Claims Handler joins Qdos
Qdos Broker and Underwriting Services has recruited Rob Hughes as Underwriter to work in their claims handling team.
Rob was formerly at Towergate and previously worked at CCV.
Sam Cox – Director of Qdos Broker and Underwriting Services said: “Rob has a wealth of experience across many disciplines and has over 15 years’ experience in the personal lines business. He will be a great addition to the team.”
Commenting on his new appointment, Rob said: “This is a great opportunity, Qdos Broker and Underwriting Services is a business on the up and I am delighted to be joining at such an exciting time and being part of the continuing success and expansion of the business.”
Life-saver joins Purpose Media
Becky Taylor, a trained lifeguard, has joined the talent pool at website development and online marketing specialist Purpose Media as an apprentice account executive.
Her role will include managing ecommerce and WordPress websites and working on the support desk to resolve client questions and queries.
Becky, who completed her A-levels this year, said: “I preferred to embark on an apprenticeship rather than go to university because I can also gain hands-on work experience as well as a formal qualification.
“I thought Purpose Media seemed an exciting and ambitious place to work and I am really looking forward to furthering my career.”
In her spare time, Becky likes going to the gym, cooking and baking, listening to and playing music. She also makes jewellery which she sells in two retail outlets and online.
Fundraiser takes a lead at Support Dogs
Former Director of Fundraising for Buxton Festival, David Heugh, has become Partnerships Ambassador for Sheffield-based assistance dog charity Support Dogs.
A former Sheffield Business Person of the Year winner, David has a wealth of charity and corporate sector experience and is well known from his work with Whirlow Hall Farm Trust, Freeman College and The Lyceum Theatre Trust.
He completed his three-year tenure with Buxton Festival as the curtain came down on this year’s event.
Although based in Sheffield, the charity trains and provides specialist assistance dogs for those affected by autism, epilepsy and disability all over the UK.
David’s role will be to involve more local, regional and national companies in sponsorship and funding partnerships.
David said: “Support Dogs has done an amazing job over the past 20 years and I hope I can help them to get the funding and support they deserve in this region and nationwide”.
Legal Secretary to Solicitor in three years.
Property professional Arti Patel has qualified as a solicitor.
Arti joined Fishers Solicitors, in Ashby de la Zouch, in 2012 as a Legal Secretary, assisting the conveyancing team with property transactions.
She enrolled as a Graduate Member of the Institute of Legal Executives in 2013 and began her studies.
Having graduated as a Chartered Legal Executive in March this year, she quickly completed a professional skills course and passed a rigorous examination before being admitted to the role of Solicitor at the beginning of September.
Amanda Payne, Director and Head of Property at Fishers said: “We are extremely proud of Arti’s accomplishment. We knew Arti showed a lot of promise and were happy to provide the necessary backing to progress her career.”
Arti said: “I am pleased to have finally reached my goal of becoming a solicitor. I am grateful for the support received from Fishers and can’t wait to assist more clients in buying or selling their homes.”
Amanda added: “Arti’s conveyancing knowledge has grown considerably since joining us in 2012 and she is now an exceptionally capable property lawyer who has already had many glowing testimonials.”
Four reasons to celebrate
Local chartered accountant and business adviser Burgis and Bullock has celebrated two members of staff qualifying as accountants and others doing well in professional exams.
The newly-qualified accountants are Aman Hayre and Troy Kashaya.
Aman who joined B&B in February 2012 as a trainee accountant.
He has now passed the final stages of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants qualifications.
Aman is part of the corporate services team, based at the firm’s Leamington Spa office.
His role includes supporting owner-managed limited companies with their accounting and taxation compliance requirements.
Troy joined B&B in June 2014 as a Personal Tax Assistant and has also now passed the final stages of the ACCA qualifications.
Troy is a member of the specialist taxation team based at B&B’s Leamington Spa office. His role focuses primarily on the preparation of annual tax returns for high net worth in-dividuals, directors, partnerships and owner-managed businesses.
In addition, Daniel Smith is now part-qualified in accountancy after passing papers in per-formance and financial management and Steph Charnell has also gained two papers in performance management and tax.
Sean Farnell, Partner, said: “We are incredibly proud of all of our students and to have gained another two qualified accountants together with further exam success within the team is testament to the hard work and dedication that all of our trainees possess.”
