LOVEWELL Blake has opened a new office in Bury St Edmunds as the latest move in expanding business in Suffolk.

The office on the Hillside Business Park will be managed by Cathryn Brooker, who is moving from Lovewell Blake’s Thetford office, supported by some of the firm’s partners and specialists.

Cathryn Brooker has worked in accountancy for more than 20 years. She began accountancy training with the London office of BDO Stoy Hayward, qualifying as a chartered certified accountant in 1994 and subsequently also becoming a chartered accountant. She went on to join KPMG, followed by roles in industry, before joining Lovewell Blake in 2001.

Jemma Jackson also moves across from the Thetford office. She started her accountancy training there in 2004 and qualified as a chartered certified accountant in 2011.

Partner Brian Floringer, who will be combining roles in Thetford and Bury St Edmunds, has almost 30 years’ experience with Lovewell Blake, qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1992 and becoming a partner in 1999. He specialises in family businesses and is a fellow member of the International Centre for Families in Business.

Three more of the firm’s Thetford personnel - partner David Buller, manager Paul Milton and tax manager Colin Chamberlain - will be combining roles there and at Bury St Edmunds.

Douglas Young, managing partner of Lovewell Blake, heads the firm’s strong agricultural team which already has many clients throughout Suffolk and will be working regularly at Bury St Edmunds. He has described the new office there as “critical to the firm’s expansion plans”.

Tax partner Colin Fish and VAT consultant Liz Hill will be available at the new office on a regular basis.

COLCHESTER-based digital agency Website Design Limited (WDL) has grown its team by employing five new members of staff since the new year, to cope with the ever-increasing demand for web services.

WDL has employed Emma Skinner as the company’s new Head of Digital Marketing because of her specialist skills in promoting businesses online, including her wealth of experience in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Social Media, Email Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC) Marketing, Usability and other internet marketing methods.

Luke Simmons, the company’s new Digital Marketer and Social Media specialist, has joined the team to guide clients on their Social Media tactics and conduct client work so Emma can focus more of her time on further developing the company’s Digital Marketing department.

The company has also expanded its web development offering by employing new Web Developer George Waters, who has specialist knowledge of Wordpress and developing clean functional websites. To support George WDL have taken on their third apprentice in the past two years, Tomasz Czech who has a keen interest in code languages. Emily Wood has also joined the team as Client Care Officer. Using her digital project management experience, she aims to ensure a high level of customer service and a smooth transition from completed projects to ongoing support.

Managing Director, Elliot Smith, said: “WDL was founded by myself back in 2002 and has since developed from a one man business venture to an established company with 14 employees.

“Our continued growth has meant we’ve been able to employ additional staff from the local area and develop their skills. We are also proud to have been involved in an apprenticeship scheme for the past two years and have taken on three apprentices since our involvement began; supporting our previous two apprentices to achieve employment in the web industry.”

JORDON Freight has appointed Simon Fisk to the new position of European Road Freight Manager. This appointment represents the continued investment Jordon Freight is making to ensure continued first-class service levels.

Simon is tasked with bringing together the export and import overland departments, improving procedures and developing closer internal communications. Simon’s appointment will further improve the quality standards throughout the company and bring major benefits to clients as he continually monitors service levels and implements improvements.

Simon brings with him a wealth of experience in the logistics industry, having previously worked in management roles for ASD Europe Ltd and Cargo World Logistics. He will report to Jordon Freight directors Jon Swallow & Roddy Forster.

Jon Swallow, director, said: “We are delighted with Simon’s appointment as part of our strategic plan to bring exact and thorough standards throughout our Road Freight divisions.”

GRANT Thornton has welcomed a new manager to its expanding East of England Corporate Finance team.

Nehal Patel will work across the firm’s East Anglian offices covering Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, advising clients on all aspects of corporate finance including mergers, acquisitions, MBOs, succession planning and fund raising. Previous to joining Grant Thornton, Nehal worked as a fund accountant for State Street Bank in the City before moving on to hold a managerial position at a Cambridge based corporate finance firm for six years. Nehal has a degree in Economics and a Masters in Finance.

Nehal said: “I am delighted to join Grant Thornton’s corporate finance team which has a strong reputation as a leading player in the East of England.

“The corporate finance market is currently buoyant with a strong pipeline of activity both now and in the short to medium term. I hope to add to the team’s considerable experience in advising clients across the region, as well as create new opportunities in the marketplace.”