Accountancy people moves: March 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 April 2024, we unveil the final wave of activity among some of the largest firms and accounting bodies in the UK across March. Lovewell Blake has appointed a new partner to it’s ranks, Grant Thornton expanded it’s M&A team, Mark Taylor was re-elected chair of Kreston Global, KPMG’s CEO secures another term with overwhelming support, and the PSAA secures Bill Butler to lead.

Mid-tier 

(March 1) BDO has invested further in its audit practice and continued to strengthen its advisory offerings with the hiring of two new partners. Jeroen Basten joins as a partner in the Midlands, having built up over 17 years’ experience in professional services. He will take a lead role with the Digital Risk and Advisory team (DRAS), helping organisations navigate risks related to regulations and IT transformation programmes, including the design and implementation of digital controls and technology Gemma Hoult joins BDO as an audit partner in the South East. She has significant experience delivering on high quality audit and assurance projects. Gemma will be based in the firm’s Gatwick office and joins from KPMG.

(March 4) Lovewell Blake appoints Simon Watson to senior partner, replacing Mark Proctor, who is stepping down after three years in the role.The appointment is the culmination of a nearly three decade career at Lovewell Blake for Watson, who joined the firm in 1995, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1997. He was appointed a partner in the firm in 2004, and  is currently a corporate services partner.

(March 5) Dave Syers, former Bradford City player, has joined Syers McGill as a director. Syers spent six seasons as a professional footballer playing for several Yorkshire based clubs, including Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers and Scunthorpe United. He has now joined the leadership team at SyersMcGill as a director, bringing experience in managing business growth within the SME market.

(March 5) BHP‘s head of charities, Jane Marshall, is to retire from her role at the end of March after 37 years at the firm. Marshall has helped grow our firm’s charities and not-for-profit expertise, leading BHP to be repeatedly recognised, at a national level, by Charity Finance Magazine in its annual audit survey. Most recently, in December 2023, we were named in the top 12 Charity Audit firms in the UK.

(March 5) Evelyn Partners has appointed Mickey Armstrong as financial planner in it’s Knutsford office. Armstrong joins Evelyn Partners from AES International in Dubai where he worked as a Chartered Financial Planner and advised high net worth expats, helping structure their wealth for the future, planning for repatriation and deep-diving into their inheritance and inter-generational planning needs.

(March 6) Grant Thornton has invested in its M&A team with with 10 partner promotions and new hires. The new partners are Cambridge-based Stuart Davies, Jamie Roberts in Cardiff, Jim Whittaker and Bob McDermott in Leeds and Matt Bryden-Smith in Manchester. Sector specialists Victoria Giles (skills & training), Paul Lynch (financial services due diligence) and Simon Blackburn (head of M&A for financial services), James Moore (transactions tax) and TAS expert Chris Sharpe, who are all based in the firm’s London-office, have also joined the partnership.

(March 7) CFW Chartered Accountants has announced that Leanne Revie has been promoted to associate partner after training with the firm 20 years ago.  After various roles at regional accountancy firms, Revie rejoined CFW in 2019 as an accountant at the Corby firm. In her new role she will focus on offering tax and financial reporting services, ensuring businesses and individuals meet their compliance needs.

(March 7) Sussex and South East accountancy firm Carpenter Box has promoted Kristina Perry and Alex Chidwick to the roles of client service director. Perry will have responsibility for overseeing audits, while leading a technical team focused on accounting and auditing standards. She manages a portfolio of clients in a variety of sectors including the retail, manufacturing, construction and not-for-profit sectors, and will split her time between the firm’s Worthing and Crawley offices. Chidwick will oversee group financial reporting, including audit work for international clients, with a focus on healthcare, manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, retail, and creative and media.

(March 7) Mercer & Hole has appointed Tania Phillips as associate director in the corporate finance team. She will be primarily focused on working with SMEs and owner-managed businesses across a range of industries including software, media, automotive, real estate, leisure, manufacturing, and distribution. One of her strengths lies in her genuine passion for understanding her clients, their businesses, and providing tailored approach to help them achieve their objectives. Previously Phillips was a transaction services manager at BDO.