Intake of talent for Mazars
Top ten accountancy and business advisory firm Mazars has welcomed 13 graduates and school-leavers to its Nottingham and Leicester teams.
The new starters will gain invaluable experience while undertaking Mazars’ comprehensive training programme.
Joining Mazars’ Class of 2015 will also be two industrial placement students taking a year out from their degrees to get hands on experience in the accountancy profession.
Mazars’ new faces arrive to join various teams across the offices including assurance, accounting and outsourcing, taxation and corporate finance.
Alistair Wesson, Mazars’ East Midlands Managing Partner, said: “We are proud to have secured such an excellent group of talented individuals. We aim to plan not just for the current year but to build a team who will be there for years to come – these guys are that team, and a great one at that.”
New Chief Risk Officer for business bank
Cambridge & Counties Bank has appointed Will German to its board as Chief Risk Officer. Will has worked in financial services since 1997, including as a regulator and a consultant.
He was most recently a partner at Avantage Reply, a consultancy specialising in financial services risk and regulation where clients included PayPal, Post Office Money, RBS, Lloyds Banking Group and HSBC.
Will said: “I’m excited to join Cambridge & Counties. I was really impressed with the senior team, with the ethos, the customer focus and the desire to do the right thing. There’s a really good strategic vision which is simple and aligned with what customers want and need.”
Will’s role includes ensuring the bank operates in a safe, considered and controlled manner while putting the customer’s interests at the heart of its decision making.
Chief Executive Officer Mike Kirsopp said: “Will is a superb appointment to our board, bringing a rare level of insight and expertise in risk and regulation.”
Property solicitor joins Bray & Bray
Bray & Bray Solicitors has announced a key commercial property appointment at its Leicester head office.
Rebecca Bergin joins the commercial property team after gaining experience in a broad range of property matters while working at Shoosmiths and Freeths, in Nottingham.
Rebecca said: “Bray & Bray are well known as being a personable firm with great client relationships and good quality work. I’m really excited to join the team.”
Following the promotion of Catherine North (Commercial Property Associate) earlier this year, Rebecca’s appointment is key to the department’s continued growth.
Commercial Property Partner Phillip Heseltine said: “The commercial property department at Bray & Bray continues to expand due to the specialist collaborative approach we take when working on technical and challenging property matters for a wide range of clients, across the East Midlands.
“Rebecca joins us at an exciting time and I am certain that her skills and knowledge will be well utilised and of great benefit to our clients.”
Success leads to expansion
A combination of recent contract wins coupled with a sustained increase in regular work has led Lincoln-based design and print company Ruddocks to expand its digital print service.
The investment made, which has included a new £150k printing press, £50k in new finishing equipment, new members of staff and improvements to the building, has come about following a continued busy period for the 130-year-old, family run business.
“The digital print element of our business has seen a huge growth in the past four years where our output has increased by around 250%, when we add this to a recent national contract win then it has been imperative to continue to develop the offering and bring in new equipment that increases our capacity significantly,” said Digital Print Manager, Tristan Palser.
The digital suite has also taken on two new production staff.
Paul Banton, Managing Director at Ruddocks, said: “Quality is of the utmost importance to us and our clients so we need to ensure the people we take on and the equipment we invest in contributes to increasing our overall service, that is why we are delighted with this recent expansion and the benefits it will bring.”
Impression welcomes four
Nottingham-based digital marketing agency Impression has added new recruits to its team.
The new roles come during a year of significant growth for the agency, which was found-ed by university graduates Tom Craig and Aaron Dicks in 2012.
Impression has expanded its SEO team with experienced hire Petar Jovetic as Senior Ac-count Executive. Petar returns to his Nottingham home after previous digital marketing roles in Bristol and Loughborough.
Lauren Wilson joins the digital PR team, which has grown recently thanks to a series of new client wins.
Lauren recently graduated from the University of Nottingham and is the first recruit on Impression’s graduate scheme, during which she will receive in-house training in SEO, PR, PPC and content marketing as well as completing professional industry qualifications fund-ed by the agency.
Georgia Goodman is the agency’s newest Digital Marketing Executive and will begin study-ing for CIM qualifications later this year.
