson has stepped down as the chair. The body will begin the process of appointing a Chair of the Regulation Board. shortly

(February 16) – The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has appointed Owen Mapley as its new chief executive officer. The current Chief Executive of Hertfordshire County Council will take up the leadership of CIPFA in the coming months, following the retirement of current CEO Rob Whiteman.