(March 11) PKF has appointed former chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM), Philip King, as an advisor. King, who also served on the Joint Insolvency Committee between 2011 – 2020 and was the JIC’s first ever Lay Chair, has worked in the credit industry for more than 40 years. This includes 26 years in front-line credit management and 14 years as the CICM CEO. Most recently he was the interim Small Business Commissioner sharing his experience with all sizes of business about the importance of managing cashflow and getting paid.

(March 13) Grant Thornton UK has announced the appointment of Alex Miller as partner in the firm’s newly formed VAT technology and transformation. Miller will be responsible for building and leading the team, which is focused on developing different technology and automation offerings to support clients’ end-to-end VAT accounting and compliance. A VAT technical expert with extensive experience in VAT process design, controls and system implementations, Miller has 30 years’ experience in both practice and industry working in a range of different roles and sectors.

(March 13) Armstrong Watson has announced the appointment of audit and assurance partner Michael Morris in Newcastle. With a career spanning more than 25 years, Michael has a wealth of experience. He joins Armstrong Watson after 13 years with Deloitte, where he led the Entrepreneurial Business Team for five years, and 14 years as Audit Partner at UNW. Morris Michael has worked with a vast range of businesses in the North East and Cumbria, including family and owner-managed businesses, PE-backed businesses, subsidiaries of overseas-owned groups, and entrepreneurial businesses across most sectors.

(March 13) Mazars has appointed Dima Shamanov as deputy ethics partner. In this newly created role, Shamanov will be responsible for advancing Ethics. and Independence at Mazars, principles which are of fundamental importance as the firm continues to grow both in the audit and non-audit space. He will have oversight of the ethical and moral rigour applied across Mazars when assisting clients, ensuring the firm remains committed to its core values of integrity and independence.

(March 14) RSM has announced the appointment of Helen Brocklebank as its new regional managing partner in the Midlands. She will will continue to strengthen and grow the regional business, and in addition to her office managing partner role in Birmingham, will oversee offices across the Midlands and East of England; totalling 65 partners and 755 staff respectively.

(March 14) Mitchells Chartered Accountants has appointed Jane Falconer-White as its new senior tax specialist. She is a seasoned tax adviser and former management consultant, with a proven track record of success working with a diverse range of clients, from blue-chip organisations to individual sole traders. She also boasts a unique background in IT and project management, bringing valuable technical expertise and a collaborative approach to the team.

(March 18) Xeinadin, the professional services groups operating in the UK and Ireland, has appointed Chantelle Grobler as its new CFO. Grobler will play a pivotal role in supporting Xeinadin’s ambitious growth plans in becoming the most trusted advisor for founder-owned businesses. With over 15 years of experience in leading successful financial teams across global taxation, risk, legal and IT, she has a deep understanding of how to link strategic objectives with the financial goals of a business.

(March 19) RSM UK has appointed Dan Thompson as its new people partner to strengthen and lead the firm’s national talent team. Thompson joins RSM UK from a HR director role at ISG and brings over 20 years’ HR experience working at a range of high-profile businesses including Marks and Spencer, UK Civil Service and Countrywide plc. He also sits on the senior remuneration committee for the National Trust. He will help to shape the people team’s ambitious long term growth programme to strengthen recruitment, develop its People brand while investing in key technology to support the firm’s digital future.

(March 20) Armstrong Watson has announced the appointment of Jonathan Lewis as a corporate finance partner for Yorkshire. He joined Armstrong Watson in 2024 from Olympia Capital Partners and had previously worked in the M&A teams at PwC and Deloitte in London, before spending six years in Singapore as the Managing Director of a multi-billion dollar private investment group. He holds an MA and MBA from Manchester Business School and is an FCA Chartered Accountant.

(March 21) Kreston Global has announced that Mark Taylor has been re-elected chair of Kreston’s Global Tax Group for another three-year term. As Chair, Taylor is responsible for coordinating the Kreston Global Tax Group and leading its tax network of 5,000 advisors in 115 countries worldwide. He has represented Duncan & Toplis on international tax matters as part of  Kreston Global since 2015, where the Global Tax Group is responsible for ensuring the team remains up to date on international taxation developments while fostering knowledge-sharing and commercial opportunities across the network.

(March 25) HWB appoints senior business advisor. Nick Whitemore joins the firm from accountancy group Azets, where he provided individuals and SMEs with tax an business advisory services. He brings ten years’ post-qualification experience and holds the Gellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants status, which is the top level members can attain.