The agency also welcomed Alice Yeates, a recent graduate of the University of Notting-ham, who undertook a summer internship to gain experience in SEO, PPC, graphic design and website development.
Aaron Dicks, MD, said: “This recent growth represents the recruitment strategy we’ve employed from the very start, a combination of industry experience to meet extra de-mand right now and talented potential to build the team for the future.
“We’re investing time and money in developing our new recruits to help them reach their full potential and deliver an industry-leading, full service to our clients.”
After a successful run of client wins, Impression is on track to achieve an annual turnover of half a million pounds by the end of 2015 and moved to its new 2,500sq ft Lace Market headquarters in February of this year, continuing its contribution to the area’s creative growth.
Industry expert joins Timico
Business internet, hosting and communications service provider Timico has appointed Giles Kane as Director of Account Management and Development.
Giles will have full responsibility for Timico’s Strategic Accounts team.
He will also oversee the Enterprise Account Management team and be responsible for the enterprise accounts that were brought into the group as part of the recently acquired tel-ecoms interests of Coms.
Giles’s previously worked at Alternative Networks where he played a key role in the com-pany’s significant growth over the past nine years.
Before that Giles worked for Cable and Wireless, Verizon and BT.
Giles said: “It is a real pleasure to be starting work at Timico and I’m confident that my entrepreneurial approach coupled with my ability to build and deliver successful sales and retention strategies will mean that I am well-placed to support Timico’s continued growth.”
Director of Enterprise at Timico, Charlie Whelpton, said: “Giles and I will be working close-ly together to ensure that Timico provides an industry-leading level of customer service. We are delighted to welcome him to our team.”
Mark joins Rhodes
Mark Skorupa has joined Rhodes Wealth Management as a Practice Manager.
He has 16 years’ experience in the financial planning industry and holds a Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP) gained while working as a manager for The Derbyshire Building Society and The Nottinghamshire Building Society.
He rejoins Rhodes Wealth Management from estate agency practice IMS Lettings, where he was a branch manager.
The appointment follows a period of growth in the provision of wealth management, pension planning and investment advice to companies and individuals in Derby.
In his new role, Mark will be responsible for operational management issues such as financial forecasting, business planning, staff training and development, and other human resource-related operational matters.
Mark also works closely with marketing to identify new opportunities.
Principal Partner Adam Rhodes said: “I am delighted that Mark has decided to rejoin the company. He left briefly to expand his experience and we are delighted that he is back on board to help ensure our expansion plans are driven forward and underpinned with robust systems and processes.”
In his spare time Mark enjoys holidays abroad, reading and walking his dog.
Paula celebrates 25 years at Cleggs
Celebrating 25 years of service, Paula Whitt has seen Nottingham-based Cleggs Solicitors grow since she started with the firm in 1990.
Paula, 44, PA to director David Vaughan-Birch, joined Cleggs when they were based in Houndsgate.
Paula, from Ilkeston, said she has enjoyed her career with Cleggs, which specialises in providing legal services to commercial and private clients.
“It is a bit overwhelming to think that I am celebrating 25 years at Cleggs - it really doesn’t feel like I have been here for that long,” Paula said.
The Cleggs team celebrated Paula’s milestone by presenting her with a bouquet of flowers and a gift.
Paula added: “I have seen lots of change during my time here at Cleggs. It has been great to be a part of the growth and expansion of the firm and I can look back on some fond memories.”
David said: “We are delighted to see Paula celebrating 25 years at Cleggs, she is a fantastic part of the team and we thank her for her service. Paula is one of our longest-serving employees and we wish her many more happy years with us.”
Ross joins Hinckley & Rugby BS
Hinckley & Rugby Building Society has welcomed Skipton Financial Services’ Ross Bennett as its dedicated financial adviser.
The appointment is part of a long-running partnership between the two organisations. Ross joined Skipton in early 2014, having spent many years working as a financial adviser for NatWest.
In his time with SFS, Ross has built a strong reputation for giving quality advice, specialising in investment advice, retirement planning and inheritance tax planning, and for his positive attitude and willingness to engage with staff and customers.
He lives in Leicester and has had strong links with Hinckley & Rugby Building Society in the past, with his wife also having worked for them.
Ross said: “I am delighted to be joining the Hinckley & Rugby team and I look forward to working closely with the branch staff.”
