Accountancy firm Grant Thornton has announced changes to its senior management team at Ipswich as it targets growth.
The business and financial advisers had promoted partner Hazel Platt, who leads the firm’s East Anglian tax team, to practice leader. She takes over from fellow partner Darren Bear, who becomes regional managing partner, heading up the firm’s eight officers across the central and eastern region.
Hazel Platt joined the firm in 2011 as a tax director and has more than 20 years’ experience of working with dynamic businesses, many of which operate internationally.
In her new role as practice leader, she will continue to build on the work Darren Bear has achieved to date, bringing together the extensive skills and capabilities of Grant Thornton’s East Anglian teams to deliver the very best client offering across the region.
Darren will lead Grant Thornton’s strategy across its Ipswich, Norwich, Cambridge Chelmsford, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Leicester and St Albans offices.
Meanwhile, current regional managing partner James Brown steps into a national role with Grant Thornton, the UK’s fifth largest accountancy firm, as head of growth. James will focus on developing new ways to drive the firm’s top line growth while retaining his long-held client presence in East Anglia.
“We cannot afford to rest on our laurels,” said Darren.
Ensors chartered accountants has appointed two new senior members of staff to its corporate tax team.
Director Sarah Lockhart-White joins the firm’s Bury St Edmunds office. She has more than two decades of taxation experience working with some of the largest accountancy firms.
Associate partner Tim Shaw is a highly experienced chartered accountant and joins the firm’s two Cambridgeshire offices from a well-respected London practice.
Partner Robert Leggett said the firm was “delighted”.
Ipswich-based Genesis PR has announced a series of promotions.
Jacqueline French has been promoted to the role of associate director. Craig Robinson has been promoted to account director, Alex Raymond to digital account manager, and Joe Cross and Joe Tye to senior account executives.
Director Penny Arbuthnot said: “We are very pleased to be growing our talented team and to be able to recognise the achievements of Jacqueline, Craig, Alex, Joe and Joe.”
Diss-based audio-visual specialist Midwich has appointed Stephen Lamb as group finance director.
Current group finance director Anthony (Tony) Bailey will step down on June 30 after steering the group through its successful stock market launch in 2016 and will focus on other interests.
Stephen, 44, a qualified chartered accountant, is senior vice president and chief financial officer of the international division of Iron Mountain Inc, a US information storage firm.
Housebuilder Bloor Homes has appointed a new construction director to oversee its growing number of homes across the eastern region.
Graeme Burston, 52, is aiming to use his experience and wealth of contacts built up during his three decades in the industry to help the privately-owned firm achieve its ambitious growth plans.
He is based at the developer’s regional office in Bury St Edmunds and is reponsible for schemes across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex.
Two team members at Ipswich-based architectural practice KLH Architects are celebrating after becoming certified architects
Stuart Edgar and Nicola Gulliver completed their RIBA Part 3 while working for the firm.
Stuart, 31, has worked for the firm for almost 10 years and has undertaken projects across the healthcare sector including work at West Suffolk Hospital.
Nicola, 26, started working for KLH in 2013, before becoming a permanent member of the firm in 2016.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here