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Practice news: EQ moves south into Fife

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21st Nov 2014
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A round-up of the latest news, appointments, executive moves and acquisitions from the world of practice during November 2014.

EQ moves south into Fife

21 Nov - Dundee accountancy firm EQ will expand south into Fife after agreeing to join forces with Glenrothes-based Carters.

From 1 April next year, Carters will be renamed EQ and its Fife offices in Glenrothes and Cupar and will join a network that stretches north from EQ’s head office in Dundee to Forfar in Angus.

Carters started life as the Fife branch of an Edinburgh-based firm before setting up as an independent in the new town of Glenrothes. Its clients include strong contingents in professional services, farming and manufacturing. The deal will strengthen EQ’s depth of expertise and geographic reach and present great opportunities for staff and partners, said EQ managing partner David Cameron.

* * *

Moore Stephens acquires Baker Tilly trio

20 Nov - The men join the firm from Baker Tilly, where they were previously tax partners.

Vincent Wood trained with Arthur Andersen and moved to Baker Tilly in 1999, where he has been a partner ever since. He advises listed, AIM and private companies across a range of sectors and offers international as well as domestic tax planning.

Tim Fussell was Head of Corporate Tax at Baker Tilly for the London and Eastern Regions. He had worked at the firm for 17 years, having previously trained with EY. 

Kevin Phillips becomes an International Tax Partner, a role he held at Baker Tilly for 10 years. Kevin spent 18 years at EY before he joined Baker Tilly.

* * * 

Shore Accounting ramps up expansion plan

20 Nov – As part of its growing expansion plan, West Sussex-based practice Shore Accounting has purchased the client book of Michael Scarlett & Co in Hastings.

Retiring Accountant acted as a broker to the deal, which brings on 170 clients, giving the practice a total of 400 clients.

Both firms have a similar client base, serving small businesses and self-employed people.

Shore Accounting was established 10 years ago and has grown to provide a full accountancy, tax consultancy and business advice service to clients across the whole of the UK and a few international clients who reside in Australia, Tunisia and Malaysia.

Shore Accounting director Chris Anscombe said: “We were looking for a similar practice with the same type of client base, to give us further scope to grow. Michael’s approach to accounting was similar to ours and so seemed a good fit.”

* * * 

KPMG appoints trio to P3 practice

17 Nov - The Big Four firm has appointed three directors to its People Powered Performance practice.

Simon Morris joins KPMG from Thomsons Online Benefits and has over 14 years’ experience in workforce planning and analytics, HR and people technologies. For the past seven years he has been focused in the employee benefits space developing strategies for a range of institutions across UK and Europe.

Ingrid Waterfield was promoted to director having been with KPMG for 15 years, both in client facing roles and as part of KPMG’s HR Leadership team. Her experience lies in reward consulting across a range of industries and sectors, specialising in reward interventions.

Jonathan Green was promoted to director having been with the firm for 10 years. He specialises in workforce analytics, utilising workforce and business data to provide organisations with evidence to support strategies to reduce costs and improve performance.

* * *

Smith & Williamson hires former M&G equity chief 

17 Nov - The firm has hired Giles Worthington to head its European Growth trust.

He joins from RiverCrest Capital where he has managed the group’s European Equity Alpha fund for the last three years. Prior to that he spent 11 years at M&G where he ran the European Smaller Companies fund and headed its European equity desk from 2007.

* * *

JWP Creers appoints new partner

17 Nov - This is the York firm's second partner appointment in the last few months.

Alastair Byrne has been promoted to partner from his role as head of tax planning at JWP Creers.

He specialises in corporate reconstructions, share schemes, and intellectual property tax advice relating to research and development and patent box tax issues.

* * *

New SBP Accountants and Business Advisors hire

15 Nov - Gary Robertson has joined the firm as a senior accounts assistant.

Robertson has more than 30 years’ experience, which includes a specialism in farming.

He will join the company’s largest branch in Peterhead, bringing the headcount to 25.

* * *

Monahans man returns to practice

14 Nov - Paul McConnell has rejoined Monahans from Smith & Williamson.

He was appointed as an insolvency practitioner and will be based in Worcester.

McConnell had previously worked at the firm in1999 and 2012.

* * *

Mazars hires 14 new faces

11 Nov - The firm has taken on 14 new people at its Birmingham office. 

Matthew Beaman was taken on as a senior client manager, and Emma Robotham was appointed to VAT.

Beaman was formerly head of international pensions at Grant Thornton’s employee benefit consultancy and specialises in UK and international pensions and pensions governance. Robotham has joined from HMRC where she spent 14 years.

New starters in external audit were Zunaid Bakawala, Zahid Khan, Toni Loizou, Louisa Abbey, Thomas Boss, Saira Hussain and Abrar Chowdhury.

The governance, risk and internal controls department has taken on Eleanor Taig, while in tax Jonathan Clare and Alexander Rigg have joined the firm.

Finally, Mille Watling was appointed to outsourcing, and Thomas Robbins to its forensic investigation service.

The firm now employs 130 people at its Birmingham base.

* * *

KPMG Leeds promotes seven 

10 Nov - The Big Four firm's regional branch made the promotions ahead of a move.

Claire Needham, Rashpal Khangura and Marcus Tyldsley have been named directors in audit, while Chris Sheryn was appointed director in KPMG’s management consulting business.

James Lumb and Helen Roxburgh have been promoted to director in its transactions and restructuring practice and Leigh Davenport has been named director in the tax division.

The promotions come as the company prepares to move into the Sovereign Square development in 2015 following the completion of its national Innovation and Solutions Centre at Broad Gate.

* * *

PKF Littlejohn launches Counter Fraud service

07 Nov - The firm has hired a forensic team to head up its new service. 

Joining the team is BDO's former director of counter fraud services Jim Gee. He is also visiting professor of the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies at the University of Portsmouth.

Gee also has experience across the public and not for profit sectors. He was CEO of the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service and advised three Secretaries of State, five Ministers and the Attorney-General. He has published 22 reports since 2010 on fraud. 

In addition, he is a published author and media commentator who has appeared on BBC’s Panorama, Sunday Politics and BBC Breakfast.

Joining Gee is Martin Moore, former Head of Economic Crime for Humberside Police where he specialised in white collar investigations.  He also has particular experience of investigations in the mining sector.

Also joining the team is Andrew Whittaker, Chair of the Counter Fraud Professional Accreditation Board Training and Education Committee, and a former Director of Counter Fraud Training for the NHS. He was previously at BDO, Capita and KPMG and the police.

All three were at accountancy firm PKF prior to its merger last year with BDO 

* * *

Consett accountants acquire local firm

04 Nov - Kevin Lee Accountants has bought out its rival firm. 

Buying out the firm has meant it has trebled its client base and appointed a second member of staff, Chris Daniels, former group accountant for the Co-operative’s £6 billion logistics division to help with its expansion plans.

Daniels, from Tanfield Lee, Stanley, graduated with a mathematics degree from Imperial College London, before he trained with KPMG as an accountant.  

He then joined the Co-operative to work as group accountant for its logistics division.

* * *

Ashdown Hurrey recruits complete associate programme 

04 Nov - Simon Lawrence and Sam Carter completed the firm's programme and have become associates.

Lawrence has been with the practice for a number of years, having worked at both Ashdown Hurrey and previously with the McCabe Ford Williams Hastings office, which merged with the practice in the 1990s. 

After qualifying, he had followed a career as a general practitioner but it was changes in the role of audit which led to him establish niche skills.

Carter has been with the practice for ten years and after receiving first time passes on all his exams, "has been keen to make his way through the ranks".

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