Solicitor Grace joins expanding firm
Solicitor Grace Steele, who has been a partner with three law firms, has joined Ellis-Fermor & Negus.
Derby-born and bred, Grace graduated from Sheffield University and has more than 25 years’ experience working in the East Midlands.
She specialises in inheritance tax planning, wills and trusts, administration of probate, and powers of attorney and is a chartered tax adviser and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
“When I heard Ellis-Fermor & Negus had an opportunity at their rapidly-expanding office in Belper I was delighted to join the company,” she said.
“Ellis-Fermor & Negus are very people-friendly and their focus is on serving the local clients who often see them as their family solicitor, which has been exactly my approach over my career.”
Grace, who lives near Cromford, will be leading the wills and probate team at the company's office on Chapel Street, Belper.
Simon Hale, head of the company's commercial department, said: “It's quite a coup to have someone with her experience and expertise on board. Grace has an enviable reputation for the care and attention she devotes to her clients and in Belper she will be ideally placed to continue to serve both her existing loyal clients and, I am sure, many new ones in Derbyshire and beyond.”
Contentious probate expertise recognised
Two lawyers in the dispute resolution team at Nelsons Solicitors have achieved membership to the Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS).
Noel McNicholas, an Associate and solicitor in the firm’s Derby office, has been an associate member of ACTAPS for two years.
To gain full membership of ACTAPS, Noel completed a two-year part-time course that included regular lectures in London, coursework and exams.
He said: “I am extremely proud to obtain full membership of this prestigious body that recognises expertise in this area of law.
“Being an ACTAPS member is an industry benchmark that my clients will recognise.”
Noel joined Nelsons as part of the acquisition of Derby firm Moody and Woolley earlier this year.
He works on contentious probate disputes, inheritance and will validity claims and property litigation.
Nicola Parr, an Associate and solicitor in Nelsons’ dispute resolution team in Nottingham, has also reached a milestone in her ACTAPS membership – receiving associate membership status earlier in the year.
Nicola said: “It is an achievement for me both personally and professionally. The accreditation shows that I have in-depth knowledge of contentious trust and probate matters.”
Nicola has been with Nelsons for seven years and specialises in contentious probate, contentious court of protection work, care-home funding disputes, contentious data protection and civil litigation.
Prior to Nelsons, Nicola practiced at Newark firm Tallents and trained and qualified at Nottingham firm French and Co in 2001.
Nelsons has also promoted Nichola Faith, from it dispute resolution team in Leicester, to Associate.
In her new role she said she hopes to develop supervision and leadership skills and take on more responsibility.
Nichola joined Nelsons in 2011 and now has over eight years’ experience in litigation.
Healthy appointment at CPMG
Specialist medical and healthcare architect Martyn Vaughan is the latest addition to growing Nottingham architecture practice CPMG.
After qualifying in 2007 from the University of Portsmouth, Martyn has gained a wealth of experience. He started his career with Manchester-based architectural practice BDP.
For the past five years he has been working in Australia and Singapore, honing his skills and gaining knowledge of building practices in other countries - experience he has now brought to Nottingham.
Martyn said: “I decided to come back to the UK and further develop my career using what I’ve learnt in the field of architecture abroad.
“CPMG is a growing and well-established practice, so I’m looking forward to working on new and existing healthcare projects within the city of Nottingham and further afield.”
He joins CPMG Architects at an exciting time for the company which has recently won a number of awards and moved up 12 places in the Architects’ Journal national league table.
Martyn will be working on a number of key medical and healthcare projects and will be responsible for helping to grow businesses within the healthcare sector.
Nick Gregory, Director at CPMG said: “Martyn will head up our healthcare sector work with Anil Palmer. With Martyn’s fantastic experience on notable projects we know he will be an asset to the team.”
Landlord and tenant expert joins FHP
Former DTZ Associate Director, Peter Carroll, has joined the professional services team at FHP, Nottingham, as a newly appointed Associate Director.
Peter is an expert in the field of landlord and tenant, including rent reviews, lease renewals and more.
He’s also experienced in valuation and asset management.
In addition to the retail, office and industrial sectors, Peter also advises on the leisure sector where he is aided by a strong operational background.
Peter said: “I’ve got quite a mixed background – both in operations as well as in property – which I find very useful in consultancy.”
