Vehicle dealership Jeffries of Bacton, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary year, has appointed two new members to its team at Bacton,

Jonathan Talbot joins as aftersales vehicle technician with a wealth of knowledge of 4x4 commercial vehicles and all make servicing and MOT testing, and David Webster joins as senior aftersales adviser, David has had many years in the motor industry and is Nissan-accredited in the role as aftersales adviser.

Philip Jeffries said: “The appointment of both Jonathan and David is part of the Jeffries move into all make sales and servicing, alongside their current franchises Isuzu, Proton, Daihatsu and Perodua.”

::Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk-based chartered accountants Larking Gowen is set to say goodbye to two of its most experienced partners.

David Jefford and Anne Richardson, who have a combined experience of 80 years and have worked for the firm throughout their careers, retire in April.

David joined as a graduate trainee in 1977 qualified in 1980 and was promoted to partner in 1987. and Anne joined the firm in 1978 as a newly qualified chartered accountant and became the firm’s first female partner in 1990.

Managing partner Jon Woolston said: “We are immensely grateful to David and Anne for their significant contribution to the firm over the past 40 years.

“They have both seen many changes at Larking Gowen throughout their careers but at the heart of it they have stayed true to our values of ‘client service’ and ‘passion for our people’.

“Both David and Anne have built significant and lasting relationships with their clients but also great teams around them. They will both be sadly missed by their clients and their teams and we wish them a long and happy retirement.”

The firm has appointed two new partners in the last 12 months; Becky Ames was promoted to partner in October 2015 with the remit to continue our growth in Suffolk and North Essex, focusing on small and medium-sized businesses and the food and drink and tourism and hospitality sectors. Andrew Burwood joined in April this year after 23 years at Lovewell Blake to continue the firm’s growth as one of the biggest medical specialist practices within the UK.

David said: “I believe it is important for the firm to maintain the personal and professional approach to our work which has been successful for so many years, whilst embracing the advantages that technology can bring.”

Anne said: “Essentially we still do the same thing for our clients, we just do it in a different way; information still arrives and leaves the building, only now it is emailed, or presented on a USB key or downloaded from the cloud.”

:: East of England law firm Birketts has appointed 10 new trainee solicitors after recently reporting a record turnover of over £39.2m for the last financial year.

The appointments represent the firm’s annual trainee intake at its Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich offices.

The trainees and their respective first departments at Birketts are Sarah Branwhite (Agriculture), Adam Brown (Commercial Property), Stephanie Butler (Corporate/Employment/Commercial Litigation), Monty Chamberlain (Agriculture), William Foley (Shipping), Leanne Hale (Commercial Litigation), Laura Ing-Beaufils (Commercial Property/Planning), Abigail Powell (Commercial Property), Sabina Rooney (Commercial Property) and Chris Utton (Corporate/Corporate Tax).

Chief executive Jonathan Agar said: “As we continue to grow it is essential that we ensure our trainee intake provides us with talented and ambitious lawyers who will embrace our commitment in providing exceptional client service to businesses, institutions and individuals.”

:: Birketts has boosted its private client team with the addition of Richard Guy as a senior associate.

Richard has experience acting for a range of clients including business owners, farmers, high net worth individuals, retirees and the elderly.

He advises on a wide range of matters including wills, trusts, tax planning, powers of attorney, probate and Court of Protection matters.

::A talented student from Bury St Edmunds has secured a place on the graduate entry scheme of one of Britain’s biggest companies after winning the award for best student on his university course.

Joshua Irving has joined the Finance Leader Development Programme with BAE Systems, a five year graduate entry scheme for high-calibre individuals with the potential to make a real difference in senior finance roles.

Joshua, 22, is set to graduate from the BA (Hons) Business and Finance degree at the University of Lincoln with First Class Honours and having won the award for Best Student in Finance from Lincoln International Business School.

Joshua said: “For me the memory of opening my results to find I’d be graduating with a First will always stay with me. It really cemented my belief that my time at the University of Lincoln was well spent and that I had made the most out of the experience.

“If someone wanted to go into the finance profession I’d really recommend studying at the University of Lincoln. The courses available offer a comprehensive understanding of financial tools as well as management which result in a more rounded graduate.

“The BA (Hons) in Business and Finance also offers a placement year in industry, which is a great way to get involved with professionals in your area of study, and make relationships which can help after graduation.”

::TaxAssist Accountants, a network of accountants specialising in providing services to small businesses, has bolstered its board of executive directors as it continues to grow its operations both in the UK and abroad.

James Mattam, previously senior business development manager, has been promoted to group business development director, while his predecessor Sarah Robertson will take on wider responsibility as group operations director.

James joined TaxAssist Accountants after leaving university in 1999 and has played a key role in helping to generate business for the TaxAssist network.

His new role will see James responsible for marketing strategy, brand development, shop fronts, practice management and business development strategies for the UK accounting network and international matters.

Sarah has been a director at TaxAssist since 2004 and helped transform the business development department, which included successfully introducing shopfront premises for many franchisees and contributing extensively to the overall development of the business.

With her comprehensive knowledge of the network and skillset, Sarah will bring a different dynamic to the role as she focuses on recruiting new franchisees and making sure that TaxAssist continues to embrace the latest technological advances.

Outgoing group operations director Phil Sullivan will become group finance director, while Karl Sandall and Ray Clarke remain as group chief executive director and group technical director respectively.

Karl said: “As the TaxAssist network grows both in the UK and internationally, we have ensured our franchisees are able to continue to receive support from a highly experienced and skilled board.

“Sarah’s new role was a natural progression so she can take on wider group responsibilities, and I am delighted we have been able to promote James in recognition of his hard work and contributions to the TaxAssist success story.”

::Lee Williams has been appointed as a client engagement manager for Jumpstart, operating across East Anglia.

His role will be to engage with new and existing Jumpstart clients in East Anglia and encourage uptake of the Research and Development Tax Relief Scheme by firms across the region.

Lee has more than 27 years’ sales and relationship management experience in the financial sector and has a proven track record of helping SMEs to overcome barriers to success and achieve their goals. As well as managing a diverse portfolio of businesses across all sectors, he is also specialised in manufacturing and engineering.