GSL Dardan’s newest drug detection dog, 14-month-old Woody Dardan, and his handler Mark Collings, have attained the National Association of Security Dog Users (NASDU) accreditation Level 3 in Pro Active Drug Dog Search.

The training was facilitated by NASDU approved trainer John Prater, of Omni Security. NASDU promotes national standards for the welfare, training and education of security dogs and their handlers.

Woody is a Springer Spaniel, a breed widely used for scent detection work for controlled substances. Woody will join the existing members of GSL Dardan drugs dog section - drug dog Ben in Aberdeen and drug dog Meg in East Anglia.

Mark and Woody are now deployed throughout Norfolk and North Suffolk, undertaking searches for GSL Dardan’s offshore client base.

Mark said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Woody so far and look forward to our next deployment, where we will be delivering the same quality of service that our clients have been accustomed to.”

LING Cook, a well-established insurance and financial services office which has been part of the Gibbs Denley Group for six years, is growing despite the difficult economic times.

The directors are delighted to announce the appointment of Simon Rees as a financial services client manager at its Ling Cook office in Bury St Edmunds.

Simon has been working for the Gibbs Denley Group for two years at its Swavesey office. His move to Ling Cook at Bury St Edmunds will allow the firm to expand its investment management service, working alongside Mark Denley and Barry Lee, ensuring its clients receive a proactive approach to their financial planning.

Director Mark Denley said: “We have the right product and service offerings that reflect the requirements of private clients and businesses in these times. Simon’s role will be key to the continued improvement of service to our existing clients and the development of new business.”

Simon has a BSC (Hons) in Economics and has been working in the industry for three years. He is a fully qualified financial adviser holding the Certificate for Financial Advisers from the Institute of Financial Services and a Diploma in Financial Planning from the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Simon is a keen cricketer and plays for Bury St Edmunds in the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier

League and Suffolk.

BREWIN Dolphin, one of the UK’s largest independent private client investment managers, has appointed Matthew Shields as its divisional director, based at its new Ipswich office.

Matthew has more than 17 years’ experience in the financial services sector and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. He started his career with Lloyds Private Banking and then moved to Barclays Wealth, workign as an investment manager specialising in the client relationship of private clients, self-invested pensions and trusts.

Robin Beer, Midlands regional director at Brewin Dolphin said: “We are proud to welcome Matthew to our new office in Ipswich. This development is very much part of our commitment to expand our presence in Ipswich and within East Anglia.”

Matthew joins Nicholas Barber in the new office in Felaw Maltings with Andrew Wheeler and Toby Sellers arriving over the coming months.

The Brewin Dolphin Group provides a complete investment management and financial planning service for 130,000 private investors, charities and pension funds and has 41 offices around the country.

CHRIS Ginn, senior manager at PKF in Ipswich, has reached a significant landmark in his career, having been with the accountancy and business advice firm for 30 years. The partners in the PKF Ipswich office held a presentation to mark this accomplishment.

Afterwards Chris said: “One of the main reasons I have stayed with PKF for 30 years is that it is a firm I have enjoyed working for – a lot of it is about the people. Accountancy is all about people and relationships, not just figures.”

Marilyn Martin, senior partner at the PKF Ipswich office and regional managing partner of East Anglia, said: “The partners and everyone at PKF would like to thank Chris wholeheartedly for his exceptionally loyal service. He has not only made a significant contribution to the commercial work of the firm but also in many different dimensions of the social life of the office, for example he runs the football and cricket teams.

“He joined us not long after university and has worked in a variety of different departments. He also used to manage our Woodbridge office. His real specialism is in the field of forensic work, which is also a niche for PKF. This involves establishing the quantum of loss in a variety of circumstances such as commercial disputes, personal injury cases, tax disputes and professional negligence and also includes matrimonial valuations and criminal confiscation. We look forward to his next milestone in 10 years’ time.”