It is not only Peter’s expertise and presence within the industry that excites Andrew Chapman about working with him. He said: “Within five minutes of meeting Peter, I knew we had located not only a truly exceptional surveyor.
“Peter’s impressive track record in lease consultancy will enable us to build upon our existing landlord and tenant presence in the market, he also brings with him an opportunity to develop our expertise in the leisure and licensed premises sector.”
Largest intake of trainees at Grant Thornton
The Leicester office of business and financial advisers Grant Thornton has seen its largest intake of new trainees with eight joining the firm this month.
The 2015 autumn intake are Dhaval Joshi, Mohammed Kasmani, Constance Higginson, Alex Hirst, Gurpreet Poonia, Ishan Sharda, Shamima Azad and Jessica Monaghan.
They join the corporate tax, audit, and business services teams and include four school-leavers and four graduates, reflecting Grant Thornton’s innovative approach to trainee talent selection.
Tom Copson, Associate Director in Leicester, who leads the recruitment process and trainee programme, said: “Half of our 2015 trainees are school-leavers and the other half are graduates.
“This 50-50 split demonstrates the firm’s strategy to recruiting talented individuals with the capability to develop rounded business skills and the potential to become capable business advisers to our clients.”
All eight trainees now embark on careers as advisers for Grant Thornton, studying for professional qualifications while working.
Chris Frostwick, Partner and Practice Leader in Leicester, said: “We are committed to nurturing and developing new talent for the future longevity of the firm and all our trainees show the skills, aptitude and ambition that typifies the calibre of Grant Thornton’s people.”
Accountant scoops top honours
Chesterfield-based Accountant Liz Fisher has scooped top honours in a national taxation exam.
Her outstanding performance saw her beat more than 1,000 candidates to win the highest marks.
Liz, who works at Mitchells Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers as Tax & Employer Solutions Manager, was awarded the Ronald Ison Medal for the candidate with the highest mark in the Advisory Paper on Taxation of Individuals.
Nationally, 395 people sat the Taxation of Individuals exam with only two thirds (67%) passing.
Liz was also one of only three candidates to be awarded a distinction in her Advisory Paper, gaining her the CCH Prize for the highest distinction mark awarded in the UK.
Mitchells celebrated a hat-trick of results in the exams with Partner Tim Leeman and Tax Specialist Lisa Eyre also securing passes.
A total of 1,189 candidates entered the exams, with Liz, Tim and Lisa being three of 907 candidates to pass one or more papers.
Tim Leeman was one of only 235 candidates who completed all their CTA examinations which means he is now a qualified Chartered Tax Adviser, further strengthening Mitchells’ taxation team.
Liz said: “I was really happy to pass the exam but totally shocked to win the award. It means I'm one step closer to completing the qualification and becoming a Chartered Tax Adviser.”
New talent joins KPMG’s Nottingham office
KPMG in Nottingham has welcomed five talented young people on to its innovative Audit School Leavers programme.
The five school leavers were part of KPMG’s 2015 intake of the five-year programme of degree, work experience and professional qualification.
They will gain valuable client-based work experience throughout their degree in KPMG’s Nottingham office and will continue working when they graduate as well as gaining their professional accountancy qualification.
Of the five, two will be studying at Birmingham University, with the other three attending Durham University.
Nationwide, there are 120 talented young people joining this year’s intake of the Audit School Leavers programme, with 56 studying in Birmingham and 64 in Durham.
Ian Borley, East Midlands Senior Partner for KPMG, said: “I am immensely proud that our Audit School Leavers programme is enabling these talented young people to join our team in Nottingham. They really are the future of our firm and all those within the East Midlands team are delighted to welcome them.”
“The programme is an excellent training ground for a career with KPMG, offering a mix of study and work experience, enabling the students to get holistic, in-depth knowledge and experience of auditing from day one.”
Callum Bird, who has just started on the Audit School Leavers programme at Durham University, said: “Ever since the start of the recruitment process I’ve been made to feel very welcome by the team at KPMG. They have really made sure we can benefit from the whole experience of the programme, even down to making our shorter time at university just as good as the people staying at Durham for a year, with plenty of activities and events to get involved in.
“I am now really looking forward to starting work at the Nottingham office, and getting stuck into my work within the audit team."