(March 25) Evelyn Partners is pleased to announce the appointment of Sally Boyle as an independent Non-Executive Director. She replaces Elizabeth Chambers who leaves the Board having served as a Non-Executive Director since 2015. Boyle is an experienced Non-Executive Director, who currently serves on the Board of UK listed construction group Galliford Try, where she chairs the Remuneration Committee, and the Board of Cambridge University Press and Assessment. Between January 2017 and January 2023, she was also a member of the Board of the Royal Air Force, where she chaired the People and Diversity Committee.

(March 25) Robb Ferguson appoints John Cairns as director of Taxation. A long-time member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, and a Chartered Tax Adviser, Cairns has been a partner in both Scottish and international accounting firms, specialising through the greater part of his career in corporate and personal tax planning and strategy.

(March 27) RSM announce the appointment of Sheetal Sanghvi as new office managing partner in Leicester. Following her appointment as office managing partner in Nottingham last April, the new role will enable greater consistency across the East Midlands region. Sanghvi is an RSM ‘lifer’ and has been with the firm for over 18 years after joining as an audit assistant in 2005 and progressing through the ranks to become partner.

(March 27) Kilsby Williams expands business services and tax teams. The series of appointments, ranging from graduate to managerial roles, includes Pei Zhou and Rob Harding as business services managers, and James Travers, Ffion Williams and Arin Ozgul as a business services trainees.

Big Four

(March 1) – PwC appoints restructuring and insolvency specialist, Sarah O’Toole, as partner. She is a restructuring and insolvency specialist with more than 20 years’ experience advising companies in the North West of England needing turnaround and restructuring advice. At a time when there is an increase in restructuring activity, O’Toole’s appointment is central in continuing the firm’s efforts to guide clients through persistent financial pressures.

(March 14) – EY has announced the appointment of audit partner Liz Jones as the new Liverpool office managing partner. Jones is an audit Partner with over 25 years of experience and will be responsible for leading the firm’s growing team, based on the Albert Dock in Liverpool city centre. She joined EY in 2015 and was promoted to Partner in 2020. She has spent much of her career based in the North West and has extensive experience of working with the region’s private mid-market businesses.

(March 15) – EY has recently announced the appointment of Alistair Brannan as its UK head of life and pensions. In addition to his new role, Brannan will join EY’s UK insurance leadership team and remains Client and Markets Leader for EY’s financial services business in Scotland. He has over 19 years of experience in the financial services sector and joined EY in 2015 as a Director in financial services risk consulting, before becoming the Life and Pensions sector leader in Scotland in 2018. In 2021 he became Partner and took on the role of Client and Markets leader in Scotland. Prior to joining EY, Alistair spent over ten years with the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

(March 20) – KPMG in the UK has confirmed that following a partnership vote Jon Holt has been re-elected as CEO with “overwhelming support”. Following a recommendation by the Board’s Nomination Committee, the firm’s equity partners voted to extend Holt’s term by an additional five years. His second term will conclude on 30 September 2029. Holt was appointed as Chief Executive in April 2021, following KPMG in the UK’s move to a new governance model, which created separate roles for its Chair and Chief Executive.

(March 21) EY has strengthened its South West audit team with the promotion of Jemma Inker to partner. Inker originally joined EY in 2011 as an Audit Senior and has over 15 years’ experience. During her time at EY, Jemma has built extensive knowledge of both the South West, working with listed and private businesses across a range of sectors including utilities, consumer, manufacturing and transport. In addition to her role in the audit team, she is also responsible for the firm’s talent strategy in the region and is a mentor and coach to a number of employees.

Trade bodies

(March 4) The Trustees of the IFRS Foundation have reappointed Erkki Liikanen to serve a third term as chair of the IFRS Foundation Trustees, ensuring continuity and stability in the organisation’s leadership as it institutionalises the International Sustainability Standards’ (ISSB) work and strengthens the IASB’s IFRS accounting standards. Liikanen has served as chair since October 2018. He was previously governor of the Finnish Central Bank and has also served as a European Commissioner.

(March 6) – The Public Sector Audit Appointments Limited (PSAA) has announced the appointment of Bill Butler, CPFA, CSyP as the new chair. As a Chair and Non-executive Director with a number of national organisations, with experience in organisational transformation, partnership working and a strong knowledge of good governance, management and audit, Butler will take over from Steve Freer on 1 April 2024.